Which are the most fun cities in the world? Time Out has published the City Index 2016, surveying 20 thousand readers from all over the world.
Time Out published a list of the best cities for good times and Chicago is number one - followed close behind by Melbourne.
In fact both Melbourne and Sydney are in top 18. Readers were invited to judge cities based on six key characteristics:
• Dynamism - how vibrant and exciting life there feels.
• Inspiration - and whether the city feels like a pleasant or difficult place to live.
• Food & drink - if the city is somewhere you can eat well (and not too expensively!).
• Community - whether local neighbourhoods were rated highly.
• Sociability - and whether the city felt welcoming or isolating.
• Affordability - whether people could generally get by OK.
Here is the list of the best 18 cities where to have fun:
Chicago: 60.1 points
Chicago was deemed to be the most dynamic city of all, with great restaurants which are fairly priced.
Melbourne, 59.3 points
The 6 times most livable city is also a fun city. 74 per cent of those who live in Melbourne love the endless offer of festivals, venues, clubs and events.
Lisbon, 55.6 points
The Portuguese capital is the European capital that scored best, loved for its humane and passionate side: the ideal place to find friendships and love.
New York, 53.3 points
The Big Apple is valued for its night life: there's always something on and people go out 6.4 times more frequently than in other cities. A drawback: the lifestyle can be stressful.
Madrid, 51.4 points
As in Lisbon, inhabitants of the Spanish capital never feel lonely and seem to have found the right work-life balance. Madrid is one of the few cities in the world where working overtime is rare.
Mexico City, 50.8 points
Here like in Chicago you can eat well without overspending; it is easy to find new friends and love. But in the Time Out list it is the city where people feel the least safe at night.
São Paulo, 50.7 points
Brazil’s vibrant financial center comes second only to New York in terms of fun, and friends are easy to find for those who live in this populous city, but like in the Big Apple the lifestyle can be stressful.
Los Angeles, 48.4 points
Los Angeles is doing great in the fun department, but it is not very affordable and making new friends is not easy.
Barcelona, 46.6 points
The Catalan city is great for friendships, livability and work-life balance, but strangely it didn't score well for clubs and venues.
London, 45.3 points
Asked “Have you been to the pub in the last week?” and "have you had a hang-over recently?" Londoners have answered yes, but they have declared they feel lonely at times.
Hong Kong, 41.6 points
It seems to enjoy a great balance between cost of living and wages, but those who live in Hong Kong often don't know their neighbours.
Miami, 41.4 points
Miami is a great spot, people go the beach on a daily basis and are those most likely to send back to the kitchen dishes they don't like in restaurants.
Tokyo, 41.2 points
In the Japanese capital art and night life are rated highly, putting it on a par with New York for those categories. Tokyo people often stay up until sunrise, but apparently not so much because of their romantic adventures, given that they are last in the list for frequency of sex encounters.
Singapore, 40.2 points
The safest city in the world: only 1% answered that they don't feel at ease walking around town alone at night.
Paris, 39.8 points
It's easy to have fun in the French capital: according to Time Out Parisians go out often, and meet frequently both with their friends and lovers. in fact Paris appears to be the city where people make love more often.
Sydney, 39.6 points
Another Australian representative in the Time Out City Index: Sydneysiders have on average 16 friends, three times more than inhabitants in other cities. It is also number one for workplace flings, one-night stands, hang-overs and drug use.
Dubai, 37.6 points
Another safe city: 30% of the population think it is likely to find their lost wallet still intact. Moreover it is easy to make friends on the workplace in Dubai, perhaps because it is the city with the longest work hours: 46.5 per week.
Kuala Lumpur, 36.8 points
Last comes the capital of Malaysia, a city where it is easy to make friends though (it's second only to São Paulo in this regard).
