Party scene of Spain

During my time in Spain I have been shocked by the nightlife and going out culture as it is extremely different from that of the United States in terms of timing and progression of a night out as well as the manner in which people consume alcohol. There is a tik tok trend under an audio titled “Frenchcore Loca (Original Mix) by “Randy & Randy & Radium & Radium” the audio says “When I came to Spain and I saw people partying, I thought to myself… what the ***” (examples linked below). In the trend, people make short videos documenting the party scene of Spain. This tik tok trend perfectly captures my reaction to nightlife in Spain when I first arrived in Sevilla in January. Although the young people of both countries clearly enjoy a night out, the social norms that surround the practice vary significantly.

In the United States, when college students go out on a weekend they typically meet up with friends beforehand as early as 9:00pm and are back home by 2:00 or 3:00am. Contrastly, in Spain, it seems young people start to go out with their friends around 11:oopm or midnight and may stay out until the wee hours of the morning, even stopping for churros on the leisurely way home. Furthermore, in the US people typically go out on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays whereas in Spain it seems all nights of the week present the opportunity for a night out. Furthermore, in Spain it is very normal to go to a “discoteca” or nightclub whereas in the US college students may be more inclined to go to a house party where there is reduced risk of interacting with authority or law enforcement.

The formulation and outcomes of nightlife in both the United States and Spain seem to be very influenced by alcohol consumption however they vary significantly in the manner in which this occurs. In Spain the legal drinking age is 18 and alcohol is a part of day to day culture, even for young people. Yet, in the United States the legal drinking age is 21 and alcohol is quite restricted, especially for young people. A possible result of this is the tendency in the United States for youths to abuse alcohol any chance given on a night out because it comes with connotations such as adulthood, freedom, and rebellion. In a 2018 study evaluating the motives behind youths going out in Spain, the results showed that the nightlife culture in Spain is primarily influenced by the desire to socialize and feel a sense of independence and maturity (Pedrero-García, 2018). This idea contrasts greatly from the motives of going out in the United States which typically come down to an excuse to abuse alcohol.

TikTok Example #1	https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdpSGHBy/?k=1
TikTok Example #2	https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdpSqKWr/?k=1

References

Pedrero-García, E., (2018). Nightlife and alcohol consumption among youths: the Botellón phenomenon in Spain. SAGE Journals, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018800903