Is this the end of nightclubs? What will a night out be like after lockdown? This are the questions that have tormented the nightclub-goers in Edinburgh for the last year. There is so much uncertainty around this subject, but one thing that we know for sure is that our nightlife won’t be the same anymore. It is fair to say that the pandemic has devasted the nightlife industry with lockdowns, mandatory masks in public spaces and social distancing restrictions, and early curfews on top of all that.
Great Reopening On The Horizon
But post-pandemic nightlife doesn’t necessarily have to scare us off, but on the contrary, it’s a chance for a new beginning, with a more clean and safer approach towards the service provided. the future of nightclubs in Edinburgh is open to interpretation, and it will be as we make. If anything this pandemic has taught us is that we should take responsibility for our health and well-being, and we should be the ones encouraging change in society. When bars and nightclubs are full we are down even more by the crowdedness of the venue, which is an unhealthy approach. The city’s nightlife can resume as normal but with added responsibility, safety, energy and fun. The post-covid world does not look very promising, but maybe are looking at it from the wrong angle? Maybe by creating a night-time ecosystem of nightclubs and bars that will make use of outdoor spaces and not allow the crowdedness to develop, will encourage a safe distance. Now like never before is the time for venue owners to embrace outdoor space, and if they have none, consider expanding or moving to a space that allows it. Venues with outdoor seating have the potential to help keep our nightlife alive.
There is also another trend in the industry, nightclubs are quietly but steadily rebranding themselves as anything but nightlife. These branding shifts signify more than compliance with Covid-19 measures, in fact, they accentuate the exhaustion and oversaturation of the nightclub industry and the shifting needs of consumers.
How Edinburgh Nightclubs Will Operate After The Lockdown
Since the best option is to use any outdoor space that is available instead of indoor, it is very likely that one of the requirements for the grand reopening of the nightclubs in Edinburgh would be to have an outside area, which will be filled with heavy or fixed furniture to ensure social distancing. People would need to rely on table service for drinks, with orders likely placed through an app. And also the check-in requirement is most likely to be there for at least till the end of the year.
Final Thoughts
Edinburgh nightclubs have had a pretty rough decade even before the pandemic started due to many external forces that have imposed themselves: shifts in generational preferences, the rise of dating apps, and healthy lifestyle trends. So the industry has actually been fighting many battlefields at the same time, and with all this in mind, maybe now is the time when another industry is adapting to a scary new reality. Club culture is fighting; it isn’t yet ready to turn the lights off for good.