At 1 am in Utrecht, the line outside the club is short. Inside, the dance floor is filling slowly. No one is rushing in. For many students, Friday night no longer means clubbing by default. A few years ago, this would have looked different. Friday night meant clubbing. Not as a special occasion but that is simply what every young person would do.
From routine to occasional event
In early 2020, 24 percent of young people in the Netherlands reported going to a club every week. By 2023, that number had dropped to 13 percent, according to the Trimbos Institute’s Large Nightlife Survey. At Club Poema in Utrecht, the change has been noticeable. “We have noticed changes in visitor numbers over the past years,” said Dyan of Club Poema. “The shift became particularly visible after the COVID period, around 2022. While people returned to nightlife, their patterns changed. Nights are shorter, and attendance is less predictable.” The shift is not simply about fewer people going out. It is about how they go out.
An empty dance floor in a Utrecht club.
Changing clubbing habits
“Younger generations definitely approach nightlife differently,” Dyan explains. “They are more selective, more health-conscious, and often more focused on specific events rather than going out as a weekly routine.” Social media, he added, plays a stronger role in deciding where and when to go.
The percentage of young adults aged 18 to 25 who drink at most one alcoholic beverage per day has risen from 26 percent in 2014 to 37 percent in 2024. Many clubs report growing demand for non-alcoholic options. Partying is no longer automatically tied to heavy drinking. The pandemic may have accelerated the shift. For those who were between 18 and 23 during lockdowns, regular nights out were interrupted for a time. When restrictions lifted, the habit had weakened. Instead of spontaneous weekly visits, nights out became more planned and event-driven.
Water instead of beer. Many young adults are drinking less alcohol.
Uncertain future of the clubs
The transformation can also be seen in the broader nightlife landscape. Over the past decade, the number of nightclubs in the Netherlands has fallen by 45 percent, according to Mark ten Hoopen of data platform Locatus. While multiple factors are involved, the decline reflects a scene adjusting to new expectations.
Despite the challenges, club owners insist that nightlife still matters. “We definitely see Poema as more than just a business. It is a cultural space, a place for music, expression and community,” Dyan said. “If more clubs were forced to close, Utrecht would lose an essential part of its cultural ecosystem.” Gen Z is changing club culture. The question is whether traditional clubs can change with it.
