This is officially the best city in the world for nightlife right now, according to locals

If your idea of a big night out is spending an hour in a queue outside a club, handing over way too much money just to get through the door, then watching your Uber cancel on you as your phone battery creeps towards 1 per cent, you might be going out in the wrong city. 

Luckily, Time Out’s Best Cities for Nightlife with Intrepid Travel has landed to tell you exactly where to go out in 2026. The ranking was created after more than 24,000 people around the world were asked to rate the after-dark culture in their own cities.

So what exactly makes somewhere a great night-out city? Time Out asked locals about everything from clubbing and cocktail bars to how affordable it is to go out, the overall quality of nightlife, how easy it is to find community, and whether their city feels safe, exciting, welcoming and diverse. 

So, which city has the best nightlife?

It turns out Bangkok is where the party’s at. Thailand’s capital came out on top, with 73 percent of locals surveyed rating the city’s nightlife as good or amazing. The same proportion said it was easy to find community there. Time Out’s panel was even more enthusiastic, giving Bangkok a whopping 95 per cent approval score.

That might have something to do with the variety on offer. Bangkok’s nightlife stretches far beyond the big-ticket clubs, with rooftop bars, tiny cocktail spots, street-side drinking, late-night food and a famously lively LGBTQ+ scene all competing for your evening. You can go from a swanky rooftop to a tiny neighbourhood bar and still have dinner at 2 am, which is a much better use of a Saturday night than standing outside a venue wondering if your shoes are comfortable enough to survive another 45 minutes.

The other destinations keeping the party going

Berlin takes second place, with 78 percent of locals rating its nightlife as good or amazing. The German capital might be best known for its underground raves and famously difficult-to-get-into clubs, but Berliners surveyed by Time Out said casual bars and pubs are the best thing about going out in the city. Turns out you don't need to spend six hours queuing for Berghain to have a good night after all. 

New York City comes in third. Most likely to be described by locals as exciting, diverse and lively, the Big Apple received an 82 percent quality score for its nightlife from locals, while Time Out's experts gave it a 95 percent approval score. The downside? New York ranked as one of the more expensive cities on the list, with just 40 percent of locals agreeing that it’s affordable to go out at night. 

Melbourne is fourth, with 77 percent of locals calling its nightlife good or amazing, and 59 percent giving it high marks for community feel. São Paulo rounds out the top five, with strong scores for both the quality and affordability of its nightlife.

Here are the top 10 nightlife cities in the world right now

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Berlin, Germany
3. New York City, USA
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. São Paulo, Brazil
6. Medellín, Colombia
7. Johannesburg, South Africa
8. Brighton, UK
9. Beijing, China
10. Amsterdam, Netherlands

🪩 Read the full ranking of Time Out’s Best Cities for Nightlife with Intrepid Travel.

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