In Paris as elsewhere, the situation is alarming. In France, nearly 70% of clubs have shut down since the late 1980s. Across Europe and beyond, the trend is the same. Watergate in Berlin has closed its doors, while in Melbourne, cultural erosion has led to the disappearance of most clubs in the city. London too is experiencing an existential crisis in nightlife.
Several factors explain this dramatic decline. Chief among them is the rise of Generation Z, far less decadent than Generation X and with a very different mindset. Yet the party has not disappeared entirely.
Nightclub: Reasons for Anger
Economic pressures and the trauma of Covid have pushed nightlife earlier into the evening. Back in 2014, the share of clubs open past 3 a.m. in Madrid, Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona stood at 84–88% of the total. By 2024, that number had fallen to 76% in Paris, 61% in Amsterdam, and only 43% in Barcelona. Only Madrid has resisted, with 89%, though even there a significant drop is expected. The explanation is mainly economic: crowds thin sharply after 3 a.m., making it unprofitable to keep venues open.
Students, hit hard by the crisis, are also affected: in France, 18% rely on food aid. Essentials such as rent and groceries take priority over secondary expenses. Clubs themselves are struggling: in major European capitals, already weakened by the Covid crisis, they face soaring rents. This double squeeze—on both supply and demand—has led to increasing closures. But economics alone does not tell the whole story.
A Cultural Crisis Too
Le Parisien recently quoted young people from Generation Z as saying: I’d rather play PlayStation with friends
. More restrained than previous generations, they also drink less. In the United States, the share of adults under 35 who report having ever drunk alcohol fell from 72% in 2001–2003 to 62% in 2021–2023. In Spain, alcohol intoxication among 14–18-year-olds dropped from 60.7% in 2012 to 20.8% in 2023. In the UK, 28% of young adults do not drink at all. Drug use, however, has remained stable.
Another sign of this shift is the rise of soft clubbing
, still avant-garde but gaining traction in cities such as Denver.
The Rise of Festivals and House Parties
At the same time, the boom in music festivals—especially in summer, usually ending around 11 p.m.—has helped culturally seal the end of nightclubbing in the traditional sense. Festivals, ubiquitous today, attract the biggest names in music. While their content is different, they currently meet the expectations of Generation Z.
It’s not just about PlayStation or a healthier lifestyle
. It represents a deeper shift in mentality. Millennials prefer the intimacy of house parties. In London, the trend has grown so strong that rapper Stormzy has institutionalized it.
The King is Dead, Long Live the King: House Parties!
Not long ago, Stormzy and Cream Group launched House Party, located at 61 Poland Street in Soho. It’s a seven-story townhouse, fully conceptualized, with each floor replicating a part of a home—living room, teenager’s bedroom with a 2000s vibe—all dedicated to partying. The concept is a sharp break from the exclusive clubs of the 2000s. Registration is online, and once inside, everyone is equal: no VIP areas. The initiative is perfectly in line with Millennial expectations.
Stormzy’s move is far from marginal. The house party movement is growing, particularly in London. This generation values community-driven and intimate gatherings. Expensive, exclusive, and repetitive clubs no longer appeal—they have access to everything but fewer means. Organizers like Lab54 are staging house parties in unusual, sometimes subversive venues: yachts
, Taco Shops
, even mansions.
A survey by YPulse found that 63% of Europeans aged 13–39 (Gen Z and Millennials) prefer to socialize at home rather than in a club or bar. According to the Financial Times, the classic house party is itself under threat due to the housing crisis: high rents and precarious living conditions make hosting at home increasingly difficult.
Although Generation Z is more home-oriented than previous cohorts, they have redefined what partying means. The decline of nightclubbing is not just economic—it’s primarily the result of a cultural revolution, one accelerated by the Covid crisis but already underway since the mid-2000s.
