Your Favourite Party Cities in The World

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

I would agree, but it is the city discussions forum.

Nowadays the islands are the big destination party spots. Phi phi, kho pha ngan, ko tao, Bali, and the gili islands all have a very good party reputation. My only gripe is that it's basically all Aussies, Brits, Canadians, Americans, and the odd Scandinavian or Central European tossed in. Basically feels like partying at home just transplanted onto a beach halfway across the world. The best is when you have a local connection in the city and can get the true experience.

Agreed. I'm not a huge fan of places where I don't see at least some locals enjoying their own regional amenities. Even the European party islands are dominated by people from Anglo countries. I was on Hvar in Croatia a couple of years ago and nearly all of the visitors were British, American, or Australian. Over the course of a week in Croatia, I encountered pretty close to zero Croatians, unless they were working.

[Shawn]

My partying days are long past, but when I was in uni and right after graduating, my idea of a great party night was to candy trip my way through Shibuya with a dozen or so friends. For some perspective: in 2004, you could legally buy eyedroppers of 2C-I from a street stall next to a Citibank ATM and across the street from a police box in Shibs. Shrooms were also readily available at retail when I got here (but only for a month - arrived in July 2002; shrooms were banned in August 2002).

Is Tokyo among the best party cities in the world? Nah. But here's the thing: Tokyo is so ridiculously safe, that a bunch of early 20-somethings (half of whom were ladies) could spend a whole night tripping out of their minds, wandering the streets in a daze . . . and have zero concerns about safety.

Tokyo is a place where women can party safely in ways they simply cannot do in any of the well-known party spots. Guys too, for that matter. You can pass out on the street and instead of waking up without your wallet and phone, you'll probably have a blanket some good Samaritan draped over you while you were out.

If you have money (or if you work for a company which spends money on these type of things, cough cough), Hong Kong is nuts. So is Denpasar / Nusa Dua (Bali).

[JDSW]

Like,...fucking Cape Girardeau, man.

[isaidso]

London, Montreal, New York

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I don't think I'd have fun in Vegas on a tight budget.

I went on a couple Vegas trips when I was a woke, err I mean broke college student. Those were honestly some of the best times with my compadres.

When you think about, when you're super broke, you tend to have the best times of your life from simple things. The most epic parties ever, involved cheap beer, kegs, the police - especially when they break it up and everybody flees, the post party - party at another house.

House parties were the best and at the end of the night, you were out 20 bucks and at some random 24/7 Mexican joint, stuffing rolled tacos down your throat.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by JDSW

Like,...fucking Cape Girardeau, man.

I read somewhere that they want to name a school after Rush Limbaugh and put up a 150 foot statue of the bombastic conservative icon. I wonder if Rush ever visits his boyhood home? Mark Twain rarely revisited Hannibal MO after he left for Nevada and the world. People outgrow their boyhood homes, unless their boyhood home was a large city like New York, Los Angeles , San Francisco, Paris or London. Small towns and small cities are places to be born and grow up, but rarely have a hold on people of great talent or great wealth. Exceptions exist--Faulkner lived in Oxford MS most of his life (with jaunts to Hollywood to write movie scripts), but Oxford has U. Miss and is perhaps the nicest town in that impoverished state (Biloxi and Vickburg might argue). Another exception--celebrities and the wealthy often have second homes in small towns and cities that happen to be resorts, places like Aspen CO, Key West FL, Stowe VT, Taos NM, or anywhere in Hawaii.

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

I went on a couple Vegas trips when I was a woke, err I mean broke college student. Those were honestly some of the best times with my compadres.

When you think about, when you're super broke, you tend to have the best times of your life from simple things. The most epic parties ever, involved cheap beer, kegs, the police - especially when they break it up and everybody flees, the post party - party at another house.

House parties were the best and at the end of the night, you were out 20 bucks and at some random 24/7 Mexican joint, stuffing rolled tacos down your throat.

See I always felt like Vegas was one of the hardest cities to pull that off in given the exclusivity and cost. I'd rather pull that broke college student on a budget scheme at a college town or pretty much any western European capital city.

[Lear]

Trust him....

(2018)



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[muppet]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

I was too broke in my prime hard partying days (like age 17-20 or so) to leave Toronto, and what little I had was spent on drugs and going out instead of traveling, but it sure was a pretty fun time.

Going to London a couple years back and getting to to places like Fabric & Plastic People & free warehouse parties was definitely something of a bit of pilgrimage for me though, as someone with a very Anglophilic music taste. And the sheer amount & variety of cool things going on at night there is probably unparalleled (not sure how much of that may have died off in the past 5 years though).

I'm so sorry, London's famous nightlife has died due to high rents in the centre. The Soho area, once the largest nightlife district in the world during the 90s and 00s, with 500,000 per night and doubling on weekends, is a shadow of its former self - the sex and media industries have moved out, it's no longer 24 hr and all replaced by even more restaurants and upmarket shops, Chinatown now looks threatened.

