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Another day, another reason to feel good about living in Melbourne. Hot off the news that the Victorian capital is one of the best cities for Gen Z to live comes the announcement that Melbourne is also one of the world's best nightlife hotspots. Yep, from bar-hopping to pulling an all-nighter at a club (and all the secret parties, raves and events in between), if there's fun to be had when the sun sets, you bet this city of ours is delivering.
As always, to curate the ranking, Time Out went straight to the people who know their city best. More than 24,000 locals were quizzed about the nightlife scene in their hometown right now, on things like preferences for clubbing or cocktail bars, how affordable it is to go out at night, the overall quality of nightlife, how easy it is to find community, and how safe, exciting, welcoming and diverse their city is.
That data was then crunched by Time Out’s city editors and culture experts who voted for their favourite cities for after-dark fun. To ensure global representation, only the highest-scoring city for each country made the list.
Which brings us to the official ranking... Topping the list in 2026 is Bangkok. The Thai capital offers everything from pokey street-side bars and mega clubs to 360-degree rooftop bars and LGBTQIA+ parties. Global club hub Berlin followed (no surprises there), and New York City took out the bronze medal.
Coming in fourth top spot is our very own city of Melbourne (which means it also takes the crown as the best spot in Australia for nightlife). Melbourne received good marks all-round from locals, with 77 per cent saying the nightlife is "good" or "amazing" and 59 per cent rating the city highly for community feel. As for what the city does best? Cocktail bars and casual pubs, according to 61 and 72 per cent of locals, respectively.
The beauty of going out in Melbourne is that it truly feels like a choose-your-own-adventure-style exercise. Happy to sit around with mates, sink a pint and catch some live music? Easy, there are a bunch of pubs for that. Want to dance for hours at a club that boasts an epic audio system? Solace Bar and Coil are just two spots that tick that box. Keen to party in an LGBTQIA+-friendly space where drag bingo, trivia and comedy nights are the norm? Head to Pride of Our Footscray.
Which is all to say that nightlife trends may come and go (RIP to the golden age of club photographers), but Melbourne’s after-dark scene remains an eclectic, often surprising, and always fun space to let loose with like-minded people. We'll see you out there.
The world's 20 best cities for nightlife in 2026, according to Time Out:
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Berlin, Germany
- New York City, USA
- Melbourne, Australia
- Sao Paolo, Brazil
- Medellin, Colombia
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Brighton, UK
- Beijing, China
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Porto, Portugal
- Hong Kong, China
- Athens, Greece
- Madrid, Spain
- Hanoi, Vietnam
- Seoul, South Korea
- Bengaluru, India
- Accra, Ghana
- Singapore
- Mexico City, Mexico
To find out more about Time Out’s best cities in the world for nightlife, head over here.
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