Getty Images Music, lights and a smoke machine. It's not a nightclub, but a gym in central London. "A lot of our customers will come down to our 16:30 or 17:30 classes, get ready, and then go for a night out," says Deonne Andrews, group general manager at 1Rebel, a high-end gym chain. In the capital city, it is now easier to find a 24-hour gym than a club, according to BBC London analysis. The number of 24-hour licences held by pubs, bars and nightclubs in London fell by more than two-thirds between 2021-22 and 2023-24, from 183 to 58, according to Home Office figures. Meanwhile, the number of 24-hour gyms could be as many as 300.
The lighting, the vibe, the music... it's like you're having a whole party on a bike," says Andrews, emphasizing how 1Rebel transforms the gym experience to draw in clients who enjoy a nightlife atmosphere. "We're busy throughout the year," she adds, referring to unique events like Prosecco Friday where patrons have a drink before heading out to dinner, illustrating the merging of fitness and social life.
Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, highlights the various challenges faced by bars and clubs today. "Not being able to get home post-midnight midweek has been a real challenge. There are 24-hour licences that don't operate within those hours, and that's based on the fact that if the infrastructure's not there to keep people safe and get people home, then they're not going to be supported by the market." This underlines the difficulty of sustaining a 24-hour nightlife in London.
Jack Henry, operations director of E1 nightclub, comments on existing pressures, stating, "There's a lot of challenges, from licensing to cost-of-living crisis, through to staffing, policing, anti-social behaviour, rates and bills, you name it. It's extremely challenging to operate 24 hours." His statement reflects the broader trends impacting London's nightlife economy and the struggle of nightclubs to adapt.
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