Why on earth are night clubs/bars open until dawn these days?

[Onlyonamonday]

It drives me insane waiting all night for dds late teens to come home when they go out with friends.
In my day (80s) clubs finished at two and we went home
My dds are not out every weekend but it's so stressful when they are ..

Because people want to stay out later.

I've never seen the need for places to be open that late either, to be honest. 2am and I'm more than ready for bed. (Yes, I'm miserable/old before my time, etc)
No kids to worry about, thankfully.

Have to agree - it doesn't make sense does it?
but then I am old
Thing is, when kicking out was at 2, you still had to get something to eat, and then get home and you weren't exactly asleep at 2. It makes it pretty difficult to be at work or study the next day if you have a student job working at a club that is open until 5.

Ha ha you lot do sound like old gimmers. At that age of course you can function the next day. I went out several nights a week at that age, club finished at two, then walked home, in bed by about 5 and up again for work, college, study. It's the only time you can do it!

Well yes I have to say it does seem true that they always seem ok the next day and able to cope with work / studies etc
I'm just looking at it from the parents point of view I suppose ... Lying awake at night worrying
I guess we have to get used to it and
Get a grip as my dds both tell us...

You need to be more like my parents OP, they just left me to it. I had to make my own way home and then get myself up in morning. As they say, it never did me any harm!

Yy, gimmers!

When clubs closed at 0200, we'd often end up at random parties til dawn. Clubs are probably safer and at least if it's light they can walk home or get the bus.

It's good to hear that's just the way it is now
I know I do sound old
But I have yet to find out how to sleep knowing they are out

Mine is only 13. Remind me of my casual attitude in a few years OP, when I'm beside myself with worry and unable to sleep.

14 years ago my ds was never going to eat junk, and would always respond to adults' enquires about his wellbeing with cheerful, full sentences rather than monosyllabic grunts. My smuggery will bite me on the arse yet again, for sure ;-)

But I have yet to find out how to sleep knowing they are out
So glad it's not just me. I wondered whether I was being a bit PFB but I cannot sleep while DS is out. No walking home here, we are miles out in the country so it's either go and pick him up or he borrows my car. Both equally bad.

I disagree that all teens can cope without sleep. I was never any good at staying up late even when I was a teenager. When we did do it though, it was all over at 1am and those who could stay awake went back to someone's house to talk all night.

I definitely don't sleep well if DD1 is out, particularly if we have her friends staying here. She's still 17, although her friends are mostly 18 (they're Year 13) so I have the added worry of her having tried to get into a bar and failed. In my imagination she is wandering round alone whilst her friends sip cocktails obliviously. This has never actually happened, but it doesn't stop me worrying.

I've told DD she has to text when getting in the taxi (we are about an hour from the nearest city and 20 minutes from the smaller town) so I can anticipate her return, but that doesn't stop the long hours awake until she gets to the taxi.

I remember clubs shutting at 1am, never much later. My DD has been in bars at 5am. It's ridiculous and even she has said that she's usually shattered by 3am and waiting for her friends to get bored/tired.

It depends how old your children are. If it is an underage disco then it should be shut by midnight. If it is a club for over 18's then it should open for as long as their licence allows and the customers want to party. If your children are over the age of 18 you don't need to wait up for them, they are adults. If it was my 18 year old I think it would be safer for them to stay in a bar until 6am and get the first train home and then sleep in bed until midday. The alternative is what I used to do: stay in the club until kicking out time at 2am, then go and find a chippy and then totter around in my heels trying to get a taxi along with the other 20,000 people on the streets at 2am in my city.
So many young women used to risk getting into illegal taxis due to the 2 hour queues that kicking out time used to create.