Do young people no longer want to go out partying?
The rising cost of nightlife and the pandemic have changed how people in their twenties go out: some prefer house parties, while those who do go out look for safer, more communal spaces.
Barcelona“I’m noticing it’s getting harder and harder for me to go out partying,” says Albert Thió Hortoneda, 26, from Barcelona. “You go into a club at two in the morning, you’ve paid 20 euros, and to get your money’s worth, you have to stay until six. This throws my sleep patterns off a bit,” he explains. He says that packaged, consumer-focused partying that lasts for hours on end doesn’t appeal to him. “I hadn’t really thought about it being a generational thing, but I do see that a lot of people around me are experiencing the same thing,” he points out. In fact, articles and videos with hashtags like "We've normalized not going out"where very young people speak openly about not going out partying in their 20s. What was once a stigma – having to tell friends not to include you in their plans – seems to have found its niche on TikTok with hashtags on well-being and self-care.
This change also reflects a broader transformation in how we connect with each other. While in the 1980s nightclubs were the public square where people met, now, in a world full of screens, many young people have stopped going out to parties, drink less, and take better care of themselves. "In general, nightlife tends to be stigmatized as something that wears you down, but, in reality, it's necessary. Going out is also about taking care of your mental health: you unwind, step outside your comfort zone, and indulge in pleasure," says Aïda Camprubí, cultural manager and co-director of the 2021 Party. While some may not feel like going out as much, there are also people who prefer to have parties at home for economic reasons and to avoid socializing in public spaces. mainstream "where certain forms of violence occur that, in smaller spaces, might not be as visible," Camprubí explains.
The data confirms the trend
However, the change is evident. During their youth, more than 25% of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) went dancing or to nightclubs on weekends; now this figure has dropped to less than 12% among Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2010), according to the 2023 Youth Survey, included in the 2024 Spanish Youth Report. While Albert, at 21, currently on Erasmus in Barcelona, only goes to clubs, things are different. "I'm at a point where I do go out more. Although I like to go dancing and connect with people from different places, I feel increasingly disconnected from alcohol and drink less. Getting drunk gives me a lot of anxiety."
Although it's often generalized that younger generations drink less, it's difficult to establish a single pattern. "Perhaps they drink less, but there are also young people experimenting with new drugs, more dangerous than those used before," reflects Aïda Camprubí. What is clear is the paradigm shift that has occurred in recent years since the arrival of Covid-19; a time when house parties and rituals like the afternoon gathering became popular. The culture of well-beingIt entered our screens and our lives. Taking care of ourselves became the paramount principle. This retreat, coupled with isolation for health reasons, deeply affected generations like Generation Z.
"During the pandemic, people who are now between 18 and 25 years old lost a fundamental stage of their adolescence, crucial for learning to socialize with different people. And one of the spaces that allowed for this was leisure spaces. In addition, they have suffered from the absence of this self-learning process in collective spaces, and that means that now many of them..." explains geographer Jordi Nofre, a researcher at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Paulina Plucinska, for example, was fifteen years old when the pandemic began. "I remember we used to have parties at home, dancing to our favorite songs. For me, that was a party: I felt safe, there weren't any bright lights, and I felt very free," reflects this young Polish woman living in Barcelona, who participates in I don't mindThe current affairs account he founded with Albert and four friends in January 2025: "How can a space that should be for disconnecting and freedom end up generating stress? Calculate how much you're going to spend, if you'll go often enough." appropriate"If you'll fit in with the environment," they reflect in This video.
Generational change
While for generations like Generation X "going out at night was an adventure, in Generation Z this desire is much less prevalent. Now everything is much more planned: they know where they'll go, with whom, and how they'll get back," says Nofre. Albert adds to this view: "I think our generation no longer seeks that freedom in partying. I have more of a feeling that we seek security or protection, because we're in a time when we lack certainty: we don't know if we'll get an apartment, a decent job, or if our basic needs will be guaranteed."
In fact, another key factor limiting how often young people go out partying is the rising cost of formal nightlife. Entrance fees to nightclubs and pubs are increasingly expensive due to rising costs in the sector. "Everything has gone up. In Barcelona, for example, the increase is due to several factors: higher taxes, increased rents for venues, higher labor costs, and higher prices for utilities like electricity and alcohol," explains Jordi Nofre, who also holds a doctorate in the geographies of nightlife and the city's nightlife.
All of this means that a ticket that used to cost 10 or 12 euros now costs up to 25 euros, especially in large nightclubs. "If we're talking about young people between 18 and 28 years old, who can afford it? Basically, the more affluent classes; they're still going out, while nightclubs and clubs geared towards working-class youth are facing very serious financial problems," says the expert. Legendary venues for the independent scene are one example. underground of the city, such as Meteoro, which has launched a fundraising campaign, or El Pumarejo, which had to close temporarily following an order from the Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council.
Alternative leisure
Fortunately, all is not lost. Beyond the financial costs, partying remains a crucial part of the socialization process for many young people who find alternatives to mainstream entertainment in small and medium-sized venues. Barcelona is a prime example. "There are many groups, made up of very young people, who not only go out partying but also organize their own events and seek out alternative leisure activities," explains Camprubí.
This is the case with collectives like Opi Melissa or Desacato Goblin, who create and manage their own parties in different venues. It's also true of music festivals like Òrbita Paral·lel 62, Festival Miceli, or Mostra, the latter being entirely self-managed through the work of volunteers. "We can't say that an entire generation doesn't go out; rather, it's a very complex generation that is also creating new spaces for alternative leisure," adds the cultural critic.
In this new ecosystem, Paulina has a clear idea of what her perfect party would be like: "It's one that's safe and collective, with an atmosphere that doesn't revolve solely around alcohol, and where I can be with friends playing board games, listening to music, or reflecting." The debate, therefore, is no longer framed in terms of which generation is more festive, but rather in terms of our capacity as a society to rethink celebration and evolve it into other spaces: "We must ensure that all leisure alternatives are available, so that each person can decide how they want to socialize without having to give up any option," concludes Aïda Camprubí.