Nijmegen's nightlife is also a point on the municipality's agenda. This summer, the municipality wants to present a night vision. Why is this necessary? 'Because we see the value of nightlife,' says councillor Noël Vergunst (GroenLinks). 'Not only because entrepreneurs make money from it, but also because it contributes to the well-being of our residents. A vibrant and safe nightlife is part of an attractive city.'

Why is a night vision necessary?

‘With this, we want to explicitly determine what the role of the municipality can be in the city’s nightlife. Sometimes there are unclear expectations from the sector. We want to create clarity in that. During meetings with the city, we present various dilemmas and issues. We take that into account in the vision.’

What are the main dilemmas?

‘For example, what the role of the municipality is in facilitating locations. In recent years, we have taken a very active role in this by providing temporary locations, such as at Honig. We have also created some permanent places now: club Mesh is permanent, as is the Achtertuin. Events like Drift and Het Zusje van Debbie can stay at Vasim.’

Hubert, in Hazenkamp, has been sacrificed.

‘That place, owned by a developer, was always intended for housing. That’s the danger of providing temporary locations: what do you do if it becomes a success? In the dynamics of a city, it is also normal for places to come and go, in my opinion.’

The sector warns of a loss. Is there still enough space for the fringes and new initiatives?

‘That is very difficult to say. We certainly pay attention to it, for example in our incubator policy, which is aimed at the creative sector. We also take this into account in area development. It’s possible that we will create space for nightlife in Winkelsteeg, for example.’

Do you consider nightlife as important as daytime culture?

‘For me, it is.’

Is this reflected in the subsidy policy? Is nightlife supported as well as daytime culture?

‘We don’t make a distinction. We purely look at which initiatives need support. We then have to choose because our budget is not endless. But an initiative during the night doesn’t have a lesser chance.’

What does the municipality do for a safe and inclusive nightlife?

‘We have to act in cases of discrimination. There are reporting points for that. In addition, I see an important role in education. I recently visited EuroSonic in Groningen. They have done a lot to raise awareness among staff. They are very hospitable towards visitors but are also trained to address unwanted behaviour. I also noticed that there are posters everywhere.’

Should every place be wheelchair accessible?

‘That is a requirement for new construction. But what do you do with all existing nightlife venues without wheelchair-accessible toilets? If you close all of them, you have little left. To what extent we can impose this with regulations, we are not sure about yet.’