Analysis: dozens of cities across the world have hired 'Night Mayors' to reinvigorate cultural life and Ireland is next
Said out loud, it sounds like a nightmare, but it's nothing like that. "The term has really taken off. I suppose it catches people's imagination because it sounds quite exciting," says Dr Enya Moore, postdoctoral researcher at the School of Tourism & Hospitality Management at TU Dublin.
The night mayor acts as an ambassador for a city, town or village's life at night, engaging with different stakeholders, like local government and cultural groups, to create safe and diverse opportunities at night; everything from grabbing a drink at the pub, to clubbing, creative and culture spaces, shops and transport. Ireland’s Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce imagines the role as someone who 'can act as a central point of expertise/information on the Night-Time Economy in their areas, helping to pull all the pieces of the jigsaw together coherently.’
'Night Mayor' is a direct translation of Amsterdam’s 'nachtburgemeester’. The Dutch city has had some form of night mayor since 2003, but formally established the position in 2014. The concept has since been duplicated in more than 50 cities around the world, including New York, Berlin, London, Manchester, Paris and Zurich. It’s sometimes referred to as a ‘Night Czar’ or in the Irish case, a ‘Night-Time Economy Advisor’.
But why do we need night mayors in Ireland?
If you’ve been out at night in any of Ireland’s cities and towns recently, the lack of buzz and opportunity is obvious. In recent years we’ve seen a wave of closures across the country. There’s talk of ‘cultural decline’, ‘disappearing’ venues, ‘last orders’ for Ireland’s pubs, and a dwindling nightclub culture. Safety at night, cost and transport are some of the things keeping people from engaging with life in our cities and towns after dark. For those trying to run businesses or cultural events of all shapes and sizes, it’s been an uphill battle for years, from opening hours and costs to licensing laws, even before Covid lockdowns changed the landscape.
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We need to think about 'life at night' in a new, expanded way, says Moore. "The sometimes narrow view we might take of nightlife as being, in very general terms, for younger people, or for partying, or for clubbing or that kind of thing, those spaces are obviously important but there is potential beyond that. I think Culture Night is a great example of a hugely successful initiative that demonstrates that potential. And I would say a lot of its success is that it is inclusive and accessible and it's free, there is increased public transport around it, and it's very diverse. I would think, what does that look like when it's expanded beyond one night?"
The Night-Time Economy is often defined as anything happening between 6PM and 6AM, regardless of whether it’s dark out. Internationally, it’s a growing area of interest, looking not just at how people entertain themselves, but at how to provide everyone with 24-hour functioning, safe, clean cities and communities. "It’s important to think about what we mean when we talk about the night-time economy," says Moore. "It’s being used a lot internationally and that's why it's been adopted here, but it's important to consider how we approach night time culture and society and community, beyond the economic factors, in ways that facilitate civic engagement and lively and vibrant nightlife in towns and cities across across Ireland. That conversation is often around cities and urban life, but it obviously expands beyond city centres, to suburbs and rural communities, and big towns and small villages."
"In the context of Ireland, do we have a strong night-time culture? What are we doing to cultivate that night-time culture? And what opportunities and what challenges are there? I think it really, really depends on the different places. It's important to consider whether you're talking about Dublin or Cork, towns or villages, because those challenges are very different," she says.
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A Citizen Survey Report on Dublin's Night-Time Economy published in September 2023 highlights some sides of what’s going wrong, from transport and cost, to diversity and amenities. The survey found the most common barriers to going out at night in Dublin more were "too expensive" (noted by 50% of respondents, up from 41% in 2020); "I do not feel safe in Dublin at night" (47%, up from 21% in 2020) and "It is difficult for me to get home at night" (32%, up from 26% in 2020). "Better safety at night" was a top priority for 64% of respondents (up from 44% in February 2020), while "Improved night-time transport" was the next most common priority (60%). "More free / low cost activities" was a priority for 29% of respondents (down from 36% in 2020) and "More 24-hour public toilets" was a priority for 29% of respondents (up from 20% in 2020).
Of those who said they travelled to other cities, 78% rate Dublin's nightlife poorer, and 7% rate Dublin's nightlife better than the nightlife in the cities they have visited abroad. When it came to life in the city between 12am and 3am, 66% of respondents felt that more performance spaces are needed (up from 60% in 2020), while 62% felt more cafés are needed (up from 53% in 2020) and 62% felt that more music venues are needed (up from 52%). 61% felt that more cultural venues are needed between these hours, which was similar to 2020. There was also increased perceived need during these hours for games venues (57%), dance venues (56%), shops (51%) and restaurants (47%).
Nearly one fifth of respondents (18%) highlighted longer or staggered opening hours for venues, and licensing reform as ways to improve night-time activities, while 14% said more venues or more variety of venues (sizes/types) would improve things. Three-quarters of respondents (75%) suggested increased frequency / availability / running later / running 24 hours as the way to improve public transport between 6pm and midnight, with bus the most commonly mentioned mode of transport, followed by Luas, train and Dart.
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Where's my night mayor at?
Against the backdrop of a number of challenges, Ireland's Night Time Economy Taskforce was established in July 2020 and delivered its report in September 2021. Drawing on the idea of night mayors from around the world, it recommended the appointment of night-time economy advisors, saying "Each city, town and village need their own vision, informed by residents (of all ages), businesses, elected representatives, cultural institutions/spaces, artists and creative practitioners, promoters and relevant public bodies, and a plan to achieve this with achievable milestones and a structure that works for them."
The report was followed by the launch of a pilot grant scheme in June 2022 to boost the night-time economy and the announcement in October of nine cities and towns that would take part in a pilot programme of full time, night-time advisors: Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City, Galway City, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Sligo, Buncrana and Longford Town. As of writing, Dublin City, Galway City, Cork City, Limerick City, Kilkenny City, Sligo and Drogheda have appointed night-time economy advisors, while the recruitment process is in progress in Longford. Brainstorm is confirming the latest from Buncrana and will update the list.
A string of funding to support Ireland's Night-Time Economy has also been announced, including €6 million allocated for developing the Night-Time Economy in Budget 2023, and €130m for the Arts Council. In May 2023, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin announced up to €1 million in funding for local museums and galleries to support the Night-Time Economy and a further three initiatives in July of the same year, focused on noise mitigation for late night venues, later opening hours for cultural spaces, and support for cultural events.
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In some respects we’re capitalising fully on the opportunities and potential in Ireland, but there are huge gaps in cultural infrastructure, says Moore. "Ireland has a long history, especially rural Ireland, of hosting dramas in community centres, mixed-use venues for arts, and dance halls and cinemas. Some of those which are [still] in existence and some of them which are not. But I think that whole aspect of looking at the strong points of what we already have and talking to people about what they're already doing and the ideas that we have, and providing more resources for that, is a very good place to start. It's not like you're starting from scratch."
Across Ireland, "you're seeing former churches and chapels that are being used as music venues, places that are being completely reimagined as different spaces. I think that kind of openness and creativity is required, particularly when there are a vast number of derelict and unused buildings that could be used if they're opened up for that kind of use."
Moore says we have to look beyond thinking of multi-use spaces as something that needs to be newly built. "There are lots of existing buildings that can be adapted. Obviously that can be expensive, but that is something that definitely needs to be considered. Because there is a need for cultural spaces and the space is there." Moore highlights initiatives like Give Us the Night and Safe Gigs. "They have done huge advocacy for different aspects of night time economies," she says. "And a lot of the reports and task forces that have been set up, like the Night Time Economy Forum and the Arts Council. There’s a lot of people doing really, really good work in this space. I think it's important that work continues and they're supported in doing that work."
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