Before


KilgoreTrout, www.urbanphoto.net


After


https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showt...1368959&page=6


The East End hipster districts are now as expensive as the West End ($10 a pint anyone?) and the scourge of hen parties and stag nights from out of town, a sign the area's gone mainstream and the crowds accordingly priced out or given up. Islington has died completely. Vauxhall, the other booming gay village, is closing down due to high rents and the fact kids don't like clubbing anymore.

Nightlife has edged further and further out to avoid the rents - now it's all about Dalston, Hackney, Clapham, Brixton booming as the new centres, but as theyre in zones 3 people are increasingly heading home earlier or not going due to distance. -Hackney once under siege from partygoers and disgruntled residents alike has just announced 'core curfews' of 11pm and no new licensing for drinking, killing the place overnight.


www.citymetric.com

[muppet]

On the whole the UK is seeing thousands of nightclubs close as Millennials shun EDM, binge drinking and what is effectively a 35 year old formula for what constitutes a night out of dancing, inebriated, to lights and beats too loud to really socialise in, pus the hook-up apps that have heavily depleted the gay or singles scene.

Likewise pubs, traditionally on every other street corner (opposing the church at the other) have gone upmarket, serve fantastic food, but close by the hundreds if they fail to win over the rents. London's pubs have dropped from 8,000 down to 3,500 (though there are 2,000 bars). Half of all nightclubs have closed, down to 335, and live music venues, once the world's premier choice not far behind, with revenues falling for the survivors. Also hemmed in by residents complaints and astronomical rents as the centre becomes the haunt of the rich and industrial areas become ripe for redevelopment.

death of the East End


https://media.nesta.org.uk

death of the West End

Clubs:



It's still an impressive choice - London's 'night time economy' is worth $34 billion and indirectly employs 723,000 people still. A Nightlife Czar had been appointed by the city to protect the ailing industry and the new 24 hr tube is a godsend, plus a thriving underground scene (though not a light to the 90s version). However it's a shadow of the 24-7 glory days, when you could party in a nightclub at any time of day on any day, from night clubs to after party clubs to morning clubs to afternoon clubs on a Wednesday, when half a million clubbers descended on the city on a night and DJing became the nations favourite hobby (after shopping).

[azliam]

I don't have any favorite party cities, but prefer experiences in different places. I'm not much of a clubber anymore, but enjoyed my years doing it and have very fond memories of the earlier years. My first nightclub experience began as a teenager in Dallas during the mid-80's at the Starck Club and it was a fabulous introduction to the nightlife scene:

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In the late 80's and early 90's, I was in the military stationed at Fort Hood, TX and when I could, spent almost every weekend in either Austin or Houston. Both cities had phenomenal club scenes at the time and weren't so much pretentious like they are today. My favorite clubs in Austin were Curfew, Backstreet/Basics, Sanitarium/Planetarium, and Lizard Lounge/Numbers. Houston had a slew of fun nightclubs like 6400, Xcess, Decadance, Numbers, Power Tools, Avalon, Lizard Lounge, Rich's, etc. Village Station in Dallas and Bonham Exchange in San Antonio were also fun. It was also amazing how the Houston radio stations (93Q, Energy 96.5, Power 104) would compete with each other over dance music and mixshows.

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Some of my other favs were:

I loved Club Parking in Montreal because of the music and DJs they brought in and getting to watch them work: Peter Rauhofer (RIP), Hex Hector, Offer Nissim, etc.

KitKat Club and Connection in Berlin were pretty fun back around 2007

Mykonos around '97 including Super Paradise Beach - lovely party place

Rich's in San Diego during the mid-90's was hoppin'

Always had a good time at Town in DC.

Spent one New Years Eve at Heaven in London - fun times

The Works in Scottsdale (90s) - seeing and hearing a pre-world-famous, resident DJ Markus Schulz work his magic: https://soundcloud.com/marcusmcbride...kus-schulz-the

[samne]

My favourite go-to party cities were Montreal and NYC.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by muppet

On the whole the UK is seeing thousands of nightclubs close as Millennials shun EDM, binge drinking and what is effectively a 35 year old formula for what constitutes a night out of dancing, inebriated, to lights and beats too loud to really socialise in, pus the hook-up apps that have heavily depleted the gay or singles scene.

Wasn't London's huge club scene due to the fact that last call was 11PM and now that the laws have loosened up somewhat, that could have an effect?

First time I went to the UK, you were out the door at 11. The second time (much later) last call was much later and bars were still busy well after 11.

[muppet]

11pm was traditionally when the pubs closed - introduced during WWI as the alcohol 'pandemic' was thought to interfere with the war effort (back in the glory days when the city had 15,000 pubs and boozers). This lasted into the 80s, after the culture had changed whereby people started drinking straight after work to squeeze in the same amount of intake in hours of bingeing, becoming a scourge of British society to this day.

