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'Waste of money and time’: Singapore Gen Z, millennials are over traditional nightlife
Businesses and young customers think Singapore's nightlife establishments close too early and cost too much to visit.PHOTO: KANPAI GROUP
Teo Kai Xiang
UPDATED JAN 31, 2025, 03:46 PM
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.
The night is no longer young
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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To Ms Liao, the past decade of changes to Singapore’s nightlife – and the escalating cost of participating in it – means that her peers now occupy either extreme of the spectrum.
“They are either living and breathing the party life, or prefer to stay away from it,” she says.
A crackdown on public drinking is only part of the story.
Ms Yi Jun Juan, head bartender of No Sleep Club in Keong Saik Road, says: “When I was younger, if I were to have a night out, 11pm would be an early start.”
That once-vibrant late-night bustle has faded, she says. Ms Yi notices a distinct difference now if she walks the streets past midnight.
Even hosting friends visiting from overseas has changed, she says, because the once-reliable round-the-clock dining options she used to recommend have dwindled in number.
“Having worked in this industry for the last 25 years, I’ve found the last five the most challenging. As an operator, I understand why the restrictions exist. However, the restrictions and licences also change the way we have to operate as a venue,” says Ms Yi.
In the same stretch of Keong Saik Road, Mr Ganeshvara Kurukal, 32, who owns Pocket Rocket Asia – a dive bar aimed at budget-conscious patrons – says the street is quieter than ever.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to change our business from a pub to a restaurant to meet licensing requirements, which means we have to shut by midnight,” he says, noting that it is now more difficult to acquire a bar or entertainment licence that allows for later operating hours.
Mr Abhishek Cherian George, co-founder of bars Sago House and The Spiffy Dapper, says it is now extremely difficult for establishments to be classified as bars by the Urban Redevelopment Authority – a requirement for longer operating hours.
Being unable to open past midnight does not just mean fewer options for consumers. “That extra bit of revenue we can make on a Friday and Saturday until 1am will be the difference in surviving or closing,” he adds.
Bars under Kanpai Group have held on to their entertainment licences. However, the group’s general manager, Mr Peh Boon Lou, observes that fewer bars in the vicinity can operate past midnight.
“We’ve been here for a very long time with our landlord,” he says, referring to Kanpai’s Church Street and Unity Street locations, which received their licences before the pandemic.
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Now that the group is looking to expand to venues with a fresh lease and licences, he anticipates difficulties in securing a venue that can open until 2am as their current branches do.
“It’ll affect the totality of nightlife in Singapore. There is only a select number of places to go to,” he says.
Another blow to Singapore’s after-hours scene is limited late-night transportation.
SMRT and SBS Transit discontinued their late-night bus services after the pandemic. Private operator A&S, which attempted to fill that void and cater to the city’s recovering nightlife, has also discontinued its service.
That leaves ride-hailing as the only way home in the small hours.
Mr Peh says: “When I ask customers, ‘Why are you leaving now, we stay open till 2am’, they say they have work tomorrow or they have to catch the last train.”
But there are some perks to a quieter nightlife.
Pandemic-era restrictions on operating hours for nightlife businesses highlighted how crime rates could be reduced by shortening operating hours and limiting the night-time economy.
Studies examining the impact of these limitations on Copenhagen in Denmark and Oslo in Norway found a reduction in crime rates.
In Singapore, Clarke Quay, once known for its rowdy youth and late-night denizens, has seen its reinvention as a day-and-night destination after a $62 million revamp.
As nightlife businesses have moved out, new ones have moved in, with 93 per cent of tenancy spaces occupied as at April 2024.
Better to party abroad?
Official data shows that drinking rates have not changed significantly in recent years. What is shifting is where consumers – especially cash-strapped young adults – are choosing to spend their drink dollars.According to the latest National Population Health Survey, the prevalence of regular drinking and binge-drinking remained the same between 2019 and 2023 – at around 2 per cent and 10 per cent of the population respectively.
For students like Mr Raphael Peck, 23, entering adulthood during the pandemic meant scant experience with bars and clubs in a pre-Covid-19 world.
By the time restrictions eased, he felt Singapore’s nightlife was out of step with the interests and budgets of his Gen Z peers.
“There are more things for Gen Zers to do these days, and clubbing is time-intensive,” he says. “Socially, there are a lot more options.”
Instead, Mr Peck believes it is more cost-effective to save up and party abroad. For instance, clubs in Tokyo stay open until 6am, so partygoers can catch the first train home.
Singapore’s nightlife scene has few such options. The $30 cab fare back to Toa Payoh is so hefty that Mr Peck and his peers often decide to leave early.
And a bottle of Absolut vodka might set one back by around $60 in Bangkok – roughly equivalent to the entrance fee of some clubs in Singapore.
“Singapore’s nightlife loses out to other countries in terms of cost and the variety on offer,” he says, a perspective shared by other young adults speaking to ST.
It is not just regional rivals that make the local nightlife less appealing. Clubs and bars still have to beat their ever-present competitor: the living room sofa.
