Can a 24-hour drinking zone transform a city?

When Frank Sinatra sang about “a city that never sleeps,” he probably had no idea that busy nightlife could bring economic growth to a metropolis.

However, a growing number of cities around the world are increasingly committed to strengthening their night-time economies.

Currently, about 100 cities have some form of “night mayor” or “night czar” to facilitate this effort.

But most of these cities, including London, Sydney and Sinatra’s beloved New York, don’t stay up all night. In other words, they don’t allow bars and nightclubs to be open 24 hours a day and serve alcohol.

Nonetheless, Canada’s second-largest city, Montreal, is planning to move toward 24-hour nightlife later this year.

Following in the footsteps of Berlin and Tokyo, venues in a new all-night district in downtown Montreal will be licensed to stay open and serve alcohol all night long.

City officials say the move will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue. Currently, bars and clubs in the city must close by 3am.

Montreal will become the first Canadian city to allow 24-hour drinking. Venues must close by 2 a.m. in Toronto and 3 a.m. in Vancouver.

In the United States, Las Vegas and New Orleans have long allowed bars and clubs to stay open all night. The deadline is 4am in New York and 2am in Los Angeles.

On the other side of the Atlantic, London’s pubs still typically close at 11pm. However, the city does have some nightclubs and bars open all night thanks to flexible licensing laws.

On a warm Friday evening in July, downtown Montreal is bustling with activity. The wide pedestrian street is lined with busy bars and restaurants.

“This is an opportunity for economic growth,” said City Councilor Ericka Alneus, who developed the 24-hour plan.

“But it’s also about showcasing and enhancing the cultural landscape.”

Montreal nightlife is expected to have an annual financial value of C$2.25 billion ($1.6 billion; £1.3 billion) by 2022, according to advocacy group MTL 24/24. The resulting tax bill to the government is said to be C$121 million.

Apparently Ms Alnius hopes those numbers will increase when venues are allowed to stay open all night.

But not everyone supports the change: “We don’t have enough security,” said one worried reveler.

One citizen worried about the practical impact: “It’s great for partygoers, but the subway closes at 1.30am,” she said. “There has to be some way for people to get home.”

Sergio Da Silva’s live music bar Turbo Haus Club is located on Rue Saint-Denis in Old Montreal. He said the planned changes had not yet been fully considered.

“You can’t just say, ‘Here are some 24-hour bars, go crazy!’

“There is no infrastructure to support it. There is no 24-hour public transportation and no additional security.

“Then, there’s the cost of living. If people can’t go out, no matter what 24-hour policy you put in place, it’s not going to change anything,” he added.

As the sun sets outside another bar, L’ile Noir owner Michelle Lavellee disagrees — and she has a different take on closing time.

“In Montreal, we close at 3 a.m. People are drunk at 1 a.m., and they’re drunk at 3 a.m.

“One of the problems we have is that it feels crazy at 3 in the morning. But if you extend the hours, the problem will be reduced and the need for safety will be reduced,” he explained.

Ms Arnius agrees. She said many bars and clubs were currently closing at 3am, causing problems for police.

She believes that by allowing 24-hour drinking, venues that don’t want to stay open all night will be able to close at different times during the night.

She insisted staggering closing times would “make nightlife areas safer”.

Back in 2012, the Dutch capital Amsterdam became the first city to appoint a night mayor, a position held by club promoter and festival organizer Mirik Milan.

He said reports of alcohol-related violence and nuisance had dropped by 20 per cent and 30 per cent respectively during his six years in charge. He said the statistics were crucial for local politicians to prove to voters “that we actually managed the night in a better way.”

Mr Milan later co-founded VibeLab, a nightlife consultancy that advises governments around the world.

He said when a city embraces nightlife as one of its key cultural assets, it can have billions of dollars of positive impact on the local economy.

“It boosts tourism. It brings a lot of creative operators and businesses that want to be in the city. It has a huge impact on the whole city.

VibeLab co-founder Lutz Leichsenring plays an important role in promoting nightlife as part of Berlin’s club committee.

“One of the strongest arguments for nightlife is that it attracts talented and skilled workers,” he said.

“That’s a very important factor in people moving to the city, or staying in the city rather than moving away.”

Mr Lake Forest added that rising temperatures from climate change would only make the night-time economy more important to many cities in the summer.

He insists that everything “from architecture, education and cultural gatherings” will increasingly shift to cooler nighttime hours.

“Nights need to be better managed because the more you turn to nighttime the more conflict you create because people want to sleep at night too.”

Meanwhile, efforts to transform cities into all-night zones have in some cases disappointed.

In 2017, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced his 24-hour city proposal, appointing American comedian Amy Ramey to “defend nightlife”.

both of them criticized earlier this year Social media users expressed their disappointment with the “LameLondon” tag on X after suggesting they had succeeded in realizing their vision.

Sydney’s mayor’s job at night Facing doubt.

Jess Reia, assistant professor of data science at the University of Virginia, said it’s not always easy to stick to nightlife plans, especially when there are changes in government.

“The challenge is how to maintain good policy after a change of government, rather than running a pilot program for a few years and then getting nothing,” she said.

Back in Montreal, a start date for the 24-hour opening has yet to be determined. Ms Arnius said the plan was to launch it sometime in the autumn.

“We’re trying to be trailblazers and push things that everyone loves,” she said.

“There are venues, artists, initiatives and performances that should have lights at night – for the city’s economic growth, but also for Montreal’s cultural identity.”