Party Political

Pulsing music is the beating heart of our capital and its rich tapestry of personalities, coming together when the sun sets and they've escaped daytime responsibilities to talk with strangers, dance, create, explore... live.

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I applaud Mayor Sadiq Khan with every limb and appendage in my possession, for appointing our first ever Night Czar to help and protect London's precious nightlife scene, creating a 24-hour city.

My world revolves around nightlife. Most busy CEOs start their days at 6am, but that's often the hour I return home, because I live and breathe parties and have turned this passion into social platform Party Hype, which connects the entire nightlife ecosystem.

I dedicated my life to this, because I share our Night Czar, Amy Lamé's passionate belief in the positive effects of partying on individuals, communities, businesses and great cities, like London.

Pulsing music is the beating heart of our capital and its rich tapestry of personalities, coming together when the sun sets and they've escaped daytime responsibilities to talk with strangers, dance, create, explore... live.

And Amy Lamé couldn't have come at a better time. It's estimated that in the past decade, 50% of our music venues and 40% of our nightclubs have closed.

The massive march and heart-wrenching reactions to the closure of - the soon-to-be-reopened -Fabric, illustrate how much we value our nightlife scene and why we're now coming together to save it.

Nicole Venter, the march's organiser, put it perfectly when she implored:

"We need to protect the sacred place where we gather; where we feel alive and where we fall in love.

"The places where we release our energy and where it gives us the motivation to go back to work on Mondays.

"The places where we come together as a whole, as a community. The places where we get inspired and the places where we can create.'"

We care, but most politicians are in their pyjamas by 10pm, so we have the success of Night Mayors in places like Berlin to thank, for helping them see the connection between a thriving nightlife scene and a booming economy, with flourishing creative industries - night is a playground for many creatives to hone their skills, from graphic designers, DJs and actors to dancers and musicians.

And a place with a great night scene attracts the entrepreneurial, young creatives that our capital needs - these are the people behind exciting start-ups.

Berlin is a perfect example of this - nightlife SAVED Berlin. It was bankrupt and in a disastrous state, but the focus on nightlife turned that around. Now, approximately 30% of tourists visit for the clubbing scene alone. The nighttime economy subsequently caused a spurt of creativity, which led to Berlin now having the second biggest start-up scene in Europe. It has also rebuilt communities and fuelled many new cultural movements and styles.

Partying is also important on an individual level, for many surprising reasons - studies have shown that nighttime socialising reduces stress, alleviates depression and even boosts memory and intellectual performance.

Our Night Czar has an even bigger, more exciting and ambitious challenge on her hands, because London has a population almost three times that of Berlin - the West End alone has more than 1,650 licensed clubs, bars, pubs and restaurants and more than 250,000 people pass through Leicester Square over a weekend.

The nighttime economy is the UK's fifth biggest industry, generating £66 billion a year, so imagine the impact a strong ambassador for the city after dark could have.

A 24-hour city will make the partying experience more pleasurable for both night owls and those tucked up in bed, because rather than thousands of people spilling onto the streets at 3am, they can gradually leave at different times and aren't compelled to binge drink before the clubs shut.

It could also lead to an exciting world for our young, nocturnal creatives, with 24-hour supermarkets, office spaces and gyms, fuelling creativity, friendships and the economy.

Online shopping has kept more and more people indoors, buying digitally. But face-to-face socialising - on the dancefloor, at the bar or in a restaurant - can't be replicated on the internet.

So it's our responsibility to head out of our homes and offices and march behind our Night Czar, to get the party started and celebrate our city the way it deserves.

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