26% of UK Towns Have Lost All Nightclubs, with 1 in 6 Have No Late-Night Venues Left – NTIA Warns of Growing Nightlife Crisis

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned that Britain’s nightlife is in sharp decline, revealing that more than a quarter (26%) of towns and cities that had a nightclub in 2020 now have none, and 16% have lost all late-night venues entirely.

Figures from the Night Time Economy Market Monitor, produced with CGA by NIQ, show that post-COVID closures are leaving communities without places to socialise after dark, threatening local culture, jobs, and the wider evening economy.

“This is not just a hospitality issue – it’s a cultural crisis,” said Michael Kill, CEO of the NTIA. “Nightclubs and late-night venues are cultural institutions, economic engines, and cornerstones of community life. Losing them removes vital social and cultural spaces from our towns and cities.”

The Numbers Behind the Decline
• 26% of towns and cities that had at least one nightclub in 2020 now have none.
• 16% have lost all late-night venues entirely.
• 2% have lost every venue in the wider evening economy, including restaurants, pubs, and cultural spaces.
• Since March 2020, the late-night sector has shrunk by 26.4%, compared with an 8.1% decline in the wider evening economy.
Rising operational costs—including recent hikes to minimum wage and National Insurance—combined with insufficient post-pandemic support, have disproportionately hit independent operators. Larger managed groups have shown modest growth, but the independent sector continues to struggle.

Communities Left in the Dark
In towns across the UK, nightclub closures have erased evening social life entirely. Once hubs of community, culture, and creativity, these spaces have disappeared, leaving residents without places to gather after dark.

As Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy observed in 2022, nightclubs are part of the UK’s cultural heritage: “Every town has lost a nightclub that they feel very strongly about.” Three years on, the decline has only intensified.

Read the Full Report Here: https://storage.googleapis.com/ntia-hosted-pdfs/night-time-economy-market-monitor-aug-25.pdf

NTIA Calls for Action: #CutTheDancefloorTax

The NTIA urges urgent government intervention to halt the decline in the night-time economy and protect jobs:
1. Cut VAT for Hospitality & Night-Time Economy – Permanently reduce VAT for venues, bars, and clubs to support recovery and growth.
2. Reinstate National Insurance Thresholds for Employers – Ease hiring pressures on hospitality and night-time businesses.
3. Deliver Transactional Reform of Business Rates – Lower the Business Multiplier on Business Rates, Allow for breathing space for the night time economy sector

“The time to act is now,” Kill added. “We must prevent the permanent loss of nightlife before these gaps in our towns and cities become irreversible.”