Lagos has been named one of the world’s best nightlife cities, clinching the 14th spot globally and placing second in Africa, just behind Cape Town, South Africa.
The ranking was revealed in a recent report by Time Out Magazine, which surveyed thousands of city dwellers and consulted nightlife experts to compile its list of top nightlife destinations around the globe.
According to the report, 79% of Lagos residents rated the city’s nightlife positively.
Lagos outperformed other prominent African cities including Cairo, Egypt, and Marrakech, Morocco, which took the 15th and 19th spots globally, respectively.
Time Out noted that Lagos’ nightlife has evolved from high-end lounges to more inclusive underground rave scenes, highlighting spots like SweatItOutLagos and Our Group Therapy as key to the city’s buzzing nightlife culture.
Responding to the report, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the ranking is a reflection of the working security infrastructure in the state.
“It shows that the security architecture put in place by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is working. It speaks to the number of tourists who pour into Lagos daily and the success of the last Detty December,” he stated.
Omotoso added that the Sanwo-Olu administration is working to formalize tourism events into a calendar, especially those in the last quarter of the year.
He also noted that Lagos will make history this year as the first African city to host the EI (water race) Championship.
“The end-of-the-year events, popularly described as Detty December, always have huge positive effects on the socio-economic landscape of the state,” he said.
The Commissioner further quoted the Time Out report saying, “Nightlife takes on lots of different forms, and cities all over the world have adapted to our changing habits when it comes to going out.”
This recognition follows Lagos’ earlier appearance in Time Out’s September 2024 list, where it ranked 6th globally for nightlife, ahead of cities like Rotterdam and Manchester.
Time Out Magazine, which operates in 333 cities across 59 countries, has been a leading global guide for urban culture since its inception in 1968.
Top 20 Cities for Nightlife in 2025 – Time Out Magazine
- Las Vegas
- Madrid
- Paris
- Shanghai
- Berlin
- Melbourne
- Brighton
- Mexico City
- Dubai
- Mumbai
- Cape Town
- Warsaw
- Bangkok
- Lagos
- Cairo
- Riyadh
- Amsterdam
- Medellín
- Marrakech
- Athens
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