From longtime complaints about the city’s nightlife — or lack thereof — to more recent pandemic challenges, people seem to always be asking: Is Boston actually fun?
Early last calls, a statewide ban on Happy Hour and a dearth of cultural spaces open late all conspire to make Boston better known for higher education and biotech than a good time. Factor in that people are going out less, the high overall costs of Boston and the lingering effects of the global pandemic, and the result is that some of the area’s most iconic joints have closed their doors for good: Allston music venue Great Scott and Improv Boston in Cambridge are just two examples.
Still, there are signs of hope. Supper club Grace by Nia brought live jazz and creative entertainment to the Seaport District. The Silhouette Lounge in Allston has returned to vibrancy since the Covid shutdowns. And just across the Charles in Somerville, Duck Duck Goofs is preparing to open as a new comedy venue.
One year ago, the city of Boston named Corean Reynolds its first director of nightlife economy within the Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion. Since then, Reynolds says she’s learned about the challenges faced by nightlife operators and consumers and she’s collaborated with leaders at the city and state level to plan initial projects to liven up the city’s late-night scene. Now, she said, she’s ready to execute.
The issue isn’t just important for bar and restaurant owners. Boston’s reputation for fun has a workforce angle too — one that’s key to helping alleviate the longstanding struggle local employers face trying to hire workers. Namely, are the city’s entertainment offerings enough to keep younger workers interested and engaged? Or will they choose to move to other cities known for a more vibrant nightlife?
Czar raises the bar
Informally dubbed the “late-night czar,” Reynolds works in City Hall, providing a place for nightlife businesses to take their concerns. She’s held around 290 meetings with over 1,000 constituents representing about 150 organizations with a stake in the nightlife economy, and has connected with elected officials at the city and state level. Her hours are, by necessity, all over the place.
“I could have … a 10 a.m. meeting with the leadership of the cabinet that I belong in, and then I could have a 10 p.m. meeting at a comedy club,” Reynolds said.
Business owners say the issues impacting nightlife operators range from business costs to accessing liquor licenses and permits.
Entrepreneur Nia Grace, owner of Grace by Nia in the Seaport and other venues, praised Reynolds’s efforts so far.
“(Corean) has done a great job of studying and listening and hearing this,” Grace said. “But I think now is the piece where she is going to aggregate this information and then start to apply it as it makes sense.”
Reynolds said that the Office of Nightlife Economy — which, for now, is a team of one — is now focused on “early interventions” that the city can implement quickly without relying on action at the state level.
Some of the ideas have already been implemented, such as the free saunas on City Hall Plaza that Reynolds helped bring in.
Soon, Bostonians should also be seeing a “blow-up nightclub.” Reynolds said it’s exactly what you’d picture: a bouncy house, but 10 times larger, and with the ability to host events such as kid’s karaoke night. The city plans to offer it up for block parties or community events.
Another idea on the table is extending hours to 3 a.m. Right now, Reynolds said alcohol service and music stops at 2 a.m. and businesses have 30 minutes to get everyone off the premises. An extra “sober hour” would allow a less-rushed departure from venues, she said.
Sarah Leib, general manager of The Silhouette in Allston, said that idea may work for major companies such as Encore, but for local bars such as hers, it makes less sense. It would be hard on bartenders, Leib said, who only get paid $6.75 an hour and wouldn’t make more in tips, but would have to work later.
Sarah Leib, general manger, The Silhouette, 200 Brighton Ave, in Allston.
All 46,000 nighttime workers in Boston are on Reynolds’ mind, she said. She plans to host an education series for operators and the nightlife workforce that would cover topics like responding to safety incidents.
Last June the city also announced it was building a Nightlife Initiative for a Thriving Economy (NITE) Committee. The plan was to bring on 21 residents, business and civic leaders to work with the city to evaluate existing regulations and policies impacting Boston’s nightlife economy and culture. Reynolds read over 300 applications for the committee and said the team is being finalized.
Reynolds said she hasn’t forgotten the long-game goals in the midst of the day-to-day frenzy. She said the city is pushing the Massachusetts Legislature to get more liquor licenses in Boston. For now, Reynolds is hoping to expand the use of “underutilized” BYOB licenses. Reynolds said only six operators in the city use it.
