Liquid Conversations: Are bars still fun?

Let me begin with a statement of fact: I, Michael Moberly, am no longer fun.

I mean this in the sense that 2016 me would say to me now, “You are not fun.” I abstain from alcohol; I have a 2-year-old kid, so I am naturally sleepy most of the time; and, being in my late 30s, my tolerance for the general shenanigans found in the world after midnight is rather low.

Early in July, I read an article in Bloomberg titled “The Fun Shortage Is Real, and It’s Making America Miserable,” and I thought: Wait, am I a part of this problem? Am I part of the cause of this fun shortage?

Turns out this article was talking about the decline in U.S. businesses dedicated to fun, including 7,000 bars and nightclubs having closed in the past two decades. A Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey shows double-digit percentage drops since 2003 in the hours spent each year on arts and entertainment activities, attending sports or recreational events, and attending or hosting social events.

Plus, everything’s expensive as hell these days—prices are rising at the fastest pace in three years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. According to trade publication Pollstar, concert-ticket prices have increased 41% since 2019, something we all have felt if we love live music.

But the world has been poor before, and people still had fun. Heck, I was drunk and having a blast during the last recession. People always say bars are recession-proof, so what’s different now?

A 2023 Gallup survey found that the share of adults under age 35 who say they ever drink dropped 10 percentage points over two decades, to 62% in 2021-’23 from 72% in 2001-’03. So it’s clear there is a generation of young people who are less interested in drinking—but I know they still have to be interested in fun.

This led me to a hard, real question: are bars still fun?

As an expert in the world of drinks, it’s difficult for me to walk into a bar and view it objectively: I am looking at a bar through the analytical lens of a know-it-all. So, I decided to reach out to some people across the spectrum of bar interactions—an artist and curator, a restaurant owner, a spirits brand ambassador, a teacher, and a social media manager, and I asked them: “Are bars still fun?”

• “Neighborhood bars are still fun,” said Alana Berglund, 37, the associate director of a nonprofit music venue. “They are not really promising you a good time; they sort of just exist, and then you can form your own community.”

• “I always have fun at a bar if I’m with the right people,” said Chris Costa, 42, co-owner of Cosmos Snack Bar. “I feel like we live in a world of being plugged in with so much information that it’s important just to be present.”

• “I personally think bars are as fun as they have ever been,” said Lucas Huff, 36, United States spirits ambassador for Foley Family Wines and Spirits. He added that the magic of bars is the combination of the space itself and the company you keep.

• “I believe that bars can still be fun, but I definitely slowed down the older I get,” said Joe O’Gorman, 36, a teacher. “I just want to hang out with the people I love, and it doesn’t matter where that is.”

• Abby Ocampo, a 28-year-old social-media manager, said she thinks bars can be fun, but it feels like the scene is getting oversaturated and overpriced. “If we plan on getting drunk together, then most likely, we plan on going to the bar,” she said. “If no drinking is involved, then not really. I don’t see myself going to the bar unless I’m with a group or a trusted friend.”

One Saturday night, I went to Reno’s new dance destination, The Selden—and sure enough, people were having a ton of fun. People in their 20s were shaking their rumps with drinks in hand. But there was something else—vibe, energy and community.

Then it hit me: Bars aren’t fun; people are. Shaking ass by yourself is not fun. Shaking ass with your best friend is.

Everyone I talked to had the same general idea: I don’t care where I am; as long as I am with my community, I am having fun. There may be fewer places to have fun, partly because of rising costs and changing consumer habits, but what’s recession-proof isn’t bars— it’s community.