For many travellers, a holiday isn’t complete without painting the town red. There’s no better feeling than letting your hair down, swaying your hips with the locals, and shaking your groove thing somewhere that's beautifully unfamiliar. As longtime champions of going out, Time Out Global set out to find the world’s best cities for nightlife in 2024. We surveyed thousands of people in hundreds of cities worldwide, quizzing them on their favourite venues and asking them to rate the quality and affordability of their city’s nightlife (because nothing spoils a night out like long queues, steep entrance fees, or a $15 pint).
What really caught our attention, though, were the bonus picks – with Time Out spotlighting three legendary nightlife cities that seem to be flying under the global radar. To find these gems, our writers tapped into the expertise of those people who live and breathe nightlife – DJs – who nominated three nightlife capitals worthy of the spotlight. Australian cities rarely make the cut in global nightlife rankings, so we were pretty stoked to see Brisbane make the list.
According to Brisbane-born DJ and producer Young Franco: “Brisbane is continually re-inventing itself, there are always exciting new places to try whenever I'm back. I’m a big fan of what the team have done with the Felons brewery precinct at Howard Smith Wharves; but most importantly, Brisbane will always love and appreciate its bands and live venues. The Tivoli, The Triffid, Princess Theatre and Fortitude Valley Music Hall [are] all world-class spots for touring bands of which all the Brisbane legends have played.”
Franco gave a special shout-out to Black Bear Lodge, where he played one of his first headline shows, calling it “an absolute staple for small up-and-coming bands to play.” He also added: “For a city that is forever changing, (Brisbane’s) really stood the test of time, and I think that's a credit to the staff and team [at Black Bear Lodge] their curation, the DJs that have played there and the great atmosphere they create.”
Here are the world’s best cities for nightlife in 2024, according to Time Out:
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Manila, Philippines
- Berlin, Germany
- Guadalajara, Mexico
- Austin, USA
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Manchester, UK
- Budapest, Hungary
- Accra, Ghana
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Singapore
Special mentions:
- Barcelona, Spain
- Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Brisbane, Australia
Dive deeper into Time Out's full ranking of the world's best cities for nightlife in 2024 over here.
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