THANKS to Covid-19, a generation of 18-year-olds in Singapore missed out on the chance to pop their clubbing cherries as soon as they came of age.

More importantly, the pandemic effectively demolished the nation’s nightlife industry. Clubs closed or had to convert their spaces to host other activities; DJs, bouncers, bartenders, hostesses and countless other staff were out of work.

But now that virtually all pandemic-related restrictions have been relaxed, clubbing is back to what it once was – loud, sweaty, packed, and tremendously exciting for Singapore’s now-20-plus-year-olds discovering what it’s all about.

So how’s the industry changing?

The post-pandemic scene has seen the rise of new event organisers – not tied to any physical club, but holding Gen-Z-targeted parties at whatever venues they can find. These include viral TikTok nights, cinema-themed dress-up parties, and nights with music from Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and One Direction – the biggest stars of Gen Z’s formative years.

With partygoers’ pent-up appetites being unleashed, industry players report much higher demand for parties, with tickets being snapped up within hours or even minutes of being launched.

Established clubs, too, are seeing a keener crowd. “More people are coming, tables are fully booked, guest lists are full, people are willing to pay cover charges to come in – that’s the big difference,” one veteran player says.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

A good time to jump in – if you can find a spot

But the pandemic has still left scars. As previous venues have closed down, today’s party organisers have few options, limiting their ability to scale their events.

With rents remaining high, industry players don’t expect new locations to proliferate post-Covid in the same way that events have – so these new party-throwers will have to reckon with this issue for a while.

Read this week’s Brunch in full here.