Bars and nightclubs in Switzerland have sounded the alarm over their finances amid declining alcohol consumption among young people. Some within the industry have gone further, calling on the government to step in and provide subsidies to keep Swiss nightlife afloat.

Bars and nightclubs in Switzerland under financial stress

Speaking to NZZ am Sonntag, the Bar and Club Commission in Zurich (BCKZH) confirmed that the industry across Switzerland is in trouble. "If you compare the years 2018 and 2023, sales per guest have fallen by 40 percent," spokesperson Alexander Bücheli noted.

He explained that nightlife businesses are struggling to cope with changing attitudes around alcohol and partying - indeed, 2023 was the first time that consumption of beer in Switzerland dropped below 50 litres per person per year. At the same time, the latest study from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) found that among 15 to 24-year-olds, just over half either don't drink alcohol or drink less than once a week.

This trend is having a dramatic financial impact on venues, with Bar and Club Commission surveys finding that 60 percent of nightclub revenue and 85 percent of bar profits come from drinks sales. Bücheli added that while demand for non-alcoholic drinks at bars is increasing, it cannot compensate for lost revenue. 

First calls for state subsidies for Swiss bars and clubs

Therefore, Bücheli concluded that "a city without nightlife is dead. Politicians must start thinking about how they can support the culture of the night." Though new for Switzerland, direct state funding is not unheard of - in Berlin, support for nightclubs is given via the city’s culture budget.

However, the call for greater state involvement in the bar and club industry has been met with cold feet in parliament, with FDP National Councillor Marcel Dobler calling it a “crazy idea”. He argued that it is not up to the government to prevent structural change and that the idea would lead to a slippery slope where “ski resorts or swimming pools would also need subsidies in bad weather."

"I think it's wrong to promote and subsidise "nightlife culture" through increased alcohol consumption, and as a doctor in particular, to me, it's a pretty adventurous idea,” added colleague Bettina Balmer. For their part, addiction prevention organisation Blue Cross told 20 Minuten that alcohol consumption will continue to decline regardless of what is done and that bars and clubs have failed to take advantage of the rise of alcohol-free products and events.

On the opposite side, Green Party National Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber said that clubs and bars should be given subsidies, but only if they “really do something for culture - for example, offer bands a platform or exhibit art.” “I am very happy that young people are drinking less,” she argued, cautioning against any plans to subsidise “alcohol culture”.