It began to diversify from then - after 11pm the bars took over, after 2am was clubland territory. By the 80s the underground scene was becoming a problem as huge raves swamped youth culture - seeing in legislation that moved it all indoors and licensed, and the boom of clubbing was born. The same set up held, but the huge variety of clubs then DJ bars staying till 4,6 or 9am or noon ensured the party carried on.

By the 00s they just got rid of the licensing hierarchy, relaxed pricing and introduced 11pm, midnight, 2am or 24 hr, hence a boom in pubs opening forever (plus the supermarkets becoming 24hr). However, this last year its gotten expensive again, and the dwindling demand means many pubs are reverting to 11pm or midnight, alongside the supermarkets. But the bars still go on, though the dying clubland means some are opting for 2am closures. The millennials just seem a bit more grown up these days. They're just far less likely to dance for 10 hrs or do all-nighters.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by muppet

The millennials just seem a bit more grown up these days. They're just far less likely to dance for 10 hrs or do all-nighters.

I don't know if that's a symptom of being 'grown up' or a side-effect of technology impacting peoples' social lives. I am glad there were no iPhone's or tablets when I was 18-19...

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by JManc

I don't know if that's a symptom of being 'grown up' or a side-effect of technology impacting peoples' social lives. I am glad there were no iPhone's or tablets when I was 18-19...

The youngest of the Millennials are now 23/24, so that generation as a whole is a bit more grown up and kind of past its prime partying days. The post-Millennial generation though is also a little cleaner and more "mature" in their tastes and lifestyle than the few generations that came before them (rates of alcohol & drug usage among teens have been falling for several years now, for example).

Young people go out as much as ever, but when they do it's a little more polite and a little less "messy" than it was in decades past. Kids these days seem a bit more inclined to go out for a couple cocktails at a nicely-designed bar than they are to pop molly in some grimy club until 6am (not that that's not still a thing of course, it's just a little less common than it used to be).

I think there are a few overlapping reasons as to why this is the case:

Smartphone surveillance & social media: When everyone is equipped with an HD camera in their pocket ready to record any embarrassing thing you might do and post it for everyone to see on Instagram, suddenly the concept of letting loose & getting fucked up seems a little less appealing. Likewise, something like the gym or a cool restaurant or an art show makes for a better social media presence than a dark club.

Urban gentrification & development: The traditional business model of big clubs in urban cores that would only be open a few nights a week is no longer a sustainable business model in most cities, and in many cases is actively discouraged by local councils. That nightlife is now skewing more towards tasteful bars & restaurants is as much a function of necessity as it is of demand.

Declining standards of living: There's more pressure on the young people of today to succeed. Cost of living (as well as post-secondary tuition) has soared in many places while wages are stagnant and precarious work situations are on the rise, as is the competitiveness of academic credentials. They have more responsibilities, and less of a safety net or the freedom to fail. As such, it's a bit harder to party when you've got to be awake at 6am seven days a week to get to one of your two jobs that you need to pay for tuition and a $2,000/month apartment.

Changing tastes: If you're 18 today, chances are your parents got up to plenty of debauchery in the 90s. And y'know how it is - if it's something your parents did then it's kinda lame. Fitness & wellness are in, hedonism is out. And insofar as drugs & alcohol go, the only ones that have seen an increase in usage of late are opioids...which tend not to lend themselves much to partying.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

As such, it's a bit harder to party when you've got to be awake at 6am seven days a week to get to one of your two jobs that you need to pay for tuition and a $2,000/month apartment.

I have two college-aged family members; neither one of them are paying $2 grand a month (or even half that) for an apartment and working multiple jobs. On top of school. They have have part-time jobs and room-mates like most other people their age. If they have a $2 grand a month apartment, they are either in over their head, in an expensive market or have help.

You're probably right about not wanting to be seen in unflattering or embarrassing photos on Instagram because phones are ubiquitous but most young people I see spend much of their time on their phones rather than interact with one another even when they're physically out with one another. I am going back for my MBA at the same university I got my previous graduate degree 14 years ago and the difference in how students 'socialize' is dramatic. The halls and common areas are quieter with people glued to their phones rather than interact with one another the way they did in 2005.

[Lear]

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[tchild2]

Provo, Utah. There are two...or is it three bars downtown? You can drink beer and get a syrupy mixed drink. Since the police hang out in front of all the two or three bars, you will probably get pulled over for a lane change violation right after leaving the bar and getting into your vehicle.

[Sun Belt]

Originally Posted by tchild2

Provo, Utah. There are two...or is it three bars downtown? You can drink beer and get a syrupy mixed drink. Since the police hang out in front of all the two or three bars, you will probably get pulled over for a lane change violation right after leaving the bar and getting into your vehicle.

Is it still illegal to double fist in Utah?