Revealed: Wales’ top 10 party destinations

A new study has revealed Wales’ best party destination.
  
The research analysed 375 UK local authorities’ performance across 14 key factors, including the crime rate, the number of taxis per 100,000 residents, and each area’s ONS happiness score out of 10.  
  
The analysis by Gamblorium also looked at the density of alcohol providers per 100,000 residents, specifically: bars, pubs, nightclubs, wine bars, cocktail bars, sports bars, beer gardens, festivals, music venues, comedy clubs, and casinos. 

– Gwynedd has been named Wales’ top party hotspot, based on factors like availability of bars, taxis, local happiness, and more. 

– Powys and Monmouthshire outrank the student cities of Cardiff and Swansea in the top ten ranking.

– Pembrokeshire was revealed to have the highest number of bars per capita of any Welsh county, with 97.84 bars per 100,000 people. 
  

*Note: Only bars, pubs, nightclubs, cocktail bars, and crime rates per 100,000 population are included in the table for display purposes. Total of 14 factors considered to determine the overall index score.

Gwynedd was revealed to achieve the highest index score of 59.7 out of 100, ranking the north-west county the best place to party in Wales, beating the Welsh Capital and Swansea, which would often be thought of as the top nightlife spots.

Among the factors analysed, it was revealed that Gwynedd has an impressive 117.02 pubs per 100,000 population, which tops even some London boroughs when it comes to the number of pubs per capita. The area was also found to have the highest per capita number of beer gardens in Wales, at 6.83 per 100,000 population.

Powys ranks second in Wales, among the best places to party, with a total score of 53.93. The findings revealed that despite the county having no cocktail bars recorded per 100,000 population, it is home to a staggering 152.74 pubs per 100,000 people, which is the highest number in all of Wales, and almost three times the per capita rate of Cardiff.

Monmouthshire and the local authority areas of Cardiff and Swansea were revealed to round out the top five nightlife spots in Wales.

Camden was the top performer, with a score of 75.70 out of 100. The borough reports the highest density of bars in the UK at 183.47 per 100,000 residents, and also offers great public transport options with 285 taxi and private hire vehicles per 100,000. 

However, Camden also recorded the highest crime rate among the top 10 areas at 19,487 incidents per 100,000 residents, so partygoers should be vigilant while out.

Islington ranked second, scoring 70.68 out of 100. The area offers 119.48 bars per 100,000 residents, along with 132.86 pubs and 6.92 beer gardens. However, crime is moderately high in the borough, with 13,233 crimes reported per 100,000 residents.

Third is Hackney, scoring 70.07 out of 100. Hackney offers 133.48 bars per 100,000 residents, and also has a high density of wine bars at 30 per 100,000 residents, and 78.09 cocktail bars per 100,000. 

London boroughs held four of the top five positions, with Kensington and Chelsea in fourth with a score of 68.69 out of 100, and 131.30 bars per 100,000. Brighton and Hove rounded out the top five party destinations with a score of 65.28 out of 100, and is home to 107.12 bars per 100,000 residents.

Speaking on the findings, Nodar Giorgadze, CEO of Gamblorium, said: 

“With the weather starting to brighten up in the UK, it’s understandable that many want to get more nights out in the calendar, but some areas are going to offer a much better experience than others, especially if you’re concerned about queuing for drinks or clubs. 

“London is clearly the place to be if you’re looking for an action-packed night out, but it’s important to be mindful of the high crime rate. Common crimes that can affect partygoers include pickpocketing, drink spiking, or dealing with harassment. Ensure that you raise any concerns with pub or bar staff and make use of local taxi ranks to ensure you get home safely – especially if you’ve been drinking.” 
 
Methodology:

Data was gathered for the 375 local authorities in the UK to determine the best party location, which were then assigned a score out of 100 in the ranking. 
Total crime rate was collected from the most recent government data available for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (2024). A happiness score from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) wellbeing survey was also provided (2023).
A geosearch was conducted using Foursquare’s Places database to collect the number of relevant businesses such as “beer garden” and “cocktail bar” within each local authority’s given boundaries. The number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles was also collected from the England & Wales and Scottish transport authorities.
All metrics analysed were as follows: density of bars, pubs, nightclubs, wine bars, cocktail bars, sports bars, beer gardens, festivals, music venues, comedy clubs, casinos, taxi and private hire vehicles, and crime rate per 100,000 residents, and happiness score out of 10.