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What can Ireland's cities learn from the Night Mayor of Amsterdam?

From 24 hour licences to late night ‘hosts’ – Mirik Milan dedicates his time to improving life in his city after dark.

IT CAN’T ALL be down to the eye-catching job title.

Paris, Toulouse and a raft of other cities across The Netherlands have adopted the idea of appointing a night mayor, following the success of Amsterdam’s ‘nighttime czar’.

London’s even following suit: new mayor Sadiq Khan recently published a job ad seeking someone to boost nightlife culture and promote the clubbing economy. And earlier this year, a panel debate took place in Dublin to discuss whether Ireland’s capital could benefit from the appointment of an official to look after the city, after dark.

So what does a night mayor actually do?

And how would the residents of Ireland’s cities stand to benefit, if the scheme was introduced in Dublin, Cork and elsewhere?

mayor2 Mirik Milan Mirik Milan

Meet the Night Mayor 

Mirik Milan, the current Night Mayor of Amsterdam (and the first person to hold that title anywhere, to our knowledge) will be speaking at a conference in the Docklands area of Dublin this week. Highlighting the positives of nighttime culture is a key part of his role, he said in a phone interview with TheJournal.ie.

Changing the narrative of nightlife is really important: people can benefit from it and they don’t have to feel like they’re doing something wrong to be involved in this industry.

Milan, a former club promoter, was appointed to the role in 2012, he explained. It had existed for around a decade before then, but was more of a nominal position - ”something you’d get as a nightlife person to raise your profile and to be cool”.

He created a small non-profit organisation partly funded by the city in 2014. With support from bars and clubs, has been working since then to improve life after dark for businesses and their customers – acting as a bridge between the nightlife world and Amsterdam’s residents and officials.

But the focus isn’t on dealing with individual complaints from club-owners or residents, Milan explained.

“We focus on legislation – what’s going on in the city, how we can get all the stakeholders together.

I would never just respond to a complaint from one person or respond to a request from a club – maybe if there were three or four nightclubs saying ‘we all have the same problem with this piece of legislation, can we speak to City Hall?’ … Then we make sure that people come to the table – and then hopefully we can change the legislation or make it better for all sides.

There was enthusiasm for the project from the off, he said – which Milan puts down to the “typical pragmatic” approach to life in general in The Netherlands.

shutterstock_119201479 Shutterstock / S.Borisov Shutterstock / S.Borisov / S.Borisov

24 hour party people 

Already, the scheme has brought about some significant changes – not least the introduction of 24-hour licences for a number of venues, so clubbers can enjoy their night and make the journey home at a time of their own choosing.

Said Milan:

“These 24 hour licences are not located in the city centre – they’re located on the outskirts of the city, which can be developed more.

The venues can be open longer so more artists play there, and they are in the international spotlight. They can choose for themselves when to open and close – this also makes sure that people don’t all spill out into the streets at the same time.

All of the above may conjure up images of illegal raves of the kind run in warehouses around suburban Dublin – but the approach, Milan explained, couldn’t be more different. Applicants for the 24-hour licences faced stringent stipulations.

“What was really radical about this is that the licences were not given out on the basis that there was four walls and a roof and a bouncer in front of the door – they were given out on the basis of content.

It was focused on quality – we asked people to send in their pitches with a focus on what we thought was beneficial.

Rather than the straightforward bar-nightclub approach, the 24-hour venues host a range of other events too – including theatre and movie nights.

It’s more about the 24 hour economic system – how to use a building more efficiently rather than just having clubbing seven days in a row.
The experiment has served to breath new life into suburban areas of Amsterdam, and ease pressure on the centre of the city.

Square hosts 

Milan’s team, in cooperation with City Hall, has also spearheaded the introduction of ‘square hosts’ – a 20-strong crew of trained social workers who patrol designated areas of the city at weekends, acting as ‘soft enforcement’ personnel.

The hosts get to know their area and the regulars at the various clubs on their beat. Their responsibilities take in everything from giving out information on venues to tourists and other visitors, to stepping in to help curb potential outbreaks of violence.

