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Night Czar fever
Is it time for Wellington to appoint a night czar?
That’s the question that ran through my head as another pub, the Midtown Brewery. opens up in once oh-so-dry Wellington. It joins Stache on Main, The Courage, Soup Opera, The Drake, The Duke of Wellington, the Legion, Pomodoro and East & Main as licensed establishments. And I haven’t brought in (well, now I have) the nearby wineries and microbrewies just a hop, skip and jump oustide of town.
What is a night czar? A night czar—so I read —is a person tasked with making sure that life happens efficiently and pleasantly— and that money flows into the local economy accordingly—during what most people would regard as the wee hours. In fact, I only know of one place (London, England) that has appointed a night czar (Toronto toyed with the idea), and her appointment was made only in the past few months.
London has lost about half of its nightclubs and a third of its local music venues in the past 10 years, largely due to development pressures. The night czar’s task is to stop the slide and make things happen. Previous municpal initiatives, all of which she will build on, have included attempts to synchronize bar hours with public transportation hours, impose the burden of soundproofing on nearby developments rather than nightclubs, and reduce municipal fees. The job is only half time, but the hours are flexible, and the holder will have to spend a lot of it getting to know the nightlife scene intimately. What a burden.
What is at stake is the loyalty of the young, hip and flush with cash. With Brexit upon them, they may choose to move elsewhere in Europe if the club scene is not up to snuff. And there is much to lose and much to gain. The nightime economy of London is said to be worth some $72 billion annually, and it is calculated that bringing some better cohesion to that economy could increase revenue by almost $5 billion.
Why should Wellington consider this? It’s London that has a problem, not us. And the denizens of our Wellington drinkeries do not have Paris or Frankfurt or Copenhagen as easy options. But remember, hipness is a fickle mistress, and the millennials descending on Wellington could easily migrate to Carrying Place, or Quinte West, or Grafton. And perhaps in our efforts to stretch the tourist season into spring and fall we have missed the barn door—that when people visit us they are here for 24-hour days, and are looking for round-theclock entertainment and more opportunities to spend.
And I would bet you that our night economy still brings in less than $1 billion a year—so we surely have an opportunity to grow even more. And we have to strike while the foam is still on the draft, so to speak.
What would a night czar be paid? Well, Wellington has a population that is statistically equivalent to zero in relation to the population of London. The London postion is only half time, so ours would take less, maybe an hour or two a week. You could well argue we are looking at a volunteer position; besides, the perks (such as free bicycle parking) would alone attract good candidates.
What would a night czar do for Wellington? Finding a locally based taxi service, so that one wouldn’t have to wait for one from Picton, would be a start. Alternatively, the horse and carriage service, replete with liveried attendants, now prowling Main Street could put in a night shift as well. An all-night restaurant and convenience store, grocery, gas station and pharmacy would be available in most other cities purporting to have a nightllife scene. Free outdoor concerts in the park could be held starting at midnight. A nighttime fishing derby could be organized. Christmas lights could be left up and turned on all night, and the museum could stay open. Our golf course could be floodlit to facilitate late night golf, and the arena could stay open for public skating all night. Nighttime weddings could become the rage. Perhaps someone can be persuaded to open a disco, or a biker bar.
However, there may be some complications. Just because people are hip, it doesn’t follow that they don’t get rowdy. And more importantly, to turn some of our services into nighttime services might only force them to close during the day. So maybe Wellington needs a day czar as well as a night czar, just to ensure that one isn’t poaching on the other’s turf. That would turn some heads—perhaps even in London.
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