Accra has been named one of the world’s 20 best cities for nightlife in 2026, placing 18th in a global ranking by Time Out.
The Ghanaian capital earned its place on the list for its established nightlife districts, growing variety of bars and clubs, live music venues and alternative entertainment spaces.
The ranking was compiled from responses from more than 24,000 locals, alongside assessments by Time Out’s city editors, culture experts and nightlife specialists.
Cities were assessed based on the quality and affordability of nightlife, clubbing and cocktail-bar scenes, community, safety, excitement, diversity and how welcoming each destination is.
Accra scored particularly well in areas relating to affordability, community and hospitality. According to the survey, 62 per cent of residents rated going out in the city as affordable, while 75 per cent said it was easy to find a sense of community. Another 65 per cent described Accra as welcoming and friendly.
Time Out highlighted the city’s expanding nightlife landscape, with Osu remaining one of Accra’s major entertainment hubs and East Legon increasingly emerging as another key destination.
The city’s after-dark culture also extends beyond mainstream Afrobeats, with electronic music, alté, R&B and other music subcultures contributing to Accra’s growing nightlife identity.
Only the highest-scoring city from each country was included in the ranking to ensure broader global representation.
Johannesburg was Africa’s highest-ranked city on the list, placing seventh globally and ahead of established nightlife destinations including Amsterdam, Madrid and Seoul.
The South African city was recognised for its ability to continually reinvent its nightlife, from its historic warehouse-party culture to contemporary venues centred around house, techno, Afro-house, gqom, drum and bass and experimental sounds.
Johannesburg also performed strongly in affordability and community, with 66 per cent of locals rating the city positively for affordability and 80 per cent saying it was easy to find connection and community.
Clubbing, casual pubs and cocktail bars were identified as the city’s strongest after-dark offerings.
Accra and Johannesburg were the only two African cities to make the global top 20, which was led by Bangkok in first place, followed by Berlin and Melbourne.
The recognition places Accra among an increasingly competitive group of global nightlife destinations and highlights the growing influence of Ghana’s capital as a centre for music, culture and entertainment.