A spokesperson for Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, the company that produces Tiger Beer, says young consumers prefer to drink at home or personal gatherings, rather than going out – a trend that reflects broader changes in social habits post-pandemic.
The spokesperson adds that these young consumers are changing the way they drink, favouring health-conscious and experience-driven choices.
“They tend to be more focused on having fun and enjoyable moments rather than just getting buzzed, which has led to a rise in the popularity of low- and no-alcohol options.”
And Yale-NUS student Mr Bana says that even before pandemic-era restrictions, drinking at home made the most sense both socially and financially.
“It’s cheaper to host your friends in a comfortable space with alcohol that you can buy duty-free.”
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Not easy being in Singapore
Pocket Rocket’s Mr Kurukal sympathises with patrons who feel priced out of Singapore’s nightlife.“The drinks are getting a bit too expensive,” he says. “When I go out to a bar and get charged $26 for a cocktail, it’s painful. You know it’s an experience, but it’s hard.”
F&B operators in Singapore have to balance the high cost of goods against consumers’ tightening purse strings, with 2024 seeing a slew of establishments closing for good.
“The biggest cost of producing any alcoholic product is tax. For example, I can spend one dollar making a beer, and the amount of tax I pay on that beer will probably also be a dollar. So, it virtually doubles the cost of a beer.”
On top of that, rent and labour costs are higher in Singapore. “By the time it finally hits the consumer, it’s at a price point that is obscene relative to what you see in the region or overseas,” he says.
Mr Joshua Pillai, co-founder of cocktail bar Behind The Green Door in Duxton Road, says reinvention has been unavoidable for his businesses.
During the pandemic, he ran three clubs, which all had to pivot due to new restrictions, eventually shuttering.
Moreover, options are limited.
“The cheapest they can do is drink at someone’s place. I hear from customers that they do their first round of drinks at a friend’s place or the office,” says Kanpai Group’s Mr Peh.
Businesses have to do more to convince drinkers to go out, he notes. “It really is a struggle for everybody. I don’t blame consumers for their behaviour.
“But overhead costs and licensing changes make it harder for businesses to maintain the same standards and prices for consumers – which in turn leads consumers to not spend, or spend overseas instead.”
Keeping the night alive
Not all is gloomy for Singapore’s nightlife scene. Some venues and organisers have successfully courted younger audiences.
“Themed bars like Mama Diam and Offtrack are popular, so I think nightlife has changed to something based more on vibes,” says the 28-year-old, emphasising the importance of an appealing atmosphere.
“I’ve been going for a lot of Ice Cream Sundays events,” she adds, referring to the party collective that organises electronic outdoor music events. “Cabs are expensive, and I like that Ice Cream Sundays events end at 10pm.”
To keep their nightlife businesses going, business owners have had to adapt.
Opportunities have opened up for Gen Z and millennial entrepreneurs, who are putting together ad-hoc parties with lower start-up costs and less risk.
“Pop-up events provide a different kind of experience. They happen less frequently, so there’s a greater sense of anticipation. The venue, decor and style of production for each event can help you differentiate your event from others, rather than relying solely on who’s playing,” he says.
Behind The Green Door’s Mr Pillai also sees a trend of pop-up parties and mini-festivals, which are a hit with young adults – as well as reduced interest in drinking as a form of socialising.
He adds that Singapore has some way to go in this area, such as in determining how to price non-alcoholic drinks in relation to their alcoholic counterparts.
Meanwhile, Kanpai Group’s Mr Peh says the group has attracted young adults by keeping prices low – the venue has not increased its happy hour prices since 2017 – while refreshing the establishment’s aesthetic for his clientele’s shifting preferences.
Happy hour prices at Kanpai Group’s bars are between $4 and $8.
“We had to pivot from being a cheap beer joint to a more diverse gastro bar,” he says. “Back then, we didn’t need to renovate our shop, but now, we need to improve the image and vibes.”
Gen Z and young millennial Singaporeans have a long wish list of changes for Singapore’s nightlife, starting with more affordable drinks and greater variety in nightlife offerings.
However, the biggest ones they crave are also the ones which businesses have little control over: lifting restrictions on operating hours, making transportation more accessible and alleviating cost of living issues faced by young Singaporeans.
Lifestyle writer Ms Liao remembers how, as a student, calculating taxi fares and finding friends to split the ride with was “part and parcel of the planning process”.
Although this has become less of an issue as she climbs the career ladder, it remains a pain point for many zillennials.
“There’s a lot of conversation about reviving Singapore’s nightlife, but all the solutions are to add shiny new locales instead of things like making transport accessible, which has always been a factor in how long people stay out,” she says.
Mr Kurukal believes that while some will inevitably spend less on alcohol, there is still room for innovators in the scene.
He says: “There are still people who are keen to drink and go out for an experience. It’s just that the locations are slightly different, and the style people are interested in is different.”
Although he worries that Singapore’s nightlife will become “sadder” in a few years if it continues on its current trajectory, he has not lost hope.
“It won’t be as vibrant as what’s happening in Bangkok, but I’m sure one or two places will open up with a different trend or new ideas.”
