What Nightlife Costs Young West Africans

What does a warehouse party in Accra have in common with a post-work hang in Abidjan and a ten-hour rave in Lagos? The answer has something to do with accessibility, affordability, and most of all, community.

For much of April, I spent time in Abidjan, Accra, and Lagos (where I reside) speaking with young West Africans about their nightlife habits and exactly what it costs to have a good time at night. Everyone I spoke with agreed that their city is expensive. Many also agreed that it is even more so as it pertains to nightlife. In cities like Lagos, class divisions and economic considerations play a major role in the nightlife scene. Whereas in Abidjan, taste and genuine interest are the main defining characteristics of its nightlife industry.

West Africa, like other parts of the continent, is teeming with young people. It’s a relatively young region- boasting commendable economic and infrastructural growth despite its many ailments. The region is also undergoing an existential crisis where it is rethinking its post-colonial identities and how it wants to reimagine itself. This means that more people are questioning traditional definitions of what it means to be young and West African.

For this story, I focused on the habits that define nightlife in response to this ongoing redefinition as well as the current socio-economic state of the region. After all, one can deduce a country's well-being by how many extracurricular activities its people can afford.

In this instance, nightlife is a major part of the kind of extracurricular activities that young people gravitate towards. Not only is it when most people are freer, let out from work or temporarily relieved of academic responsibilities, but nightlife also balances out the monotony of everyday life. 

In writing this story, I was curious to learn about not just the problems plaguing nightlife across West Africa (exclusionary clubs and gathering spaces, highly priced menus, individualistic nighttime entertainment), but also how young people are getting around those problems (carpooling, pregaming before heading out for the night, finding and sometimes building cheaper establishments for their communities). Ultimately, I was particularly interested to find that many young people across West Africa share the same needs and desires for how they spend or want to spend their nights. Crucially, though, this story attempts to capture how these similarities manifest differently. 

In Lagos, As In Accra, Everybody Wants Community

Lagos is a dynamic city of more than 14 million people. It is Nigeria’s most populous city and also its cultural center. It has borne witness to and greatly contributed to the rise of the continent’s biggest stars, and its relatively cosmopolitan demographic often gets it compared to cities like New York. And like New York, Lagos is an expensive city. Latest data puts the average cost of living in Lagos at 682,000 ($500) per month for a single adult, without rent. In comparison, the monthly salary in Lagos sits at N175,000 (just under $150). With the rising cost of housing, lower earning power, and a stagnant economy, many Nigerians are systematically priced out of their lives. And for those living in the country’s most expensive city, there are few affordable ways to make a living while also being able to afford going out on a regular basis.

“[The Lagos nightlife scene] is heavily class-based, because it’s those who have money that really enjoy it,” Anointing Julius, a digital health product marketer who lives in Lagos, says. “You don’t want to be in the nightlife scene when you’re broke, because prices — like Ubers, drinks, and even just getting into these places — can be quite costly for the average Nigerian, especially with the economy and cost of living. But if you’re able to be in it, trust me, it’s so fun.”

This harsh economic reality has adversely affected the nightlife industry, with inflation prompting a shift away from high-end clubs and expensive restaurants toward more communal, outdoor experiences that give nightlifers more bang for their buck.

An enduring example of this is the emergence of the rave scene in Lagos, where many young people, like Julius Built, are regulars. House and EDM music, designed to disrupt, rave parties in Lagos, made popular by collectives like Sweat It Out and Group Therapy, have offered Nigerian nightlifers (mostly young people) an alternative way to spend their nights. For one, they are cheaper to attend, their drinks cost way less, they are communal in nature and encourage dancing, which is often considered pedestrian in high-end clubs. 

“If you’re young, the money they’re making is just not enough to fully enjoy the nightlife scene. It’s really expensive,” Julius says.

Rave parties are also built on tenets of safety and collective responsibility, an aspect of nightlife that has been eroded with the rise of table culture and exclusive gatherings that derive their advantage from shutting people out.

Before raves, there were outdoor parties, with the Mainland Block Party pioneering that sector. Founded by Tobi Mohammed, Mainland Block Party began as a way to route the city of Lagos towards the mainland and to prove that part of town can be just as fun as the affluent island neighborhoods. At the Mainland Block Party, Mohammed says they intentionally keep the cost low, after all, their audience is mostly young people. With 40,000 ($29), Mohammed says, attendees can cover ticket, cab fare, a few drinks, and even something to eat.

“It’s always going to be affordable,” Mohammed said in a recent interview. This month, Mohammed also launched Purple, an event series similar in energy to Mainland Block Party’s but dedicated to House, Qgom, and 3 step - a clear nod to the rising demand for rave-style parties in the country.

Going back to nightlife roots

But Lagos isn’t the only West African city figuring out ways to party cheaper and smarter. On my second day in Accra, while hanging out with some friends at The Woods, an outdoorsy resto-bar that regularly hosts open mic sessions for emerging artists, I saw a group of bar crawlers stumble into the bar. I would come to learn that these bar crawlers were part of Accra Bar Crawlers, a new initiative devised by the organizers of Accra Bar Show. Kwame Tha Doh, a business development manager for the company that organizes the bar show, tells OkayAfrica that the bar crawl came from listening to the needs of their community of bartenders and nightlife enthusiasts. “We realized that spending power has gone down drastically over the past couple of years, where people are spending less on drinks,” he says. “We decided to create the bar crawl just so that people can form a community and can visit bars on their slow days.” Most bars, as Doh explains, are out of patrons during the week owing to the fact that weekday drinking has become obsolete.

