People nowadays are reluctant to stay out late. Is it killing nightlife?

There was a time when Canada came alive at night, from the lively supper clubs of the 1940s and '50s to the glittering discos of the '70s to the neon-lit, bass-pounding raves of the '90s.

But now, nightlife is waning across the country.

Vas Cranis, who runs a small underground music venue in downtown Toronto called BSMT 254, says his business has taken a huge hit. BSMT 254 started hosting events in 2019, but in recent weeks, Cranis says earnings have been “getting worse and worse.”

“There’s so much uncertainty,” Cranis told CBC Radio's Cost of Living. “Compared to when we opened, I’d say [the money we’re making is] close to half the revenue on busy weekend nights.”

Cranis isn’t the only one noticing a decreasing interest in nightlife.

The payment processing platform Square analyzed millions of in-person transactions in some of Canada's largest cities between July 25 and July 27, 2025, to track where and when late-night spending still thrives.

Calgary and Edmonton came out on top — but even in those cities, just 32 per cent of spending at bars, cafés and restaurants happened between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m, the study said. 

Toronto, once neck-and-neck with Calgary, slipped to only 21 per cent, while Vancouver came last with a mere 17 per cent of after-dark spending. 

“The slowdown we’re seeing in Canada’s nighttime economy is really a sign of changing times,” said Ming-Tai Huh, head of food and beverage at Square, in a statement. 

There are “lots of ideas out there" about the causes, says Will Straw, an emeritus professor of urban media studies at McGill University in Montreal, who examines how cities’ nighttime culture is governed and represented.

One of the most convincing, he says, is affordability. The rising costs of living and inflation have made nightlife — paying cover charges, buying drinks, eating out — significantly more expensive. 

The changing way we work also impacts how we decompress. Evenings that once stretched freely now feel shorter, says Straw, as work seeps in — emails ping late into the night and tasks linger, leaving little room for spontaneous outings.

People are also less social. A Statistics Canada study from 1986 to 2022 revealed that in recent years, while time spent with friends declined for all age groups, working-age Canadians between the ages of 25 to 64 had the “sharpest drop” over the past 30 years. 

The new generation is also mingling in a different way, Straw adds. Many young people now favour daytime or early-evening gatherings centered on wellness, community and music, rather than the alcohol-heavy nightlife of previous decades.