Outreach is Everything ?
Why is communication and mediation key to nightlife’s recovery?Â
Of all the human truths laid bare by the pandemic of 2020, one is of particular comfort: the instinct to socialise is universal. And, despite early speculation to the contrary, that instinct has not been doused by fear of infection or acclimatisation to the lockdown couch.
The past few months have shown that coming together to socialise – be it dining, drinking or dancing – is more valuable than ever in maintaining a sense of community and coping with the collective trauma the pandemic has laden on us all. Be it the ill-prepared illegal field raves of the UK, where the only thing kept at a distance was the concept of physical distancing itself, the understandable but unregulated sidewalk socials that sprung up in New York after take-away alcohol was introduced, or the well-meaning yet infamously off-putting chair raving experiment of Amsterdam, nightlife culture is willing itself back into existence, one way or another. This alone would make the safe, structured and legal reopening of the nighttime economy a goal urgently worth pursuing, even before considering the now – finally – widely reported fact that nightlife in any global city is a huge industry, the shutdown of which has left gaping holes in national economies, and millions out of work indefinitely.