Nightlife has undergone a significant transformation since our bars and nightclubs reopened their doors. The biggest shift has been that those kinds of venues are far from the only places on offer after dark – our cities have adapted to the changing times, and now, you’ll find supperclubs alongside superclubs, as well as listening bars, sauna parties and gatherings for t-totallers.
So, where should we be heading for a seriously good night out? Well, nightlife is our lifeblood at , and that’s why we quizzed thousands of city-dwellers about the after-dark culture where they live. Last year, Rio de Janeiro danced its way into first place, but topping our ranking for 2025 is (drum roll, please) Las Vegas!
The Nevada resort city gained an impressive 88 percent approval rating from the locals that we spoke to (helped by a strong vote of confidence from the panel of experts we also asked to weigh in) and was the most likely city to have its nightlife described as ‘exciting’.
But there’s a whole lot more to Vegas than the casinos and cabana-lined pool parties that have come to characterise this city’s nightlife scene.
‘In recent years, there’s been a shift to a more low-key nightlife venue: the cocktail bar,’ writes local expert Ryan Slattery, ‘Across town, bartenders are shaking up tasty concoctions using exotic ingredients and bespoke liqueurs. Many of these cocktail lounges – Stray Pirate, Doberman and Nocturno, to name a few – can be found in the city’s thriving Arts District, a walkable downtown neighborhood of vintage shops, breweries and restaurants. Vegas also has a slew of tiki bars and dozens of speakeasies; spots hidden inside a working barbershop, behind a bookcase of a Mamak stall at Resorts World or in the basement of the Mob Museum. There’s even one called The Lock that you crawl into through a safe door.’
After a flavour of classic Vegas? You’ll definitely still be able to find that, too. The Electric Daisy Carnival sees the Las Vegas Motor Speedway transformed into an enormous, EDM and hip-hop filled rave every May, but have a look at our roundup for the best things to do in the city and our handpicked list of Las Vegas’s top bars.
Find ’s full list of the world’s best cities for nightlife in 2025 here.
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