More 24-hour gyms than 24-hour clubs in London

Music, lights and smoke machine. It’s not a nightclub, but a gym in the center of London.

“A lot of our clients come to our 4:30 or 5:30 p.m. classes, get ready, and then go out in the evening,” says Deonne Andrews, managing director of 1Rebel Group, a chain of high-end gyms.

In the capital, it is now easier to find a 24-hour gym than a club, according to an analysis by BBC London.

The number of 24-hour licenses held by London’s pubs, bars and nightclubs fell by more than two thirds between 2021-22 and 2023-24, from 183 to 58, according to Home Office figures.

Meanwhile, the number of gyms open 24 hours a day could reach 300.

“We’re busy all year round,” says Ms Andrews.

“We offer Prosecco on Fridays, where they have a drink with us, then they go off to dinner and so on.

“The lighting, the ambiance, the music… it’s like you’re having a whole party on a bike.”

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, says bars and clubs face a range of pressures that make it difficult to operate under a 24-hour license.

“Not being able to go home after midnight in the middle of the week has been a real challenge,” he says.

“There are 24-hour licenses that don’t operate during those hours, and that’s based on the fact that if the infrastructure isn’t there to keep people safe and get them home, then they won’t be supported by the market.

“Becoming a 24-hour city is about more than just hinting that we are moving in that direction.

“I think it’s the involvement of a multitude of stakeholders – transport, developers, police – who all need to be involved.”

Rising overheads and falling customer spending are being felt at east London nightclub E1.

Operations director Jack Henry said: “There are lots of challenges, from licensing to the cost of living crisis, staffing, policing, anti-social behavior, rates and invoices, etc.

“It’s extremely difficult to operate 24 hours a day. We’re really quite rare. It took us about five to six years to get the license.

“People come less often,” adds Mr. Henry. “Even when they come, they’re not spending as much as they did before the pandemic.”

Mr Henry says a new ‘night tsar’ is needed in London.

“There has to be someone there,” he said. “A voice that protects, helps and supports places to thrive.

“People don’t come here for the locations anymore. They are not considered a cultural hub for the city.

“Although it is presented as a 24-hour city and cultural center, this is not really the case.”

In October, London’s night czar Amy Lamé resigned from her post, which paid her £132,000 a year, after eight years.

Lamé said she felt it was the right time to move on, adding that it had been “a real privilege to serve Londoners”.

The role was created by London Mayor Sadiq Khan after her election in 2016. While in the role, Khan and Lamé faced questions about her record of boosting London’s nightlife.

However, the town hall credits it with having “supported hundreds of venues since 2016”.

Khan said a London nightlife taskforce would be set up and it would decide whether the role of night tsar would continue.

“As part of their work, they will make proposals which we will put into practice,” he told the BBC in London.

“This time of year is really important for businesses in London.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor said Khan worked with businesses, venues, boroughs and communities to help London’s nightlife thrive.

They added that the Tubes, Airline and Women’s Night Safety Charter could help Londoners enjoy the best of the capital after dark.

In London, near Liverpool Street, a group of men at a work Christmas party told BBC London that sleepless nights were a distant memory.

“Last year we came here for Christmas Eve and around 1am we struggled to find anywhere open which really surprised me,” said one reveler.

“Being in the capital, we expected there to be more places open late. In Norwich, everything is until 4 a.m. I wish it was like that here,” he continues.

“There’s not that late-night scene.

“If you compare that to New York or wherever, it’s more of a 24-hour scene. I think London really needs to catch up.”

A government spokesperson said it would extend the 40% business rates relief to 250,000 properties.

“Because nightlife is important, we are introducing a new permanent, lower commercial rate for retail, hospitality and leisure in 2026 and have reduced alcohol duty on draft pints by one cent,” they declared.

“To help protect London’s nightlife, we have also increased the Metropolitan Police budget by £227 million, bringing the total to £3.8 billion in 2025-26.”