The West End works as one economy – policy should catch up Opinion The West End functions as an integrated economy, yet policy continues to govern it in fragments, writes Ros Morgan.
Ministry of Sound says clubbing is back as it reopens The Box Life&Style Famous London super club Ministry of Sound turns 35 this year, celebrating the occasion with the completion of a five year, multi-million pound renovation. The final piece of the puzzle: the main arena, known to generations of clubbers simply as “The Box”. Self-described as “one of the most revered club spaces in the world” there’s [...]
Losses widen at owner of scandal-hit The Groucho Club Business Losses have widened at the owner of The Groucho Club in London despite its turnover rising during its latest financial year. The Groucho Club is one of London’s most famous private members’ clubs and has been going since 1985. The Soho venue was founded a a more relaxed alternative to traditional gentlemen’s clubs and has [...]
Bleak ‘hospitality zones’ will make London nightlife even worse July 31, 2025 Proposed ‘hospitality zones’ for alfresco dining are little more than top-down attempts at vibrancy which will move nightlife away from where it’s already thriving into sterile Boxpark clones, says Tom Jones It is a Saturday night. Your exhaustion from a week of open-plan purgatory – the train delays, the Slack pings, the passive-aggressive tone of [...]
I’ve dealt with gangsters and petrol bombs, but Nimbys are a bigger threat to nightlife June 11, 2025 As founder of the world’s biggest nightclub and a festival for 80,000 punters, Manchester’s night time economy advisor Sacha Lord has dealt with guns and petrol bombs. But he says the biggest threat he’s encountered is Nimbys trying to shut down festivals like Brockwell Live What qualifies me to write about Nimbys being nightlife’s biggest [...]
Last orders pushed back as government slashes nightlife red tape April 4, 2025 The UK government is set to overhaul licensing laws to give pubs, clubs, and restaurants greater freedom to operate, aiming to revive the country’s nightlife economy and remove barriers to business growth. Key changes, which were announced by the Treasury on Thursday, include a landmark pilot in London granting Sadiq Khan new powers to review [...]
Is Sadiq Khan finally getting something right on London’s nightlife? March 20, 2025 It has taken eight years – and the appointment of one disastrous night czar – but Sadiq Khan is finally listening to industry when it comes to the future of London’s after hours leisure economy, writes James Ford As a former aide to the previous Mayor of London, it is very rare that I find [...]
Don’t sack the DJ: Group urges government to protect electronic music February 6, 2025 An industry body has called on the government to recognise the power of electronic music in reshaping and revitalising the UK’s struggling nightlife. A slightly unlikely poster child of the UK’s creative industry, electronic music contributed £2.4bn to the UK economy last year, with £646.1m of that from festival revenues. Leading the charge not only [...]
Roundhead Reeves is effectively banning nightclubs through tax January 15, 2025 There has been an alarming decline in people going to nightclubs and Rachel Reeves growth-killing, fun-banning Budget is partly to blame. Fortunately there are some simple solutions to bringing back the big night out, says James Price The philosopher Ted Mosby, in his magnum opus How I Met Your Mother, once opined that: “Nothing good [...]
Rail strikes: Warning of ‘irreparable fallout’ from train walkouts January 2, 2025 The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned of the “irreparable fallout” from the ongoing round of Avanti West Coast rail strikes. Passengers faced disruption after rail managers who are members of the RMT union voted to strike on 31 December and 2 January, with disruption on routes to Glasgow, North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh. [...]