Sep 10 • Jo Cox-Brown

How to Attract and Create an Evening and Night-Time Offer for Teenagers (Ages 13–17)

Teenagers are often overlooked in nighttime economy planning. 

Too young for bars and clubs, but often too old to be entertained by purely “family” activities, this age group can end up with few safe, engaging options in the evenings. Yet they represent a vital audience, one that is forming lifelong habits around culture, leisure, and community engagement.

When we design towns and cities that have nothing for them, we miss the chance to nurture future audiences for theatres, live music venues, and cultural spaces. We also miss the opportunity to keep them safe, inspired, and connected to their communities.

I have seen this first-hand when working in over 40 towns and cities across the UK, Ireland, and internationally. If teenagers have nowhere safe, affordable, and interesting to go in the evenings, they often end up in unsafe, unmonitored environments or disconnected from local culture altogether.

Why We Need a Greener Night-Time Economy:

Safe, supervised social spaces

  • Teenagers want spaces where they can be independent but still feel safe. These can include youth cafés, late-opening community centres, arts hubs, or parts of existing venues that are programmed specifically for them. The most successful examples are co-designed with young people, so the tone, activities, and branding feel authentic.
  • Case study: Youth Café Model, Ireland – Towns such as Ennis, Drogheda, and Castlebar have established youth cafés with evening opening hours, live music, art workshops, and gaming zones. These are run with input from local teenagers and supported by trained youth workers.
  • In Gothenburg, Sweden, the city’s Arena 29 provides a similar model, offering rehearsal rooms, art spaces, and gig nights in a safe, alcohol-free venue exclusively for under-18s.

Affordable, accessible activities

  • Price is a barrier. Many teenagers cannot pay for premium events, and parents are unlikely to spend £20–30 per ticket for a casual night out. Low-cost or free events remove this barrier and encourage repeat attendance.
  • Discounted cinema screenings, under-18 live music gigs, and free entry to sports or cultural sessions can make a huge difference.
  • Case study: Camden Underworld, London – Runs occasional under-18 gigs early in the evening, with soft drinks, affordable ticket prices, and security staff trained to work with young audiences.
  • In Melbourne, the Push All-Ages Events program offers free or low-cost gigs in partnership with venues, ensuring that younger audiences can experience professional live music in a safe setting.

Culturally relevant content

  • Teens want experiences that reflect their world – music, gaming, dance, sports, and digital creativity. The most successful programmes partner with schools, youth groups, and local influencers to ensure programming matches local trends.
  • Examples include DJ workshops, beat-making sessions, street dance battles, esports tournaments, and film-making labs. These activities not only entertain but also build creative skills.
  • Case study: Factory International, Manchester – Offers creative skills workshops tied to major events, giving young people hands-on experience in production, sound engineering, and performance.

Early evening programming

  • Not all nightlife needs to be late-night. Events running from 6–9 pm allow young people to experience a vibrant city atmosphere without the safety concerns associated with late-night transport.
  • Example: Light Night Leeds – A public art festival featuring many installations scheduled for early evening, making them accessible to teens and families.
  • In Helsinki, Night of the Arts offers citywide creative activities in the early evening, attracting a strong teenage audience.

Partnerships with schools and youth services

  • Working with schools, youth services, and youth councils is key. They can help promote events, ensure safeguarding, and build trust with parents.
  • In Toronto, the Youth Week festival is co-organised with local schools and youth councils, blending cultural programming with volunteering and skill-building.

Pop-up and outdoor spaces
  • Temporary installations and street-based activities are often low-cost and highly visible, drawing in teenagers who might not normally attend formal venues.
  • Case study: Bristol Street Games – Combines street sports, graffiti art, and live DJs in outdoor spaces, creating a festival-style atmosphere in the heart of the city.
  • In Paris, Paris Plages transforms the riverbank into a summer leisure zone, offering sports, music, and creative workshops that attract teens and families alike.

Building skills into the offer

  • The teenage years are a prime time to introduce skills that connect to the night-time economy, from sound engineering and lighting design to event promotion and customer service. This gives young people a sense of ownership and a pathway into creative careers.
  • Example: Roundhouse, London – Runs “Roundhouse Studios” for 11–25-year-olds, offering training in music production, broadcast media, and performance, with opportunities to showcase work publicly.

Involving teenagers in the design process

  • Perhaps the most important step is to involve teenagers themselves in the planning process. Youth advisory boards, focus groups, and co-design workshops ensure the offer is shaped by the people it’s for. This stops initiatives from feeling tokenistic and helps them resonate.
  • Case study: Wellington City Council, New Zealand – Established a Youth Council that works with arts and events teams to co-create programming, influencing decisions from marketing to venue choice.

How Can We Make the Night-Time Economy More Environmentally Friendly?

Here are some practical ways to embed sustainability into night-time spaces and systems:

Infrastructure & Energy

  • Install kinetic flooring in clubs or high-traffic walkways to generate power from foot traffic.
  • Use solar-powered lighting or install LED smart systems for outdoor spaces and signage.
  • Retrofit venues with green roofs, insulation, or energy-efficient systems

Waste & Consumption

  • Transition to reusable or compostable cups, wristbands, and packaging
  • Offer discounts for drinks in reusable containers
  • Implement zero-waste bar and kitchen models

Travel & Transport

  • Promote active travel to and from events (bike parking, late-night cycle schemes)
  • Partner with green taxi or ride-share services
  • Provide incentives for staff to use public transport

Programming & Culture

  • Curate eco-conscious events and use DJs, performers, or hosts to share green messages
  • Feature local, sustainable food and drink producers
  • Partner with environmental organisations for campaigns or co-productions

Funding for Green Night-Time Projects

  • Piezoelectric Dance Floors – Rotterdam & London: Clubs like WATT in Rotterdam and The Arches in London have tested flooring that turns dancers' movements into electricity, powering parts of the venue.
  • Sustainable Pub Model – The Green Vic, London: A pop-up pub claiming to be “the most ethical on the planet,” offering only ethical brands, paying living wages, and donating profits to social causes.
  • Circular Festivals – Shambala Festival (UK): Shambala is a pioneer in zero-waste, 100% renewable-powered events with compost loos, a meat-free menu, and audience-led sustainability pledges.
  • Paris Night-Time Energy Strategy: Paris is working to green its public lighting infrastructure, including the implementation of intelligent lighting systems in key nightlife zones.
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Final thoughts

Investing in a teenage nighttime offer is not just about entertainment. It builds future audiences for arts, music, and culture, creates safer public spaces, nurtures creative skills, and strengthens connections between young people and their cities.

Teenagers are not simply the “audience of tomorrow” – they are active citizens now. If we want thriving, inclusive night-time economies, they must be part of the plan.

If you are a venue, local authority, or festival looking to expand your evening and night-time offer for young people, my team and I can help with strategy, programming, and engagement. Together, we can create spaces where teenagers feel excited to spend time, take pride in their city, and feel safe after dark.