Paris, its nightlife, tomorrow

The successive lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic delivered a severe blow to an iconic aspect of the French capital: its nightlife, internationally renowned for its diversity and uniqueness.

As the emergency phase of the crisis draws to a close, the City of Paris has taken the time to reimagine the future of nightlife, inviting a range of stakeholders from the night-time economy – often with (very) divergent visions and interests: night workers, venue owners, night owls, local residents, community actors, members of the Council of the Night and volunteers, city officials, and elected representatives of Paris.

Co-design fiction was at the heart of the approach, through five workshops and a participatory exhibition showcasing design fiction scenarios, alongside maps of current and future controversies surrounding festivities and nightlife. With support from our collaborators at the Quadrant Conseil consultancy and Strategic Design Scenarios agency, the goal of this exploration into the future of nightlife was to assess current needs in order to better envision the visions to champion tomorrow.

The scenario-building workshops revealed three key ideas to inspire reflections and actions for a peaceful and resilient nightlife:

• The Festival of Parisian Weathercocks imagines a future where the City of Paris, in charge of nightlife, offers a neighbourhood-specific programme of night-time activities, ranging from “zero-nuisance evenings” to “extreme partying”.
• Noctange envisions a perfectly managed Parisian party scene, supported by both technological and human assistance.
• Dissemination of Festivities proposes an ambitious party policy with new inclusive zones dedicated to partying in central and Greater Paris, along with the means to reach and enjoy them safely.

During a public exhibition, residents were invited to respond to the fictional scenarios and enrich them with ideas for the nightlife of tomorrow, to refine the collective diagnosis and inform public action.