World’s first-ever Night Mayor highlights importance of supporting Melbourne’s nightlife

The world’s first-ever Night Mayor Mirik Milan has emphasised the importance of a vibrant nightlife to a city’s economy.

Mirik Milan, who served as Amsterdam’s night time mayor between 2012 to 2016, is in Melbourne as part of a conference to discuss effective ways of supporting the music scene in Victoria.

Milan, a former club promoter, said it was important to nurture Melbourne’s emerging nightlife.

“At night, a lot of creative people meet,” he told Ross and John.

“There’s a lot of creative development going on at night for the (creative) industry and when there’s a lot of young talent in the industry, talent follows talent and not only money.

“When there’s a lot of young talent living in the city, that will also be followed by the creative industry and that’s a huge economic driver.

“Melbourne is a very vibrant place when it comes to music and it’s important to create a safe and vibrant nightlife for all residents.”

13 million international tourists visit Amsterdam annually and Mr Milan explained how the city dealt with such a large volume of people under his leadership.

“What you can see from the data is all the (tourists) want to focus on the centre of town,” he said.

“It’s (important to think about) what kind of tourists we want to attract.

“I don’t think it’s too many people as low-income jobs benefit from the amount of tourists that come to Amsterdam.”

Click PLAY to hear the full interview on 3AW Breakfast with Ross & John