Global Cities After Dark (GCAD) is the first forum in the Asia Pacific dedicated to the future of nightlife, night time and social economy. It was founded by VibeLab Asia Pacific – a partnership between Electronic Music Conference Director Jane Slingo (Sydney) and VibeLab’s Mirik Milan (Amsterdam) and Lutz Leichsenring. (Berlin)

GCAD launched in 2017 in Sydney, to proactively influence collaboration to address the city’s infamous lockout laws and the depressive impact this legislation had on Sydney’s night-time and social economy. GCAD has hosted over 450 delegates from over 15 countries and 20 cities that include creative and nightlife leaders, city planners, community organisations, local and state government representatives, policy makers, safety experts and peak bodies.

GCAD was created to bring together all stakeholders in the local night-time economy space together to harness the collective knowledge of real life practice of creating and sustaining vibrant and safe cities after dark. It delivers an integrated experience for its participants, deep diving into the challenges that numerous cities around the world face at night, with the goal of actively planning for a thriving night-time economy. As we embark on the journey of resilience, recovery and re-imagination post COVID-19, the rapid knowledge exchange between different cities on different timelines is needed more than ever.