Austin the best city for nightlife in U.S., a survey finds

AUSTIN, Texas — Whether your nightly scene is Dirty Sixth Street, the Warehouse District or the Red River Cultural District, Austin is the place to be for nightlife in America and around the world, a recent survey found. 

Time Out, a website claiming to be the “ultimate guide” to the best things to do in the world’s greatest cities, surveyed thousands of people from hundreds of cities around the world to ask which cities, in their opinion, have the best nightlife. 

Surveyors asked participants to rate their city’s nightlife scene and their favorite venues and experiences. After crunching the numbers, a list of 13 cities was finalized, with an additional three nightlife capitals receiving honorable mentions from DJs. 

The list only included the highest-scoring city for each country, with Austin representing the U.S. 

“Some of these destinations have always been legendary nightlife cities; others might not yet be on your radar,” the Time Out article says. “But, as our clued-up local experts have attested below, every city on this list is a genuinely exciting place to go out and have a good time after dark right now.”

Overall, Austin came in at No. 5, with Rio de Janeiro taking the top spot followed by Manila, Philippines; Berlin; and Guadalajara, Mexico. 

Time Out shouted out Austin’s status as the “Live Music Capital of the World” and said the city received the third-highest quality score from Austinites. 

“In a city where summer can last for six months, nightlife can look a lot cooler out of necessity,” Austin local and former Time Out New York editor Jillian Anthony said in the article. 

Anthony recommended a couple of local haunts, which included visiting Barton Springs to cool off in the evening during the sweltering summer heat.

“Once your core temperature goes down enough to think again, I suggest putting on your funkiest outfit (know that high heels are not a thing here) and heading to Cheer Up Charlie’s, the club where every brand of sexuality gathers for drag shows, sold-out Saltburn parties, and sweaty dancing under the stars,” Anthony wrote. 

The rest of the cities that made the list included:

6. Lagos, Nigeria

7. Rotterdam, Netherlands

8. Manchester, U.K.

9. Budapest, Hungary

10. Accra, Ghana

11. Buenos Aires, Argentina

12. Taipei, Taiwan

13. Singapore

The three DJ picks were Barcelona, Spain; Hong Kong; and Brisbane, Australia.