Young people are drinking less than previous generations. Instead they're creating communities in third spaces like mahjong clubs, bouldering gyms and run clubs
In years past, a Friday night out for young Sydneysiders might have entailed a queue outside a Kings Cross bar or a round of tequila shots to kick off the weekend.
But for a growing number of Gen Zs, connection, community and a sense of belonging are found between the click of tiles, chalk dust on callused fingertips or trainers pounding the city’s pavement, rather than in a cocktail glass.
"A lot of the younger crowd … are not necessarily drinkers," says Rose Marie (Lim) Pengelly, founder of No Flowers Mahjong Club. "That’s why they love mahjong, because you actually can’t drink when you play mahjong. You have one drink, and you’re like, ‘What was that?’"
In November, Pengelly established No Flowers Mahjong Club, a beginner-friendly Hong Kong-style mahjong club running weekly social meetups across Sydney’s city centre. They have popped up everywhere from Ace Hotel to PS40, to the Mitchell Reading Room at the State Library of New South Wales.
"There’s already an … instant point of relatability. A shared value already exists in that community when you walk into that room," says Pengelly. "You're all here because you all want to connect, and you all love this game."
A recent Flinders University study tracking alcohol consumption levels among more than 23,000 Australians over two decades found that drinking was on the way out.
Researchers said: "Gen Z are nearly 20 times more likely to choose not to drink alcohol compared to Baby Boomers," even after adjusting for income, education and other socio-demographic factors.
A night out with friends no longer has to involve alcohol for many young people. Shutterstock
"This isn’t just a phase," says lead author Dr Gianluca Di Censo in a statement published by Flinders University.
"It appears to be a sustained change in behaviour that could have long-term public health benefits."
"[Young Australians are] growing up in a different world — one where abstaining from alcohol is increasingly normal, and where digital socialising, rising living costs and health awareness are reshaping how people spend their time and money," said co-author Dr Kirrilly Thompson.
According to new Classpass research, 53 per cent of surveyed users between the ages of 18-34 say they’ve booked a workout or wellness experience instead of drinks or nightlife in the past year.
More than half say they’ve suggested a workout to a friend instead of drinks.
But Pengelly says it isn’t just that young Australians are drinking less. It’s also about how socialisation is being redefined.
The new third space
No Flowers began as Pengelly’s attempt to reconcile with a culture she was allowed to watch but never participate in.
Being of both Singaporean and Baba Nyonya descent, she recalls mahjong as something "quite taboo", tangled up with gambling, drinking and smoking.
"I’ve always seen it in the periphery of growing up, but I’ve never been able to indulge in it," says Pengelly.
It wasn’t until she reached adulthood and after she settled in Sydney, that she and a group of friends — all part-Asian— decided to teach themselves how to play mahjong from scratch.
Mahjong players need to be sharp to keep up with the game. Supplied
For Wayne Lee, 20, events director of the UNSW Mahjong and Chinese Boardgame Society and a volunteer teaching assistant at No Flowers, the game found him by accident.
Too young to drink in Year 12, he and his friends turned to the mahjong sets beside the pool tables at Sydney’s billiard hall Cityheroes.
"‘How about we try that’, he remembers saying, ‘instead of playing pool for the seventh time this month?’"
Eight years on, mahjong is still central to his social life. "There’s no easy way of meeting people in Sydney organically," he says, "and I just thought that [playing mahjong] would be a nice way of doing that."
Lee is not alone in his discovery of the joys of the ancient game: over 150 people turned up to his mahjong O-Week event this year, with a consistent 40 members returning weekly since then.
Climbing the social ladder
At Sydney’s bouldering club Blochaus in Marrickville, young Sydneysiders find that community is built into the sport itself.
Kylie Chan climbing on a wall at bouldering gymSupplied
"Even if you’re doing a solo climb," says regular Kylie Chan, "there’s multiple people working on one problem to solve it together. So even when you go solo, it can turn into more of a community experience."
"[People] would see each other at the gym often, and then they just sort of became friends 'cause they would go climbing around the same times."
What keeps her coming back is the rhythm of bouldering itself. The built-in social element rests between climbs, shared goals and physical activity, delivers a sense of accomplishment.
"I enjoy the fact that I get to do something social and still be active," Chan says. "You can see your own physical progress which was very rewarding."
Bouldering’s biggest advantage over a stereotypical night out, Chan points out, is it’s indoor in a "controlled environment" that helps her stay consistent with the connections built around it. "Even if it’s raining or … bad weather, you could still go climbing."
Chan doesn’t see her new hobby as a replacement for drinking. She still drinks socially — at birthdays and dinners — for her, the two can co-exist.
"I wouldn’t say it’s replaced [drinking]," she says, "but it’s definitely added to my social life."
The power of the sober sprint
One of the clearest indicators of this shift going mainstream took place in August when 90,000 runners packed Sydney’s streets for the City2Surf.
"As the popularity of run clubs has grown … we’re thrilled to see so many people who are part of run clubs taking part in City2Surf, especially younger runners," media director Craig Heydon told a sports news site.
Running is as beneficial to mental health as it is for physical health.Shutterstock
In a 2025 report on youth sport participation by The Clearinghouse for Sport, running was the most popular form of exercise for Australian youth aged between 15-24. Similarly Strava, Australia’s top-ranked fitness tracking app, found a 3.5-fold increase in run clubs formed from 2024.
For 20-year-old Brianna Liao, the switch started small.
She began running towards the end of 2024 out of curiosity, joining her boyfriend on regular runs. Cutting back on drinking, she says, was "more at the back of [my] mind."
By early 2026, it became a habit. "Running was giving me something that drinking never really could," says Liao.
"It was making me feel better physically and mentally … rather than going home quite drunk and feeling pretty awful the next morning."
Running has a unique ability to give social connection, "but in a completely different way," says Liao.
Runners are able to have good conversations through shared experiences, all while doing something positive for their bodies and mental health.
"I’ve genuinely felt such a difference in my body and how I feel since cutting back. At this point, drinking just doesn’t feel particularly attractive to me anymore."
Liao encourages her friends to run together too, because she believes running is "much more enjoyable when you can do it together" — even though sometimes, it takes a bit of persuasion.
Earlier this year, a Sydney run club made headlines with a viral video that captioned footage of a mass of young people going on a pre-dawn run with: "Sydney is replacing night clubs with this."
The video proved polarising, with some people criticising the "appalling state of Sydney’s nightlife," while others cheered for the idea of younger generations prioritising their health and wellbeing.
The cost of connection
There’s something else driving this switch.
Mahjong is increasingly attracting younger fans. Supplied
Lee notes that a single drink is roughly $10 to $20 for "maybe five [minutes of fun] if you stretch it out," while a mahjong table costs about $15 an hour, split across up to seven people rotating in and out. Chan’s bouldering pass is $18 for an entire day, and "all you really need is a decent pair of shoes," for running.
"Especially in this economy," Lee comments, "that's a financially wonderful way to spend one hour."
What ties mahjong, bouldering and running together isn’t abstinence from drinking. It’s the connection and community without the next morning hangover or the hefty price tag.
Across a mahjong table in Surry Hills, a bouldering wall in the inner west, and a running path along Bondi Beach, the same pattern keeps emerging: Gen Z isn’t waiting for a nightclub to hand them community. They’re building it themselves— tile by tile, climb by climb and kilometre by kilometre.
No Flowers Mahjong Club’s next event, Nø Flowers 麻将Mahjong Club After Dark, takes place on September 30th in Sydney CBD, open to players of all levels.
