Nightlife activity in the U.S. got whacked in January due to the cold weather. In sum, visits to our index of 23 nightlife areas across the U.S. were down -3% compared to an increase of +3% in December. The overall decline was most pronounced mid-month, with week 4 down only 1%. Districts in Texas took a beating with Deep Ellum down -17% and Midtown Houston down -26%. By contrast, regions that are undeterred by cold weather, like the North Loop in Minneapolis (+4%), Fulton Market in Chicago (+3%), and Seaport in Boston (+8%) continued to celebrate, dine, and dance. Maybe these “up” markets were just trying to forget their team’s pro football seasons. As a reference point, Q4 2023 nightlife visits ended strong after a soft September/October. We also suspect that January’s softness was also the result of households cutting back on spending after December’s profusion and more consumers practicing a “dry January.” Given that January is typically a show period, atypical spending behaviors create a more pronounced dip.
