How Ramadan’s late-night chai culture can save London’s nighttime economy

On a freezing -2C January nighttime successful London, I walked crossed Piccadilly Circus. The Christmas lights and angels were gone, replaced by National Basketball Association posters to people its return to nan capital. At conscionable aft 11:30pm, nan visitors had thinned retired and Central London was near to nan die-hards – avid nightclub-goers smoking and shivering, huddled astir power lamps and sat connected nan kerbside successful flocks. A fewer groups were loitering, scanning nan streets for location – anyplace – to agelong nan nighttime a small longer.

Unlike world cities specified arsenic Tokyo, New York City and Dubai – wherever location are beverage houses, 24-hour diners and cafes purely for late-night socialising – London offers acold less options. Here, connected astir nights of nan week, location are only 2 choices after-hours: spell to nan pub and walk an exorbitant magnitude connected drinks, aliases spell home.

Even that first anticipation expires astatine 11pm acknowledgment to licensing laws, arsenic galore venues are required by section councils to extremity serving intoxicant and adjacent early. And if it weren’t for nan Tube moving a 24-hour work connected Fridays and Saturdays, nan nighttime would extremity acold earlier for Londoners. We’d beryllium resigned to being buried nether electrical blankets, binge-watching trash telly.

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Though complete nan past fewer years, there’s 1 yearly arena that has caused a marked quality successful after-hours habits: Ramadan. Each year, nan month-long play of fasting observed by Muslims astir nan world brings a subtle displacement to London. The streets go festooned pinch “Happy Ramadan” lights, and galore legal cafes and restaurants alteration their hours to unfastened conscionable before iftar (the fast-breaking repast astatine sunset) and proceed to judge customers good past suhoor (the pre-dawn meal).

In predominantly Muslim pockets of nan city, specified arsenic on Edgware Road and astir Regent’s Park, evenings agelong retired late, arsenic agelong conversations are fuelled by cups of chai. It’s an ambiance that mirrors Muslim cultures crossed nan Middle East, South and Southeast Asia.

It has besides sparked a wider speech astir socialising without alcohol. With 43 per cent of young adults (aged 18 to 24) now choosing nary and low-alcohol options – according to 2026 information – nan scenery is shifting, and group are progressively seeking retired 3rd spaces that aren’t centred connected drinking.

Since 2020, nan UK has mislaid 32 per cent of its nightclubs, while pubs are closing astatine a complaint of 1 per day. Against that backdrop, Ramadan’s late-night civilization feels for illustration an outlier.

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Though this isn’t a caller concept. At midnight, I meandered done Frith Street and opened nan doorway to Bar Italia to drawback up pinch a friend complete coffee. Opened successful 1949, nan Italian cafe has agelong survived by being 1 of nan fewer places successful Soho still unfastened until 4am, welcoming some drinkers and non-drinkers alike.

Outside, a bluish plaque notes that nan attic supra nan bar-cafe was nan birthplace of television. Inside, a motion informed maine that it was precisely 100 years to nan time since tv was invented. As we ordered cappuccinos, students lined nan antagonistic pinch unfastened laptops, while different group settled into nan sofas opposite, engrossed successful a committee game.

Scenes for illustration this substance a overmuch bigger mobility astir really London functions aft dark. Ramadan unsocial now generates £1.3bn each twelvemonth – a fig that is increasing faster than nan UK economy, pinch projections suggesting it could scope £2bn annually by 2030. If nan metropolis tin accommodate this exemplary for 30 days each year, why does it struggle to prolong it beyond that?

“London’s nighttime system supports much than a cardinal jobs, contributes much than £139bn to our system and brings communities together, but action is needed to guarantee that it tin beryllium a thriving portion of life successful our metropolis for galore years to come,” a spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, informs me.

The Mayor precocious published a report from a caller London Nightlife Taskforce that was group up past twelvemonth successful consequence to increasing pressures connected nighttime businesses and customers. Representatives from crossed London were invited to subordinate nan independent task force.

The report, which outlines 23 different recommendations, is claimed to beryllium “the astir up-to-date and broad grounds guidelines connected London’s nightlife ever produced”.

“The [Nightlife Taskforce] study shows really nightlife has evolved to see a divers scope of cultural, societal and organization activity crossed nan capital, and nan activities that return spot for Ramadan are a awesome illustration of nan galore ways our metropolis comes to life astatine night,” nan spokesperson added. Indeed, nan metropolis originates to operation successful nan weeks starring up to Ramadan.

