Australia’s night-time economy continues to evolve, according to a new report commissioned by the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors.
While night economy jobs and venue numbers are growing nationally, the latest data shows this growth is uneven. At the same time, shifts in consumer trends, trading patterns, and city-led initiatives are reshaping the night. economies in Australian cities.
Key findings from the Measuring the Australian Night-Time Economy (NTE) 2025 report:
- Leisure & entertainment has returned – Creative and performing arts businesses are on the rise, with employment in this sub-sector now above pre-pandemic levels.
- Sports and physical recreation venues are also growing, pointing to broader night-time offerings beyond hospitality.
- Weeknight trading leads the way – while weekends remain key for nightlife, in more than 50 per cent of cities analysed, Thursday was the peak evening for the number of Core NTE businesses open – in many cases Wednesday is also popular for post-6pm trading
- More jobs, but not for everyone – more than 15,000 new jobs were created across the night-time economy in 2023/24.
- Leisure and entertainment saw strong growth, yet food and drink venue employment declined.
- Hospitality under pressure – Pubs, taverns and bars hit their highest employment in 2018 (118,440) but have since declined by 10,000 jobs (-8%).
- Employment in the Food sub-sector fell by 0.9% in 2023/24, with 6,650 fewer jobs across cafes, restaurants & takeaways.
- Councils are getting creative in supporting their NTEs – Cities are investing in their NTEs through regulation reform, precinct activation, programming and infrastructure.
- These initiatives are helping precincts to adapt to new patterns of demand and use.
The Council of Capital City Lord Mayors is a peak body advocating for the interests of Australia’s capital cities. Its mission is to provide national leadership and enable effective coordination, advocacy and representation for our capital cities.
The 2025 report is available here.