ABSTRACT
In the United Kingdom, the night-time economy is now a hugely profi table and
contentious phenomenon. As a sociological term, the night-time economy
has come to encapsulate the tension between profi t, crime and leisure and at its
broadest it can be used to describe our ever growing use of the night (Kreitzman
1999). In this chapter, this economy refers to the burgeoning night club industry,
currently estimated to be contributing £2 billion (Hobbs 2000) to the economy and
employing about 130,000 people (Ullswater 1997). British youth have always been
at the forefront of reinventing, revitalising and exporting night-time cultures. The
imminent arrival of twenty four hour licensing (Department for Culture, Media and
Sport 2005) promises them an opportunity to transform the night again, though it
is provoking fi erce political disagreement between the government and opposition
over its potential for unrest (Guardian 2005).