The time aft my nighttime out, I made my measurement to Aldgate, wherever pamphlets were taped to thoroughfare lamps advertizing nan Ramadan Souk arsenic it unfolded crossed London, pinch 1 of its awesome stops astatine East London Mosque. Running nan period earlier Ramadan each year, nan programme brings arts and crafts, cooking workshops, children’s activities, and free nutrient and drinks to nan chosen stops.

From there, I continued connected to London Night Cafe. A small, independent communal abstraction – it’s portion cafe, portion reference corner, portion workspace. Entry costs £7 connected weekdays and Sundays, erstwhile it stays unfastened until 3am, and £10 connected Fridays, erstwhile it runs done nan night.

A mini fridge stocked pinch soft drinks and beverage sat beneath neatly stacked boxes of beverage bags. There was a building of Pot Noodles adjacent to it, on pinch a java instrumentality and microwave. The walls were lined pinch eclectic art, pinch a mattress-sofa statement and cushions moving on 1 extremity of nan room, and free video games, sunloungers and a mini shot pit successful nan other.

“A wholesome situation that stays unfastened precocious decidedly comes pinch its ain group of challenges, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to licensing,” explained Dr. Eric Wycoff Rogers, laminitis of London Night Cafe.

“There’s nan costs of acquiring a licence, which really incentivises you to waste intoxicant because if you can, past you should, arsenic that’s wherever nan money is. But I besides deliberation that’s wherever nan deficiency of imagination is successful what nightlife tin beryllium since we don’t waste immoderate alcohol.”

The Nightlife Taskforce study signals that “new powers” relating to licensing decisions are expected to beryllium introduced later this year.

The Mayor’s spokesperson added that “[Sir Sadiq Khan] is committed to moving pinch partners to do each he tin to support life astatine night, and will beryllium receiving caller strategical licensing powers from nan Government soon that will support nan edifice and hospitality industry, and thief america to unlock nan imaginable of our capital’s nightlife, arsenic we build a amended London for everyone.”

This sentiment is echoed by Visit London, whose Tourism Vision for 2030 includes plans to foster a stronger 24-hour system done longer opening hours and improved entree crossed a wider scope of neighbourhoods.

“The acquisition system is 1 of nan cardinal sectors successful nan London Growth Plan, and Ramadan fits people wrong this ambition,” said Rose Wangen-Jones, destination managing head astatine London & Partners (Visit London).

“During Ramadan, late-night eating options springiness visitors and Londoners alike much opportunities to return their clip with iftar either aft activity aliases a time of exploring nan city. More visitant destinations crossed wider parts of London, positive extended opening hours, will springiness abstraction to a much moreover distribution of visitors, arsenic good arsenic benefitting businesses, Londoners and nan section communities.”

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The adjacent morning, I was up astatine 2:30am for a flight, but alternatively of my accustomed airdrome ritual – hash browns astatine Wetherspoons – I made a detour to VQ successful Bloomsbury, London’s first 24-hour diner. Launched successful 1995, it has a faintly American feel, pinch sleek communal tables, reddish booths and oversized java mugs. I ordered a classical mini vegetarian afloat English – a fried ovum connected a toasted muffin pinch avocado, mushroom, grilled tomatoes, vegan sausage, beans, toast, butter, and a broadside of greasy hash browns.

What Ramadan makes visible is simply a different measurement of enjoying your time. In a metropolis arsenic ample and culturally expansive arsenic London, extending trading days from 12 hours to 18 isn’t astir staying unfastened for nan liking of it, but astir gathering group wherever they already are – earlier work, aft activity and successful nan hours successful between. This includes those who don’t portion but still want to beryllium retired astatine night.

For businesses, those further hours could substance economical growth, elasticity and resilience. For cities, they support streets progressive during periods usually written disconnected arsenic dormant time.

Looking around, 3 chopped groups shared nan abstraction astatine VQ for wholly different reasons. At 1 table, students revised for what looked for illustration an upcoming exam; different picked astatine sausages pinch nan weary attraction of group coming down from a nighttime out; and astatine a third, 2 hijabi ladies carrying suitcases were refuelling earlier an early journey. All of america were location astatine nan aforesaid hr for different reasons, drawn together by nan aforesaid need: location open, lukewarm and communal successful nan mediate of nan night.

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