Broadcaster and entertainer Amy Lamé has been appointed the first London Night Czar by Mayor Sadiq Khan.
The mayor made the announcement early this morning at the 100 Club in Soho.
Lamé is tasked with championing London’s nightlife both in the UK and internationally and will work with the night time industries, local authorities, the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and the public to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city.
She will also set out a roadmap of how this vision will be delivered and will build on opportunities such as the Night Tube to diversify and grow London’s night time economy.
In her first initiative as Night Czar, Amy is planning a series of monthly Night Surgeries, where she will be out and about across the capital in the evening, speaking directly to businesses, night-time workers, members of the public and residents to get an understanding of Londoners’ views of the night-time economy.
Following the closure of the iconic nightclub Fabric - and at a time when other venues across the capital are under threat - Lamé will be a much-needed ambassador for the city after dark.
As founder of the club night and Olivier Award-winning performance group Duckie, which began at South London institution the Vauxhall Tavern in 1995, Lamé is entrenched in the unique after-hours culture of the city.
The arts outfit has since gone on to perform at The Barbican and in cities around the world including New York, Sydney and Berlin.
Between 2010 and 2011 she was also Mayoress of Camden, and was heavily involved in promoting the Borough’s live music venues and nightclubs, and worked with the local authority and a diverse mix of communities.
Lamé said: ‘It’s a privilege to be London’s very first Night Czar. I can’t wait to hit the streets and have loads of ideas of what I can do for revellers, night-time workers, businesses and stakeholders. For too long, the capital’s night-time industry has been under pressure - music venues and nightclubs in particular are closing at an alarming rate.
'With the advent of the Night Tube, and the Mayor’s commitment to protect iconic venues across the city, I’m confident that I can inspire a positive change in the way people think about the night time economy. I look forward to bringing together local authorities, the police, Transport for London and many other people from across the night time industries to transform London into a truly 24-hour city.’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of London’s first-ever Night Czar. The recent closure of the world-famous nightclub Fabric and the threats facing other venues across the capital show why Amy will be a much-needed ambassador for the city after dark.
‘Amy is a fantastic hire who will give a big boost to our city’s flourishing nightlife which already attracts millions of visitors each year. Her proven track-record of helping save venues, her first-hand experience of the industry over the last two decades as well as her love for London and its nightlife are what make her such a great candidate for the role. She is in an ideal position to work together with venues, authorities, developers and revellers enjoying a night out to solve difficult issues and get new and creative projects going.
‘London is now the biggest city in the world to appoint a Night Czar, and over the coming weeks I’ll be going even further and extending the work of the Night Time Commission. I look forward to appointing a new Chair of the Commission to work with Amy to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour-city.’
The mayor made the announcement early this morning at the 100 Club in Soho.
Lamé is tasked with championing London’s nightlife both in the UK and internationally and will work with the night time industries, local authorities, the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and the public to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour city.
She will also set out a roadmap of how this vision will be delivered and will build on opportunities such as the Night Tube to diversify and grow London’s night time economy.
In her first initiative as Night Czar, Amy is planning a series of monthly Night Surgeries, where she will be out and about across the capital in the evening, speaking directly to businesses, night-time workers, members of the public and residents to get an understanding of Londoners’ views of the night-time economy.
Following the closure of the iconic nightclub Fabric - and at a time when other venues across the capital are under threat - Lamé will be a much-needed ambassador for the city after dark.
As founder of the club night and Olivier Award-winning performance group Duckie, which began at South London institution the Vauxhall Tavern in 1995, Lamé is entrenched in the unique after-hours culture of the city.
The arts outfit has since gone on to perform at The Barbican and in cities around the world including New York, Sydney and Berlin.
Between 2010 and 2011 she was also Mayoress of Camden, and was heavily involved in promoting the Borough’s live music venues and nightclubs, and worked with the local authority and a diverse mix of communities.
Lamé said: ‘It’s a privilege to be London’s very first Night Czar. I can’t wait to hit the streets and have loads of ideas of what I can do for revellers, night-time workers, businesses and stakeholders. For too long, the capital’s night-time industry has been under pressure - music venues and nightclubs in particular are closing at an alarming rate.
'With the advent of the Night Tube, and the Mayor’s commitment to protect iconic venues across the city, I’m confident that I can inspire a positive change in the way people think about the night time economy. I look forward to bringing together local authorities, the police, Transport for London and many other people from across the night time industries to transform London into a truly 24-hour city.’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted to announce the appointment of London’s first-ever Night Czar. The recent closure of the world-famous nightclub Fabric and the threats facing other venues across the capital show why Amy will be a much-needed ambassador for the city after dark.
‘Amy is a fantastic hire who will give a big boost to our city’s flourishing nightlife which already attracts millions of visitors each year. Her proven track-record of helping save venues, her first-hand experience of the industry over the last two decades as well as her love for London and its nightlife are what make her such a great candidate for the role. She is in an ideal position to work together with venues, authorities, developers and revellers enjoying a night out to solve difficult issues and get new and creative projects going.
‘London is now the biggest city in the world to appoint a Night Czar, and over the coming weeks I’ll be going even further and extending the work of the Night Time Commission. I look forward to appointing a new Chair of the Commission to work with Amy to ensure London thrives as a 24-hour-city.’
