Nicola MacdonaldTicket outlet and event guide Skiddle has released a statement hitting back at a recent article entitled, ‘Whatever happened to the Great British nightclub?’
The BBC article cited recent statistics from the ONS (Office for National Statistics), which found that drinking patterns are changing and nightclubs are increasingly cut out of the equation.
The statistics revealed that one in five 16-to-24 year-olds don’t drink, an increase of nearly half between 2005 and 2013. The ONS also found that successive generations have been choosing to drink at home then visit a late-opening pub, rather than a nightclub.
Skiddle’s year-on-year figures tell a different story, with more and more events being listed and tickets being sold than ever before. In 2015 it saw an increase in ticket sales for club events by 48.7 per cent.
The ticket provider argues that one possible explanation for the drop in nightclub attendance is the increasing prevalence and popularity of alternative venues such as industrial spaces, fields and restaurants.
“Whilst typical club venues are dropping in numbers, this certainly isn’t an indication anything is dying; far from it,” said Jimmy Coultas, head of content and communication at Skiddle. “What this does tell us is that the natural propensity for weekend hedonism is doing the same thing it always has – evolve.
“Undoubtedly, things are changing, and the lines are blurring between what is considered a club and a bar – especially when many bars are now able to open until the early hours of the morning, or later, thanks to 24-hour licensing laws.
“The ONS stats only seem to look at ticket sales for high street night clubs and completely ignore the fact that more unusual places are being used as party venues. We recognise that the scene is changing, not dying and our own statistics fly in the face of ONS.
“There may well be less classic high street dance floors but why all this negativity? We feel more and more people in the UK are dancing to music than ever before, be it in former factories or fields. Despite all this talk, the nation is still partying, still enjoying the music, still dancing. We’ll continue to party with them.”