Key points
- From early January to early February, pedestrian activity between 9pm and 2am in Melbourne was at 96.9 per cent of the pre-COVID benchmark.
- Fewer commuters come to the city during the week, as numbers are at 74 per cent of the 2019 benchmark.
- Thursday nights have ramped up and there are more people in the city on weekends than before the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.
- Foot traffic in Southbank was the busiest, at 104.6 per cent of the pre-COVID benchmark and up 62.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Melbourne’s nightlife economy has surged to close to pre-pandemic levels, with data showing night-time pedestrian activity and spending is back up, the city’s “night mayor” says.
In January, pedestrian traffic between 9pm and 2am was at 96.9 per cent of the pre-COVID benchmark, up 49 per cent compared with January 2022.
Penny Miles, Melbourne’s “night mayor”, the city is undergoing a huge comeback.Credit:Simon Schluter/The Age
Penny Miles, the chair of Melbourne’s night-time economy advisory committee and holder of the position dubbed the city’s “night mayor”, said after-dark spending had been at or above 2019 levels since April last year, even after adjusting for inflation.
“There has been a massive comeback,” Miles said. “People are wanting to come out and connect. They’re wanting to create new moments for themselves and markers of time. We’ve just been through two or three years of no markers of time.”
The former Circus Oz executive last year took over leading the committee tasked with revitalising Melbourne’s food and beverage, live music and creative arts sectors, from the Cherry Bar’s James Young.
Miles said fewer people were coming into the city to work during the week, as commuter levels were at 74 per cent of the 2019 benchmark.
Instead, Thursday nights have ramped up and there are more people in the city on weekends than before the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.
“Our city has 100 per cent changed, and I think it would be crazy for us to think that it’s gone back to something else,” Miles said.
While Melbourne may be quieter during office hours, Miles said the city had revived at night-time, as nearly half of its late-night food and drink businesses traded from 9pm to midnight, and a quarter traded between midnight and 3am.
Foot traffic in Southbank was the busiest, at 104.6 per cent of the pre-COVID benchmark in January and up 62.7 per cent compared to the same period last year, while Chinatown was at 94.7 per cent of the pre-COVID benchmark.
Fable bar in Melbourne’s CBD.
“We are actually seeing a true uplift,” Miles said. “However, from a business point of view, as we dive deeper, their costs are going up as well. So the numbers are great indicators, but we can’t just rest on those laurels.”
The City of Melbourne has estimated the city’s night-time economy supports more than 31,000 jobs.
Gehan Rajapakse, the owner of Fable bar in the CBD, said January’s good weather had bolstered numbers at the rooftop venue.
“Corporates are slowly coming back and there is a change in the way they come to the city. Mid-week has really dropped off, but the back end of the week has picked up,” he said.
“Companies are letting people work from home, but they still want them to come into the office for social activities to bond.”
Rajapakse said night-time trade was stronger than he expected over summer.
“The dining and cocktail crowd have learnt how to entertain themselves at home, so when they come out it has to be pretty special,” he said.
“We have positioned ourselves as a destination venue you come to for an anniversary or something, and for those events people are prepared to spend a little bit more.”
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said Melbourne was known around the world for its live music, food and late-night bars.
“We’re embracing the Roaring ’20s, with night-time spending outstripping that of 2019 [and] bolstering confidence for our small business owners, who make up the unique fabric that is Melbourne,” she said.
“Locals and visitors alike are falling in love with Melbourne after dark all over again.”
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