Describing how it works, Milan said “the police are not so visible any more in the nightlife squares – because it often gives a grim and sometimes oppressive feel to the nightlife area”.

So the police are now in the backstreet areas – the square hosts are on the squares.

It works “like stewards at a football stadium,” he explained. “Because the steward is also your friend and they support your team as well.”

“The role of the square host is to de-escalate the situation if they see a problem – but also to give information about what’s going on in each nightclub and which bars play which kind of music.

“The square hosts know which people are the trouble-makers – and they’re there each weekend, so the trouble-makers know they’re being watched as well because there’s, like, 20 square hosts every Friday and Saturday night, so there’s 20 extra sets of eyes on the streets.

If there’s a big problem, of course, they will inform the police and the police will go straight to it.

‘Not a hedonistic Valhalla’ 

The myriad responsibilities of the role Milan has carved out for himself take in everything from acting as a spokesperson in the media for his city’s nightlife culture, to heading up awareness campaigns to clarify drug use policies.

On the latter:

“Some people think that The Netherlands are some kind of hedonistic Valhalla where you can do anything you like – that’s not true. You get caught with an illegal substance, you will go home with a criminal record.

It’s the worst way to close off your holiday. Our focus is always on harm reduction and giving out the information people will actually use.

Last orders

Asked about the situation in Irish towns and cities at weekends, where pubs close around midnight and clubs shut their doors (all at once) just a few hours later, he says it can often lead to trouble.

I think it means between 12 and 2, it would be really busy on the street? A lot of problems happen when different groups of people meet each other on the street late at night – so it’s much better to divide these people more over the night.

On a more general point, when it comes to changing licensing or related laws “legislators always think that their piece of legislation is going to create behavioural change – but it’s not”.

Behavioural change comes from subcultures. They will influence mainstream culture so you have to invest in your subcultures and try to get people on board, because legislation has never done that.

Mirik Milan will be speaking at the Irish Property Developers Conference 2016 at the Marker Hotel in Dublin tomorrow. 

Read: Ken Livingstone was (briefly) forced to hide in a toilet after some bizarre Hitler comments >

Read: Dubliners WILL be able to vote for a directly elected mayor if Fianna Fáil gets its way >

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20 Comments
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    Mute Michael cunnane
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    May 27th 2017, 9:02 AM

    Maruane Felllini !!!

    105
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    Mute bopter
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    May 27th 2017, 2:18 PM

    Robert Sheehan from Love/Hate would be fantastic.

    https://i.imgur.com/tvtCkjG.png

    17
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    Mute Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 27th 2017, 9:08 AM

    cool hopefully unlike the recent project on Michael Jackson, they will not select a white man to play Phil. Love the guy, long overdue.. You Can Always Hear The King’s Call…..

    63
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    Mute M
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    May 27th 2017, 12:08 PM

    @Dáithí Ó Raghallaigh: why would you choose a black actor to play 2001 Michael Jackson who was white as white can be

    25
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello.
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    May 27th 2017, 2:59 PM

    @M: Because the whole point of acting is that you’re pretending to be somebody who you’re not.

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    Mute Paul Coughlan
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    May 27th 2017, 7:26 PM

    @M: not white.

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    Mute Barry Ringwood
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    May 27th 2017, 9:40 AM

    Find Smiley Bolger and ask him who is the Belfast Philo? (He is frontman art of a Lizzy tribute act that hail from Belfast I think?) They often plays Vibe for Philo gigs – has to be seen to be believed !
    Have seen him with 2 guitarists Phil Edgar And Brian Grace – (don’t know if all 3 are in the same tribute act but hav seen them play together).
    But my god – u’d swear it was Lizzy live & Dangerous in sound AND in appearance.

