A few Wednesday nights ago, I had an epiphany in the middle of the Academy of Music: I was noticeably aging out of Philly’s current nightlife scene.
I was at Ensemble Arts the opening week to see The Wiz musical with my younger brother, a 22-year-old recent Temple grad, who was racing from a lively happy hour on Sansom Street to make it to the show on time. He was ecstatic as he arrived inside the theater, telling me how “live” the city was in June. I was confused for a brief second – Was there a protest? Did something go wrong?
“No, it’s Center City Sips kickoff, you didn’t know?” he tells me. He showed me videos of the large crowds of people his age out in the street. The packed bars of people drinking discounted cocktails as the music spilled into the neighborhood. For myself, it just felt like chaos in the middle of the week. For him, it was an “epic day-party” that ushered in the early start of the weekend.
Not to feel like a curmudgeon, I told him my Center City Sips stories – from over a decade ago – and how much of the vibe had changed, while its culture still remains the same.
Yes, at just 33 years old, it began to dawn on me that Center City – and a lot of its surrounding “hotspot” neighborhoods – began to feel more redundant and very young in its appeal. Beyond the casual theatre shows and restaurant dining, I don’t find myself involved in nightlife unless there’s a local conference or special event. My husband and I have no children or pets – so it’s not a matter of “adulting” getting in the way. It just feels as though so much of the city’s evening activities are centered on drinking and the TikTok-worthy vibes of Gen Zers like my brother.
But despite my personal qualms, a recent inaugural report released by the city’s Department of Commerce claims Philly’s nighttime economy is a whopping $26 billion industry. According to the detailed report, this growing field contains roughly 94,300 jobs that expand beyond bars and restaurants.
I shouldn’t have to travel to Chicago every few months to have a super-fun night out that’s not connected to a bar. I, too, would like to have the enthusiasm of a 22-year-old going to Center City Sips in Philly once again.
For recent college grads and entry-level young professionals, Philly has definitely upgraded the level of social engagement downtown. But past 30 years old and the hoard of new speakeasy nightclubs, pop-up parties, and rooftop bar launches can only go so far before you find yourself instantly bored. Is this just how it is to age in a major American city?
Short-answer: Absolutely not.
A thriving scene for (not quite as) young adults …elsewhere.
Over the past year, I’ve found myself in love with my birthplace of Chicago having already gone four times in the past year and a half. As the third-largest city in America, the Windy City’s nightlife has found a unique balance of catering to both young professionals and more grown-up audiences with mature programming and reimagining of landmark areas. The Loop — Chicago’s thriving business district located in the heart of the city — has transformed various parks and a riverwalk into a hub of consistent indoor/outdoor activities that incorporates art, music, and out-of-the-box ideas. The Millennium Park Summer Music Series, for example, brings to Chicago’s downtown local, national and global musicians for free evening concerts twice a week; the same spot hosts free movies once a week. The Crown Fountain showcases a wide range of interactive public art and video sculptures that I find myself checking out every time I go.
Even cities like Houston, where I grew up, have found a better way of enhancing their evening food and beverage experiences. Arguably the dining capital of the South, H-Town does an advanced job of capitalizing off of their diverse dining rather than just promoting a typical “restaurant week” – by creating a variety of culinary celebrations across the board for all ages. For example, Houston is the brainchild of Black Restaurant Week (a national movement that’s been going strong for over a decade) and Eat Drink HTX – a more accessible, charitable “restaurant week” that supports their city’s food bank and kids’ meals. Outside of stellar eating, my former hometown has a stellar downtown aquarium that reinvented itself into more than sea animal viewing, a boardwalk-turned-mini-theme-park called Kemah that Penn’s Landing can learn from, and a thriving citywide live music scene that attracts both locals and tourists regularly,
In so many ways, I can see Philly tweaking their nightlife in the same vein. Rather than bringing more commercial chain bars and restaurants to Philly, reinvest in reshaping the spaces and places we already have with diverse local talent and interests. For example, let’s expand the First Friday nightlife in Old City and make it more citywide, considering the arts beyond galleries alone. Regular dance pop-ups in Rittenhouse Square would be a great use of that park space. Mural paintings on North Broad, spoken word/poetry slams in Germantown, hip-hop cyphers in West Philly, free lobby orchestra performances in the Kimmel lobby – all of this would wake our nightlife up. Such ideas could be a new way of generating more revenue for local creators, while appealing to an expansive mix of age groups.
I shouldn’t have to travel to Chicago every few months to have a super-fun night out that’s not connected to a bar. I, too, would like to have the enthusiasm of a 22-year-old going to Center City Sips in Philly once again.
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