Ariel Palitz

In March of 2018 Ariel Palitz, was appointed as the first-ever Senior Executive Director of New York City’s Office of Nightlife at the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. A lifelong New Yorker and nightlife professional, Palitz came to the role with deep experience in both nightlife and community building. She owned and operated Sutra Lounge, a nightclub on the Lower East Side, for ten years; served on Manhattan Community Board 3’s liquor licensing committee for more than six years and spent the three years prior her appointment helping nightlife entrepreneurs open their own establishments through her consulting company Venue Advisors.

Nightlife is a vital part of New York City’s economy, culture, and identity, supporting nearly 300,000 jobs and generating $35.1 billion in economic impact. The city’s nightlife has also long been an important incubator of cultural movements and continues to provide spaces for connection, creativity, and personal expression. New York City’s Office of Nightlife serves as a central point of contact among the nightlife industry, community, and City agencies. It works to support this community’s important contributions by coordinating City services and programs to help ensure a more vibrant, viable, safe, fair and well-managed nightlife environment for all New Yorkers and visitors from around the world.

Through extensive stakeholder outreach, the Office has identified its priorities as streamlining “red tape,” promoting safer spaces and harm reduction, ensuring proportionate enforcement, preserving and protecting cultural venues, and improving quality of life.