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    Mute Tony Gordon
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    May 27th 2017, 9:43 AM

    @Barry Ringwood: your thinking of Thin Az Lizzy, from Dundalk (not sure if they are still together) all you had to do was close your eyes an Philip was on stage,…so like them

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    Mute Barry Ringwood
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    May 27th 2017, 9:48 AM

    @Tony Gordon: is it dundalk? 1 Guitarist is called Phil Edgar – and most of times ive seen them at vibe for Philo gigs – they had another guitarist called Brian Grace (whom I think is a dub and I don’t know if he’s ‘in’ the band properly or just jams with them…

    But if that’s them… Yes. .. absolute class

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    Mute Brendan McGill
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    May 27th 2017, 2:39 PM

    @Tony Gordon: Bang on, it was as close as close could be to hearing Phil Lynott sing… Looked nothing like him at all, but they totally sounded like Thin Lizzy

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    Mute Darragh O Meara
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    May 27th 2017, 6:11 PM

    @Tony Gordon: Thin Az Lizzy are back on the road again in the same lineup as before. Johnny Fox is the frontman. True enough he’s the best sounding Phil Lynott I’ve ever heard.

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    Mute Sean O'Dubhlacain
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    May 27th 2017, 12:23 PM

    What about Chris Kamara from sky sports

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    Mute Neil Murray
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    May 27th 2017, 9:06 AM

    Wasn’t Gary Dourdan billed to play him at one point?

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    Mute john culhane
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    May 27th 2017, 9:16 AM

    @Neil Murray: he was indeed

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    Mute Robbie Doyle
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    May 27th 2017, 10:18 AM

    @Neil Murray: Lenny Kravitz aswell at one stage. This idea has been knocking around for years, let’s hope they make a runner of it this time.

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    Mute Stouts O Shea
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    May 27th 2017, 10:32 AM

    Morgan Freeman would be brilliant as Philo

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    Mute Jun Stone
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    May 27th 2017, 10:38 AM

    @Stouts O Shea: nah too old I would have thought.

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    Mute DeFonz
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    May 27th 2017, 9:29 AM

    Many old guys going -Hmmmm??
    Age: no (x3)
    Race: no
    Height: no
    Hair /lack of: no (how did that happen)
    mentality: yes

    12
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    Mute Nydon
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    May 27th 2017, 12:57 PM

    Have a Dublin cousin who’s the image of him. He talks just like him, plays bass good enough for far away shots, has the same swagger and by the end of a three week med holiday is almost the same colour.
    Would a touch of dark makeup be wrong?
    Is it more racially incorrect to change his skin-tone in order to be ethnically correct or is it more ethnically wrong to use a non-irish actor of similar skin-tone to play a proud Irish man?
    Hmmm…

    11
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    Mute M
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    May 27th 2017, 12:05 PM

    Hope they cast a white perosn just for all the hilarious outrage that would follow.

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    May 27th 2017, 1:46 PM

    Get Brush Shiels on the panel to choose he knew Lynott the best

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    Mute Ron North
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    May 27th 2017, 12:03 PM

    Sounds like another job for Aiden ‘Littlefinger’ Gillen, you can’t go wrong with Aiden Gillen.

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    Mute O Swetenham
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    May 27th 2017, 1:13 PM

    @Ron North: or Brendan Gleeson? He’s a great actor, he could pull it off.

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    Mute Ron North
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    May 27th 2017, 4:46 PM

    @O Swetenham: A strong second choice there.

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    Mute Aideen Murphy
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    May 27th 2017, 6:03 PM

    His son Macdarragh (Dara) Lambe should be offered to play the part, he’s Phil’s double

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    Mute Barry O'Brien
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    May 27th 2017, 1:05 PM

    They’re going to have to go southbound

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    Mute Conor Hall
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    May 27th 2017, 11:07 AM

    Kwaku Fortune is the man for this.

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    Mute Louis O'Connor
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    May 27th 2017, 10:41 PM

    Marty Morrissey

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    Mute Barry Ringwood
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    May 27th 2017, 9:42 AM

    Apologies for couple of typos…. frontman ‘art’???

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    Mute Aideen Murphy
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    May 27th 2017, 6:07 PM

    His Son Macdarragh (Dara) Lambe should be asked to play the part, he’s Phils double

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    Mute Darragh O Meara
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    May 27th 2017, 6:14 PM

    @Aideen Murphy: agreed, he is the image of Phil. But I’d say he’s a bit too old. He’s almost 50 according to Wikipedia and Phil died at 36…

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    Mute Martin Flood
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    May 27th 2017, 4:52 PM

    Wesley Snipes.

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