You’re nearing the end of the workday on a Friday, finishing your final admin tasks. It’s been a long week and you’re looking for plans to help officially switch your brain off.
You get a text. It could be your housemates asking who’s finished for the day. Maybe it’s a mate saying they’re in town, or your sister asking if you’re free tonight.
Subsequently, you end up at the pub with a group of friends. A few pints are enjoyed and a light snack because you didn’t get a chance to eat before you left.
One friend mentions their mate is playing a gig locally, so you buy a ticket and head there to support them. Everyone is dancing, rounds of drinks are shared and laughs are at an all-time high as new inside jokes are made. Everyone gets the Tube home together and walks one another back to make sure they get home safely.
I would suggest this is a fairly regular Friday night in London.
Yet according to Time Out, this kind of night out costs around £65 for the average Londoner, if you’re lucky.
Doing this a couple of times a month will likely start eating into the usual costs of living: rent, groceries, transport, bills and council tax. Quickly, a monthly pay dwindles away.
We’ve found ourselves in a time where the cost of transport, eating and drinking out, and going to gigs has become something of a luxury. But these are also the moments where friendships are built and communities are formed.
Personally, when I think about the people closest to me, many of those relationships were formed through nights out, shared hobbies and seeing our favourite bands and DJs. Those experiences have shaped who I am today.
That is why the rising cost of socialising is more than just a financial issue.
As time progresses, it is becoming more difficult to protect these moments of connection.
I remember my first music festival when I was 18. It was in the countryside in Victoria, Australia. Filled with so much excitement, I had been studying the lineup for months, mapped out a plan for the day with my friends and found an outfit a whole month beforehand.
I was a waitress at the time and it didn’t break the bank.
That excitement still follows me to this day no matter what type of music event I attend. I’ve now been to countless festivals and they continue to be the highlight of my year.
It's hard to accept that an 18-year-old in 2026, fresh out of school and eager to embrace their newfound independence, may not be able to afford the same opportunities and experiences I had with the same job at that age.
And it isn't just young people who are feeling the impact.
With rising costs, you would think the hospitality industry would be thriving. Instead, the opposite is true.
In 2025 according to BBC, more than half of grassroots music venues in the UK did not make a profit. People are struggling with the cost of living and have less money to spend on tickets, while those running events are being forced to charge more simply to stay afloat.
It seems like a lose-lose situation.
The impact goes beyond the music industry. These venues are where people meet, where local scenes are built and where communities are formed. They are often some of the few spaces left where strangers can come together around a shared interest.
As fewer people can afford to attend events and more venues face financial pressure, those opportunities for connection become increasingly fragile.
So, what is being done about this?
One idea being put forward in the UK is a £1 contribution added to tickets for arena and stadium shows with capacities above 5,000. The proposal comes from the Music Venue Trust (MVT) and could generate up to £25 million a year for grassroots venues that are struggling to stay open.
The MVT is a charity focused on supporting independent music venues, many of which play an important role in helping new artists get their start while also providing spaces for local communities to connect.
A number of high-profile artists have already backed the initiative. Pulp, Wolf Alice and Ed Sheeran have signed up, while Coldplay donated 10 per cent of proceeds from their 2025 tour. Sam Fender also gave his £25,000 Mercury Prize winnings to the cause.
The proposal has also received support from major venues including the Royal Albert Hall and the O2 Arena.
As an individual, what can you do?
When you go to gigs, try supporting smaller local venues. There are plenty of pubs hosting live music with little to no entry cost.
You can also support artists and venues online. Like, comment, save and share their content. It may feel like a small action, but it can make a significant difference to independent artists and businesses trying to grow.
And don’t forget, community doesn’t appear overnight. It comes from showing up, supporting the people around you and making time for shared experiences. With enough effort there is always a way to create community.
Most importantly, every grassroots venue that closes removes more than a stage. It removes somewhere to meet people, discover new music and make memories.
If the cost of living continues to make these experiences harder to access, we risk losing more than venues. We risk losing some of the spaces that bring people together in the first place.