12 Aug 2025
By Courtney Flynn, Head of Sales, PR & Comms, The Superlative Collection / Merchant Pubs & Bars
There was a time not so long ago when Glasgow City Centre was the heart of a vibrant, energetic nightlife scene. From nights spent dancing until the sun came up at Subclub, to visiting Steak & Cherry for a fry up at 3am after spending the whole night in The Garage, we had something special.
These days, fewer people are heading into the city centre. Why is that?
Hospitality Is Hurting
As business owners in the hospitality industry, we feel this decline every single day. Across our 13 (soon to be 14!) venues in Glasgow – some open seven days, some only four or five depending on the area – we’re constantly adapting just to survive.
We rely heavily on the summer months when tourists bring some much-needed footfall. We work hard to build relationships with tour operators and hotel concierges, doing everything we can to be the first choice for visitors. But that alone isn’t enough.
The shift to working from home has left a gaping hole in daytime trade, especially in the city centre. Office workers popping in for a quick lunch or after-work drink used to be a staple of our weekday trade. Now, we have to be more creative than ever with our offerings – think daytime parties, themed brunches, early gigs, and family-friendly events – to keep people coming through the doors.
The Parking Problem
One of the biggest barriers? Parking. Glasgow charges more for parking than cities like Manchester and even London. Yes, London. Add the new LEZ (Low Emission Zone) restrictions on top of that, and you’re actively discouraging people with older cars from even thinking about coming anywhere close to town. With unreliable public transport and no real incentive to come into the city, many just stay local, supporting suburban independents instead.
And while we love that local businesses are being supported (we are local businesses, after all), it shouldn’t come at the expense of the city centre. There’s also a misconception that all city-centre venues are owned by a few big names, which simply isn’t true. There are countless small, independent operators – just like us – battling against rising costs, declining footfall, and the same challenges as everyone else.
Taxi? None Available
I was recently invited to speak at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce event, Glasgow Talks: The Future of Glasgow’s Night‑Time Economy, with a great panel consisting of Donald Macleod MBE (Holdfast Entertainment), Mike Grieve (Owner of Sub Club) Business Insider, and Matthew Freckelton (Uber UK). I learned something truly astounding that morning in Citation – Glasgow is unique in having a strict cap on taxi licences. We’re the only city in the UK, and possibly the world, that limits the number of licensed Glasgow taxis to 1,420, and private hire vehicles to 3,450. This “overprovision policy” means the city can’t increase the number of taxis on the road during busy times, especially late at night, which leads to long waits and unreliable service. Other cities like London, Manchester, and Edinburgh, for example, don’t have these limits, so can better meet demand. This taxi cap is a major barrier for Glasgow’s night-time economy and something that urgently needs rethinking if we want people to feel confident going out and getting home safely.
Can We Fix It?
Yes, I hope so. The clubbing scene, as we knew it, is dying. But it’s not dead yet. What it needs is evolution. At our venue BAaD, we’ve leaned into daytime discos, festivals, family-friendly parties, and earlier gig times. You can dance, sing, enjoy an atmosphere that feels just like it used to-and still be home and happy with a kebab by 10pm.
SWG3 is another shining example of what’s possible. Outdoor raves, immersive events, and experiences like Bongo’s Bingo bring people together earlier in the day, proving that great nightlife doesn’t have to mean staying out until 4am.
What Needs to Happen…
So, how do we turn the tide and make a change? At the Glasgow Talks event I was asked “What could Glasgow do better to support our nighttime economy to thrive? What are the top priorities for the city to support the nighttime economy?”. I chose to split this into a 5-point action plan, as noted below.
Give independent venues a chance to thrive. Fairer licensing (can we reconsider being able to sensibly drink on the streets anytime soon?), more accessible rate relief, and fewer pointless hurdles. We’re not asking for special treatment – just a level playing field.
It’s simple: more night buses, more taxis, more reliability. People need to feel and be safe getting home. Without that, they won’t risk going out in the first place.
Visible policing, better staff training, and partnership between businesses and police would make such a difference. Everyone deserves to feel safe when they go out.
We want Glasgow to be seen as a music city again. That means celebrating our history and leaning into our future – supporting everything from grassroots gigs to big iconic festivals and everything in between.
Glasgow nightlife is our culture. It’s music, art, friendship, expression, identity. We need to back events, transform underused spaces after dark, and treat the night as a space for creativity, not just commerce.
Our nightlife may be down, but it’s not out. We have all seen far too much magic happen here to give up on it now. With a bit of vision, collaboration, and real action, I think we can make it better. For ourselves, the locals. For visitors and tourists. For the next generation who deserve to know what it’s like to see your favourite DJ play their best song in a tiny, sweaty club, surrounded by the humans you adore.
