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‘Waste of money and time’: Singapore Gen Z, millennials are over traditional nightlife

Writer's picture: GracelynnGracelynn




SINGAPORE – Drinkers of a previous era might recall nights along the bridges of Clarke Quay, where young adults would gather to play drinking games while downing cheap booze – the first stop of their night before a visit to Singapore’s long-running nightclub, Zouk.

Today, those bridges are quiet, and the nightlife landscape for Gen Zers and younger millennials is markedly different.

For Mr Nicolas Tang, a 23-year-old student at Singapore Management University, coming of age during the Covid-19 pandemic meant an experience very different from that of his seniors.


“I think Covid-19 killed the habit of seniors taking their freshmen and juniors out to bars and clubs,” he says.

Affordability is also an issue. Mr Tang estimates having to spend more than $50 to get home if he stays out past midnight, after the last train has left.

He would rather spend that on an early dinner and a cocktail. “But even that is an indulgence,” he adds. “It’s not a bad thing because that means people are healthier, but it’s less fun.”


Mr Tang is not alone in feeling priced out by Singapore’s traditional nightlife, meaning bars and clubs.

Other young adults echo his sentiment. Yale-NUS student Aamir Bana, 26, says: “I think it’s a waste of money and time. Alcohol is overpriced at the bar and people don’t really know how to dance. They just jump and tend to literally rub people the wrong way.”

Beyond cost issues, nightlife business operators tell The Straits Times they have seen a shift in the Republic’s drinks scene over the past decade, especially among the 20- and 30-something adults typically expected to drive the party scene.


Although most pandemic-era restrictions were eased by early 2023, their impact lingers.

Several nightlife business owners say regulatory changes to Singapore’s drinking culture predated Covid-19, but were exacerbated by the pandemic.

For instance, the Republic enacted the liquor control bill in 2015, which bans the drinking of alcohol in public places between 10.30pm and 7am, and limits takeaway sales of alcohol.

Lifestyle writer Ashe Liao, 27, estimates that a typical night out at a single bar costs her around $150. If her friends take her bar-hopping, she expects to pay no less than $60 at each venue.

She recalls a time when young adult Singaporeans would gather at Clarke Quay with bottles of liquor and plastic cups, trying to get a buzz before heading to the clubs. This low-cost option has been stymied by Singapore’s crackdown on public drinking.

“We were broke but still made it work, and made the most out of our situations,” she says.

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