Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) and global nighttime culture consultancy VibeLab today announced a partnership to produce the Nighttime Culture Index (NCI), a new global measure of the vitality of nighttime culture. The first edition launches at ADE this October, as the event marks 30 YEARS ADE, three decades at the centre of the global electronic music industry.
The economic weight of the night is already well documented. The global nighttime economy is estimated to contribute around 3% of global GDP, generate US$3–4 trillion each year, and employ one in ten people (Night Time Economy Report). What has never had an equivalent measure is the cultural value of the night. The NCI aims to address this gap. It is a cultural vitality measurement, not an economic impact study, and a first for the sector: its primary form is an interactive, public dashboard accompanied by an annual report. Its goal is to give everyone with a stake in the night, from grassroots scenes to industry and city leaders, shared evidence to understand their culture, strengthen it, and protect it.
The first edition covers six cities across six continents – Amsterdam, Lagos, New York, São Paulo, Seoul and Sydney – measured across six dimensions of cultural vitality: Diversity & Representation, Creative Ecology, Space & Infrastructure, Community & Belonging, Policy & Civic Health, and Sustainability & Environment. ADE’s 30 years mirror the growth of nighttime culture worldwide, and for the first time that culture has a shared measure of its vitality. The NCI is planned to be the first edition of a three-year partnership between ADE and VibeLab, an annual fixture on the ADE programme, with launch cities remaining year on year and at least two new cities added in 2027 and 2028.
“ADE has always been a global destination for the electronic music industry, but there is no business without culture. The Nighttime Culture Index puts culture at the centre of how we understand the value of the night.” – Jan-Willem van de Ven, Managing Director, Amsterdam Dance Event.
“As we celebrate 30 years of ADE, it’s a good moment to reflect: ADE gave me a platform to develop as a creative professional, and the Nighttime Culture Index is how I give back, turning local nighttime scenes into a connected, global advocacy network.” – Mirik Milan, Co-Founder, VibeLab, and Amsterdam’s former Night Mayor
“We can measure what the night is worth to the economy, but not what it means to the people who live it. The Nighttime Culture Index gives evidence and a shared language to understand nighttime culture and to defend it.” – Jane Slingo, Director Asia Pacific, VibeLab
Local context: the city coordinators
The NCI is built on cultural credibility and local context, sense-checked in each city by the people whose work is the culture being measured. The first edition is coordinated by:
- Rocky van Jaaren – Amsterdam: Club owner, programmer and producer with over 20 years in Amsterdam’s nightlife, and Community Manager for the city’s Night Mayor.
- Israel Ajayi – Lagos: Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Black Noise, documenting electronic music and nightlife across Nigeria and Africa.
- Tara Duvivier – New York: DJ and urban planner working at the intersection of nightlife and city-making, and a planner at the Pratt Center for Community Development.
- Monique Dardenne – São Paulo: Two decades in Brazil’s music industry as a booker, curator and strategist, and co-founder of Women’s Music Event, a leading platform for gender equity in music.
- Daniela Solano – Seoul: Researcher and writer embedded in Seoul’s independent creative scenes, published across Mixmag Asia, Le Monde Diplomatique and The Korea Times.
- LJ White – Sydney: Curator, booker and producer with over 20 years shaping Sydney’s dance and music scenes across clubs, festivals and underground parties.
VibeLab is the research producer; ADE is founding partner and co-publisher.
Have your say: the community survey is now open
If you live in, or work culturally in, one of the six cities, the Nighttime Culture Index wants to hear from you. The community survey is open now and takes less than ten minutes. Your voice shapes how your city’s nighttime culture is measured. Take the survey here.
The full Index, including the live dashboard and accompanying report, will be launched at ADE Pro in October 2026.