Keeping the old, in with the new
A city’s nightlife is only as strong as its local businesses.
Boston’s Seaport district — which has grown from a sparse industrial space to a hub for biotechs and large commercial chains — is relatively new as a tourist destination. But the neighborhood has long needed “homegrown character,” said Nia Grace.
Nia Grace is the owner of Grace by Nia, Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen and The Underground Cafe + Lounge.
Grace — who calls herself an “experience architect”— opened Grace by Nia in May 2023 and promised to focus equally on great food, drinks and entertainment. Grace by Nia is one of the few places in Boston, let alone the Seaport, where patrons can enjoy jazz, soul and blues music.
But any local knows that Cambridge and Somerville are just as much a part of the city’s nightlife as downtown, and if you jump on the Red Line to Central Square, you can find another new hotspot: the comedy club Duck Duck Goofs. Opened by Ryan Howe two years ago, Duck Duck Goofs operates out of both the Cambridge Community Center and the Cantab Lounge on Thursday through Saturday. Each show starts with a musician before stand-up comedians take the stage.
“We’re really building a community of supportive people and fostering a next generation of comedians,” Howe said.
And that’s what you feel at Duck Duck Goofs, where community center shows have $4 beers from a cooler. A sign nearby reads, “Get more than one drink at a time, we won’t tell the principal.”
From 2022 to 2023, Howe said Duck Duck Goofs doubled the amount that it paid to local comedians to nearly $200,000. In March, Howe plans to open his own space in Prospect Hill in Somerville.
Founder and host Ryan Howe gets the audience warmed up at a comedy show presented by Duck Duck Goofs.
While new spaces for art and music are essential, it wouldn’t be Boston without a neighborhood pub where customers could find either their grandfather or a long-lost college roommate. On a corner of Brighton Avenue in Allston sits The Silhouette Lounge, where the paint, stickers and names of patrons from years past on the walls illustrate its decades of history in the area.
Leib, its general manager, said in order to be the neighborhood bar, you have to embrace the history of space, while keeping up with modern needs. Coming out of the pandemic, The Silhouette relaunched live music and started doing Pinball tournaments on Sundays. They also host events — such as a recent gathering of the Boston Leather Organization Of Dykes — that keep new patrons coming in.
She also put in credit card machines and even lowered the cost of bottled beers when customers complained about a price change.
Businesses need support
Even as businesses bring Boston to life at night, they need support to thrive. Leib said she wants the city to require fewer licenses. For example, she has to pay fees for dart boards, which she said is “just to pay the city something.”
Howe’s business is based in Cambridge, though he did consider opening Duck, Duck Goofs, in Boston. He was halted, however, because it was easier and more affordable to get liquor licenses in Cambridge and Somerville. He said that Boston should consider making liquor licenses more accessible to small businesses.
“The idea of a city is that you can walk to a place where you’re gonna have a great experience culturally,” Howe said, adding that it’s difficult to create these spaces in Boston proper. “It’s really hard to be a young business…you have to be a mega-corporation to start a business.”
Grace said she’d like to see the city leverage its relationship with companies such as Uber and Lyft to get special codes for nightlife workers to get home at affordable prices after public transportation has shut down.
“You know what happens when my team has to leave at 1 o’clock? They’re competing with the people who are leaving the clubs at 1 o’clock. So their surge pricing is triple,” Grace said.
While Reynolds didn’t give specifics on how her office could help with public transportation, she said it was still top of mind.
“Hopefully we will be able to push the needle with our partners at the MBTA, but also look at local solutions,” Reynolds said.
But as for making the city more fun, Howe said it’s getting better.
“I think Boston is becoming more fun, and I think Cambridge and Somerville are becoming more fun,” Howe said. “The main thing is like, the better the public transit is, and the more affordable it is to live here, the more artists will be creating things and then the more people will want to live here.”
| Rank | Prior Rank | Business/URL |
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1 |
1 |
Blount Fine Foods |
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2 |
2 |
Polar Beverages |
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3 |
3 |
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. |