Exploring the Night: Cities After Dark and the Future of the 24-Hour Economy

Cities After Dark supports European cities in exploring how the night can be better planned, managed and enjoyed, by everyone.

The Music Cities Awards shine a spotlight on the most innovative projects harnessing the power of music to transform cities worldwide. Among this year’s nominees is Cities After Dark, a pioneering initiative supported by the European Union’s URBACT programme. Led by the city of Braga (Portugal), the project brings together ten European cities—Braga, Paris, Tallinn, Varna, Genoa, Malaga, Nicosia, Piraeus, Zadar, and Budva—to reimagine how urban life unfolds after sunset.

The night-time economy plays a crucial role in creating vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable cities. Stretching across mobility, entertainment, hospitality, security, logistics, and beyond, it provides not only cultural and social opportunities but also economic growth. Yet, it also poses challenges—from safety and regulation to noise and light pollution. Cities After Dark takes on these complexities, experimenting with innovative ways to balance quality of life with a thriving 24-hour economy. That is why its nomination for Best Night-Time Economy Initiative at the MCAs, and its participation in the Music Cities Convention in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is so significant.

Two Cities After Dark finalists—Braga and Nicosia—lead in sustainable, inclusive nightlife, balancing vibrant evenings with community well-being.

This year, two standout initiatives are representing Cities After Dark in the Best Night-Time Economy Initiative category: the Municipality of Braga (Portugal) and Nicosia Municipality (Cyprus). Both cities have developed unique approaches to creating inclusive and sustainable nightlife, while ensuring that their strategies benefit residents as much as visitors.

To gain deeper insights into the work and vision behind Cities After Dark, we spoke with Simone d’Antonio, Lead Expert of the URBACT Cities After Dark network. With years of experience in sustainable urban development, Simone has been involved in innovative projects across Europe that explore the role of the night-time economy in shaping more inclusive, vibrant, and resilient cities.

In our conversation, he shared his professional journey, the goals of Cities After Dark, and the challenges and opportunities that cities face when developing strategies for life after sunset.

Simone d'Antonio. Lead Expert URBACT Cities After Dark.

How did you get to this point in your professional career?

As an expert of sustainable urban development, I have contributed to several projects on night-time economy which led me to explore the potential that night-time economy can have for the growth of cities and local communities. Among these projects, I was involved in the ToNite project funded by the Urban Innovative Actions programme, which helped to revive two neighborhoods along the Dora River in Turin (Italy). The active involvement of different categories of residents in proximity night-time activities gave me the opportunity to explore unexpected dimensions of the cities at night, such as the use of public spaces and green areas, which contributed to grant the right to the city at night for all. This element was the cornerstone around which Braga and other cities across Europe decided to focus their commitment on the night-time economy with the URBACT network Cities After Dark, that is the first network of cities ever funded by the European Union on this topic.

Braga’s urban night festival lights up the streets, uniting community and culture through vibrant nightlife and creative energy.

What is the Cities After Dark Project about?

Cities After Dark is a network of 10 European cities which explore different dimensions of the night-time economy. Cultural and economic vibrancy is one of the pillars of this network comprising 10 cities, which is also focusing on improvement of public services at night, safety and contrast to noise and use of public spaces and green areas. The project is exploring the potential of the cities between 6pm and 6am, conceiving the urban fabric as something that doesn’t stop working at 6pm but continues after dark but needs to be sustainable and inclusive for all.

Vibrant night festival fuels urban renewal through music, culture, and inclusive community energy.

Tell us a bit about the context on how these night time initiatives experiments were implemented.

Some cities of the network, like Paris and Tallinn, had already some forms of governance of night-time economy but adhered to the network with the objective of improving some specific elements, such as behavioral change of night-users or the active involvement of specific categories of party-goers such as the local youth. Other cities, like Braga, Genoa, Malaga, Piraeus, Varna, Zadar and others, were working on the sustainable impact of tourism and found night-time economy a promising field for enhancing economic and cultural vibrancy and improving the quality of services and public spaces for both residents and tourists. In the framework of Cities After Dark, the cities of the network are testing a series of innovative actions which are exploring innovative uses of public spaces, training of night stakeholders and professionals, involvement of different categories of residents, and activation of unusual spaces as innovative night venues. These testing actions are validating the innovative approaches on night-time economy that the cities are including within their Integrated Action Plans, which are long-term night strategies that the cities commit to implement in collaboration with local stakeholders.

What were the main findings?

For most of the partners of Cities After Dark the participation in the URBACT network was the first opportunity for working on the nocturnal dimension of the cities. The development of a holistic framework on night-time economy which takes into account the complexity of the topic and not only controversial aspects, such as safety and contrast to noise pollution, was decisive for raising interest of decision-makers, stakeholders and local community and involving them in planning actions and integrated action plans. The implementation of concrete actions on the ground, such as the temporary extension of public mobility services in nocturnal hours or the organization of night events in public spaces, was decisive for making the conversation on night-time economy more tangible and to enhance the visibility of night industries and their positive contribution to sustainable growth of the cities.

Europe supports cities in building vibrant night economies through sustainable and inclusive strategies.

From your perspective, What are the main challenges that the night time economy faces around the world?

The main challenges of the night-time economy are mostly connected to the evolution of the behaviors of the people. We are currently fighting a war against the couch: redefining the night activities more in the sense of experiences can be decisive for pushing people to go out again. In general, the diversification of night activities is an important challenge in order to make night-time accessible to different categories of people and not only to the ones who want to go to bars and restaurants. Making public spaces safer for all also through their activation with cultural activities at night is one of the possible solutions for enhancing the use of squares and parks also through placemaking actions or testing temporary uses. Another decisive challenge is to train a new generation of night users but also improving the skills of business owners and staff, for improving the quality of the existing night activities and services and making the access to bars and clubs safer and more enjoyable for all. Acting on the quality of work at night and improving welfare services for families, for example with the activation of night nurseries, is decisive for improving the access to night work, health and quality of life for night workers and users.

The insights shared by Simone d’Antonio remind us that the night-time economy is more than a sector—it’s a laboratory for reimagining how cities can thrive after dark. Through projects like Cities After Dark, local leaders, cultural actors, and communities are testing bold ideas that redefine safety, inclusivity, and vibrancy in urban life.

At the Music Cities Convention in Fayetteville Arkansas, these conversations will move from words to action. Delegates will learn directly from initiatives like Cities After Dark and connect with peers shaping the future of music and urban innovation worldwide.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this global exchange.

Join us in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and see how cities are turning the power of music into real impact.

Last tickets available at: musiccitiesevents.com/fayetteville-mcc-2025