“If you're not able to get a bottle, you should be able to have at least two cocktails and get people to be out more these days.” The bar crawl currently runs every other Thursday and has a simple model. Every other Thursday, a group of bar crawlers carpools to a neighborhood to sample the bars there. “We make sure that we visit totally new bars every other bar crawl just so that we create awareness for those bars.” Organizers do not currently charge a ticket and do this as a way to build their already strong community. This community-led approach to nightlife is another defining aspect of the state of nightlife in West Africa today.

Another group that exemplifies this is the Imullar Sound System. Built around the need to center DJs and offer an alternative to club culture, Imullar Sound System, which first began as a magazine, has remained consistent for half a decade. The first tactic they employ is keeping the tickets low. As founder Maxwell Adjavon explains, the goal is to subsidize the experience for their community by partnering with brands to help offset production costs. They offer staggered tickets, from early birds to last drops, keeping the price between 100 and 250 GHS ($8-$17) per event. They also occasionally create discounts for students and members of marginalized groups who are part of the community.

During their fifth anniversary in April, Imullar Sound System took over Enzo, a warehouse-style resto-bar in the heart of East Legon in Accra. The crowd was mostly young, and the music traveled the plain from Afro-tech to house to amapiano. A hypeman guided the room from the stage. These inclusive music sets are intentional. They offer room to a host of DJs while keeping Imullar dynamic for their community. 

“The future is for us to keep growing and giving the community new things that they haven't experienced,” Adjavon says. 

In Abidjan, The Party Starts At 3 am

Abidjan, like Lagos and Accra, shares a few similarities: the options for where to go and what to do at night are dynamic and varied. Nightlife is also generally expensive, and yes, young people are finding ways around it. One distinct difference, though, is that Ivorians engage with nightlife with an advanced level of dedication and seriousness.

“What makes Abidjan unique is that you can genuinely enjoy the city at almost any budget and through many different styles of music and experiences. From neighborhood maquis and bars to high-end clubs, festive restaurants, and rooftops, there is always a place to be,” says Yann Diomande, the managing director of Diamond Inc Group, a hospitality and entertainment company.

“You can go from places playing Biama and local sounds like Fun House in Yopougon to venues like Bloom that are more focused on international hip-hop and Afrobeats hits. The city naturally mixes local culture with global influences,” Diamonde continues.

“The event scene is also very broad. You have open format parties, dancehall events, festivals, pool parties, live performances, and VIP experiences. There are many different formats and audiences. Abidjan nightlife is very social, very expressive, and constantly evolving.”

Plans for the weekend begin early in the week. A list of parties and places to go is considered, shortlisted, and decided on. For most young people, it is economically wise to go in packs to offset the exorbitant prices at restaurants and bars. It has, in some way, become a given, a necessary strategy. For a typical night out, nightlifers begin the night, usually around 8, at a restaurant or at a resto-bar. At 1 am, they are preparing to head out to the first hang of the evening, typically a low-energy, easygoing one.

One such event takes place in the backyard garden of Villa Lepic, a charming hotel in Cocody. The crowd was mixed, a blend of locals and tourists. The music was Afropolitan, Wizkid laid over an R&B track, Afro-pop stripped of its ginger and allowed to glide through the night. Most people had a drink in hand, and all seemed to know each other. People were spilling out onto the patio, yet the space didn’t feel entirely overwhelming. 

Diamonde says music is also a major driver for where Ivorians choose to spend their night. “Music is very important because different venues attract different crowds and energies depending on what they play, whether it is Coupé-Décalé, Biama, Afrobeats, Rap Ivoire or else.

I spoke with a few young people who live in Côte d’Ivoire about why this is their first choice for the evening and for many of them, it came down to the cosmopolitan nature of the audience and the laidback energy of the space, especially the quality of people who attend this event.

“The people also matter a lot. Some places are popular because of the crowd, the atmosphere, or who you are likely to meet there,” Diamonde explains.

“And then there is the location. Different neighborhoods in Abidjan have very different nightlife identities and vibes. Going out in Yopougon does not feel the same as going out in Zone 4 or Cocody.”

Typically, nightlifers will head out to the main parties at around 3 am. On the night I visited the hotel in Cocody, my friends and I made our way to a Beyoncé-themed party around the Riviera Golf area. The energy there was more upbeat and, for me, was a perfect way to cap off the night.

Rethinking nightlife

While economic constraints continue to persist, it hasn’t been the only problem that young West Africans face in accessing nightlife. Most organizers like Imullar Sound System still face difficulties finding partner spaces that won’t price-gouge or raise drink prices for community members. In Lagos, mainstream party organizers have co-opted or encroached on many rave scenes, introducing bottle culture and implementing the same expensive, exclusionary measures found in clubs and traditional nightlife venues. 

“You go to an actual club, the sections are just crazy — how they treat people, like in a regular section versus VIP, versus if you have a table. And like I said, Lagos is very class-based, so it’s those who have money that get the better seats,” Julius says.

Young people in West Africa are certainly veering away from this insular way of spending the night. “One interesting pattern I have noticed in recent years is that people are becoming less focused on bottle service and appearances,” Diamonde says.

“More and more, people are looking for places with the best music, the best atmosphere, and spaces where they can simply have a few beers or shots, dance all night, and genuinely enjoy themselves.”

Young West Africans are also innovating, pre-gaming, and cost-sharing. They are exercising discernment and listening to what they actually want to do versus what might appear socially acceptable to do. If these observations tell us anything, it tells us that no matter the state of the economy, young West Africans will always seek out community and ways of gathering that speak to their truest selves.