London Sees More 24-Hour Gyms Than Nightclubs

A central London gym, featuring music, lighting, and a smoke machine, offers an atmosphere reminiscent of a nightclub. Deonne Andrews, the group general manager for the high-end gym chain 1Rebel, notes that “A lot of our customers will come down to our 16:30 or 17:30 classes, get ready, and then go for a night out.” An analysis by BBC London indicates that 24-hour gyms are now more prevalent than 24-hour clubs in the capital. Data from the Home Office reveals a decline of over two-thirds in the number of 24-hour licences issued to pubs, bars, and nightclubs in London, dropping from 183 to 58 between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 periods. Concurrently, the estimated count of 24-hour gyms stands at potentially 300. Ms Andrews states, “We’re busy throughout the year.” She further explains, “We offer Prosecco Friday, where they have a drink with us, and then they’ll go off for dinner and so forth.” She describes the atmosphere, saying, “The lighting, the vibe, the music… it’s like you’re having a whole party on a bike.” Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, points out that bars and clubs are encountering various challenges that impede their ability to operate with a 24-hour licence. Kill elaborates, “Not being able to get home post-midnight midweek has been a real challenge.” He adds, “There are 24-hour licences that don’t operate within those hours, and that’s based on the fact that if the infrastructure’s not there to keep people safe and get people home, then they’re not going to be supported by the market.” He emphasizes that “Becoming a 24-hour city is more than just intimating we’re going in that direction. I think it’s an involvement of a multitude of stakeholders – transport, developers, policing – all that needs to be on board.” The east London nightclub E1 is experiencing the impact of rising overheads and reduced customer expenditure. Jack Henry, the operations director, states, “There’s a lot of challenges, from licensing to cost-of-living crisis, through to staffing, policing, anti-social behaviour, rates and bills, you name it.” He continues, “It’s extremely challenging to operate 24 hour. We’re really quite rare. The licence took us around five to six years to get.” Mr Henry further notes, “People are less frequent to come. Even when they do come, they don’t spend as much as they did pre-pandemic.” Mr Henry suggests that London requires a new “night czar.” He asserts, “There needs to be someone there. A voice that is protecting, helping, supporting venues to thrive.” He also observes, “People don’t come here for the venues any more. They aren’t seen as a cultural hub for the city.” Concluding, he states, “Although it is marketed as a 24-hour city and a cultural hub, it really isn’t.” Amy Lamé, London’s night czar, stepped down from her £132,000-a-year position in October, having served for eight years. Lamé stated that she believed it was the appropriate moment to depart, commenting that it had been “a real privilege to serve Londoners.” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan established the role after his election in 2016. During her tenure, both Khan and Lamé encountered scrutiny regarding her performance in enhancing London’s nightlife. Nevertheless, the mayor’s office acknowledged her contributions, stating she had “supported hundreds of venues since 2016.” Khan announced the formation of a London Nightlife Taskforce, which will determine the future of the night czar position. He informed BBC London, “As part of the work they do, they’ll be setting out proposals, which we’ll action.” Khan added, “This time of year is really important for businesses in London.” A spokesperson for the mayor’s office affirmed that Khan collaborated with businesses, venues, boroughs, and communities to foster a flourishing nightlife in London. The spokesperson also mentioned that initiatives such as the Night Tube, Overground, and the Women’s Night Safety Charter are available to help Londoners experience the capital’s offerings after sunset. Near Liverpool Street in London, a group of men on a work Christmas night out conveyed to BBC London that staying out all night has become a rarity. One individual from the group recounted, “Last year we came here for the Christmas night out and at about 01:00 we struggled to find anywhere that was open, which really surprised me.” He continued, “Being in the capital, we expected there would be more places open late. In Norwich, everything is until 04:00. I wish it was like that here.” He concluded, “It’s not got that late-night scene. If you compare it to New York or somewhere, it’s much more of a 24-hour scene. I think London really needs to catch up with that.” A government spokesperson announced the extension of 40% business rates relief for 250,000 properties. They stated, “Because nightlife matters, we are introducing a permanent new lower business rate for retail, hospitality and leisure in 2026 and have knocked a penny off alcohol duty on draught pints.” The spokesperson added, “To help protect London’s nightlife, we have also increased the Metropolitan Police budget by £227m, bringing the total up to £3.8bn in 2025-26.”