OFFICE OF NIGHTLIFE UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE – nyc.gov/nightlife
NEW YORK — Media and Entertainment Commissioner Anne del Castillo and Office of Nightlife Senior Executive Director Ariel Palitz today unveiled a new Office of Nightlife website, nyc.gov/nightlife, a one-stop guide for New York City’s diverse nightlife community. For the first time, New Yorkers can easily access all the information, resources, and guidelines the City has to offer pertaining to nightlife. The site includes information on how to open and operate a nightlife establishment, understand your rights as a nightlife worker, and address quality of life complaints.
“We are excited to offer this new website that aggregates the City’s various programs and resources specific to nightlife in one central location accessible to all stakeholders, from business to local residents and everyone in between,” said Media and Entertainment Commissioner Anne del Castillo. “With this online resource hub, the Office of Nightlife has taken a giant step towards facilitating a healthy and sustainable nightlife scene for New York City.”
“Throughout our first year, we have been hearing from New Yorkers, from our Five Borough Listening Tour to local community meetings, about the many ways our Office can help support a more vibrant, viable, safe, fair, and well-managed nightlife for all New Yorkers,” said Senior Executive Director Palitz. “We are now proud to launch this one-stop shop website that will continue to evolve and inform the nightlife community and its needs.”
Nyc.gov/nightlife is divided into four parts to address each aspect of the nightlife community:
Office of Nightlife lays out the mission of the Office and lists upcoming events that will be updated regularly.
Nightlife Businesses walks owners and operators through the steps necessary to open and run a nightlife venue, including licensing and permitting, waste removal, sound guidelines, best practices, and more, with links to relevant City services.
Nightlife Workers features a comprehensive list of worker rights and resources, with information on paid sick leave, discrimination, freelance worker rights, and more.
Nightlife Community lists resources for New Yorkers who interact with nightlife including information about Neighborhood Coordination Officers and mediation services.
“The safety of all who enjoy New York City’s vibrant nightlife is a top priority of the NYPD,” said NYPD Deputy Chief Frank A. Vega, Executive Officer, Chief of Department. “Whether providing security tips, or addressing specific conditions, the NYPD works closely with its partners at the Office of Nightlife to ensure both proprietors and patrons receive vital safety information. This new official city website will be a tremendous resource for New Yorkers to remain informed about nightlife across the five boroughs.”
“New York City’s nightlife businesses operate in a city that never sleeps, and their role is just as vital to our local economy as their daytime counterparts,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “The website announced by the Office of Nightlife today is an important resource that will go a long way to ensure that these small businesses can continue to add to the vibrancy of our city.”
Today, the Office of Nightlife also unveiled its new logo and launched new dedicated social media handles, @nycnightlifegov on Facebook and Instagram. The nightlife community and other New Yorkers can follow the Office of Nightlife on both platforms to gain tips and tricks for running a nightlife venue, keep up with recent news about the industry, and learn about the Office’s upcoming programs, events, and workshops.
Nightlife is a vital part of New York City’s culture, identity, and economy. In January, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment released the first ever economic impact study of New York City nightlife, which found that nightlife supports 299,000 jobs, $13.1 billion in employee compensation, and $35.1 billion in total economic output. Nightlife-related jobs and wages were found to be growing faster than the rest of the city’s economy. Nightlife is defined as activity occurring between the hours of 6 PM and 6 AM in five key subsectors – Food Service, Bars, Arts and Culture, Venues, and Sports and Recreation. Food service is the backbone of New York City’s nightlife economy responsible for 72 percent of the jobs. There are 25,000 nightlife establishment across the five boroughs.
“When I created the Office of Nightlife my hope was to create an avenue for all stakeholders involved in nightlife to be able to get the help they need in creating a vibrant nightlife for the City,” said Council Member Rafael Espinal. “The launch of this website is a great step made by Ariel Palitz and I look forward to our City’s nightlife community taking advantage of all the resources provided in one place on the website.”
“There’s a lot to know if you’re opening or operating a nightlife venue in New York City,” said Andrew Rigie, Executive Director, NYC Hospitality Alliance. “Thankfully, the Office of Nightlife heard the voices of nightlife stakeholders and launched a new website that will include important resources for venue operators to find up-to-date and relevant information to help ensure they run a successful business.”
About the Office of Nightlife
New York City’s Office of Nightlife serves as a central point of contact among the nightlife industry, community, and City agencies to help ensure a more vibrant, viable, safe, fair, and well-managed nightlife environment in New York City. Nightlife is a vital part of the city’s economy, culture, and identity, supporting nearly 300,000 jobs and generating $35.1 billion in economic impact. New York’s nightlife has also long been an important incubator of cultural movements and continues to provide spaces for connection, creativity, and personal expression.
The Office of Nightlife works to support these important contributions by coordinating City services and programs to promote responsible growth, diversity, inclusion, and quality of life for all New Yorkers.
