Nights out are a huge part of socialising and British culture in the United Kingdom, with many social activities centring around pubs, bars and nightclubs.
The UK nightclub market is estimated to be worth £683 million in 2022 and employs more than 67,800 people around the country. Aside from nightclubs, Brits also enjoy other activities in the evening such as mini golf, bowling and arcades and these venues often have their own bars on site.
One survey found that over half of the people asked went on a night out at least once a week. There are certain points in the year when late night entertainment venues receive higher visitor numbers than others.
For example, in the run up to Christmas many workplaces and groups of friends or family arrange evening social activities. Also, ‘freshers week’ is a big part of university culture in the UK and during this time in September, thousands of students in their first year of uni flock to nightclubs and bars to meet their new roommates and uni course cohort.
There are few other countries that enjoy night outs as much as the Brits. Let’s take a look at some of the motivations that people have for participating in late night entertainment activities and how the industry is developing:
Spend time with friends and meet new ones
One of the core factors at the heart of the nightlife scene is social experience. People go out in order to spend time with their friends and meet new ones along the way.
Friends are likely to choose venues that have music and entertainment that they entire group can enjoy and might visit several venues in one night.
Different nightlife locations have different setups, and some are more suitable for catching up with friends than others. For example, in a nightclub the business, loud music and lack of seating can make it difficult to have conversations but are ideal for dancing together. Whereas bars and pubs generally have a layout that encourages conversation and is more laidback.
Many groups of friends may meet in a quieter location for drinks or food before venturing out to a club for this reason.
One social activity popular amongst friends is UK bingo, with many meeting up at their local bingo halls for a night with friends. A game of bingo in the UK has been well-known for the social element since the 1960’s where friends would often head to the bingo hall for a night out. Bingo still remains a sociable night still to this day with many now also heading online to play online bingo games and chat with their friends in the dedicated chat room spaces.
Relax and unwind after a stressful week
Our lives are getting increasingly busy with commitments at work, university and home meaning that there is little time to relax and decompress. Going out for drinks in locations with loud music, dancing and entertainment can help to forget these stresses for a short time and enable visitors to have fun and unwind.
The target demographic for many nightlife venues is young adults, these are people that are old enough to drink alcohol but many do not yet have responsibilities at home, such as families with children or lots of bills to pay, meaning they are able to and can afford a night out.
Binge drinking does have negative consequences on a person’s health so venues have a responsibility to encourage this demographic to drink responsibility and have fun without drinking excessively.
Find a romantic partner
Meeting a new romantic partner is often done online through dating apps in 2022, however there are still many people who prefer to meet more organically in-person, and sociable places like clubs, bars and entertainment venues are ideal for this. They may go with the purpose of chatting to potential romantic partners or meet someone they get on well with purely by chance.
Enjoy new music and experiences
Many nightlife venues have DJs that perform sets and provide an experience, the music in a club or bar is very important for creating the atmosphere and customers may leave if they don’t like anything that is being played.
There may also be live music and this is the perfect opportunity for discovering new artists and updating your spotify playlist.
The nightlife experience is constantly evolving to keep up with customer demand and there are so many other options besides visiting a local bar for a drink. For example, themed nights and special events such as Bongos Bingo have become popular in recent years.
Bingo club nights usually require tickets to be reserved in advance and give customers the chance to enjoy bingo games with a twist. These games are accompanied with great music, silly games, challenges and unique prizes.
Some bars and restaurants take it to a new innovative level and incorporate bingo themed bottomless brunches bringing people together to experience a night of good food and great fun. This usually involves a wide range of bottomless drinks and cocktails making the experience even more enticing.
Activities like bingo provides such a sociable environment, many people love these bingo themed night outs to make friends and network which is one of the key reasons why more of the younger generations are getting involved with bingo.
Late night walking tours, escape rooms and karaoke experiences are also less traditional night out experiences that groups of friends can enjoy. These are ideal for birthdays and other special occasions.
Many adults are used to the typical bar and nightclub experience and are keen to try out new experiences.
Venues that recognise demand and listen to customer feedback and are able to create unique experiences that surprise and delights customers. Nightlife in the UK is driven by the need for entertainment, social experience and escapism.
