Opening 24 hours was a gift received when Pokhara was declared the capital of tourism on 4th March 2080. Such an announcement was made according to the demand of the businessmen to make the tourism of Pokhara viable even at night. However, except for some clubs, discos and couples, the tourism of Pokhara could not take advantage of the announcement.

Pokhara's night life is linked to hiking tourism. Foreign tourists returning from trekking in the Annapurna region used to stay at the lakeside . To get rid of the tiredness of walking, they used to go to restaurants and pubs on the night of their return to Pokhara . They used to get to know each other while enjoying food, wine and soft music. According to Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai, owner of Paradiso Club and Bar, tourists preferred to make new friends, socialize and share their experiences in restaurants and pubs. In such restaurants and bars, sports, music, books and geo-politics were all about .  From

Joker Dance Bar to Planet Jet, World Blues Bar, BGB etc., there was a heavy presence of tourists. Ghazal connoisseurs used to visit the open house in Mahendrapul. But these businesses had a time limit set, 11 pm . After 11 o'clock at that time, Pokhara's lakeside, Chipledhunga-Mahendrapul area was deserted. Jack Tamang, the owner of BGB, remembers that after 11 o'clock at night, the police went to close the restaurant blowing the whistle. "The businessman who was able to please the police used to run his business till late at night," he says, "now the situation has changed."

A decade ago, some clubs in Lakeside did not directly get a 24-hour operation permit from the Ministry of Home Affairs. But those clubs continued to open and close. Businessmen of other restaurants, bars, pubs, discos, clubs, double restaurants, and liquor stores demanded to be allowed to open 24 hours saying that closing at 11 o'clock has affected the business, tourists are not getting service and night life is not going on. Submitted the demand letter to the Chief District Officer, Chief of Police, Home Minister. 

While declaring Pokhara as the capital of tourism, the District Administration Office, Kaski prepared 'Nocturnal/full-time Hotel and Entertainment Business Operation Standards, 2080' . According to the norms, grocery shops, pan shops, liquor shops, restaurants, food/snack shops and spas can operate till 1:00 pm within the designated area. But live music, pubs, dance clubs, discos, lounge bars, dohoris can operate full time by following the prescribed standards.

Pokhara metropolis is currently celebrating 'Pokhara Visit Year 2025'. But Pokhara's night life is still dominated by clubs, discos and dance clubs. Lakeside shopping malls, restaurants and other businesses are not open all night . The streets of Lakeside are not crowded except for those who come from clubs and discos. Club Catwalk, Club Sixteen, Levels, King's Lounge and others at Lakeside run until dawn. Some of the dohris in Chipledhunga, Mahendrapul and Lakeside open till 4 am . Most of the customers in these businesses are domestic tourists and locals. Some Indian tourists visit clubs, discos and dance bars . 

Lakeside Club Catwalk, which has been operating since 3 August 2079, has a capacity of 2,000 people. According to Gupt Lama, the owner of the catwalk, 500 and 1,000 people reach his club on an average daily. This number exceeds when festivals, holidays and popular artists come. More than 150 people have got employment in the club, which has been operating with an investment of about 25 million rupees. "Tourists from Kathmandu, Butwal, Chitwan, Dharan, Sikkim, Darjeeling come to the club," he says. "The police, the administration, the tax office all have their eyes on the night business," he says, "How can it be that many businessmen have fled due to the practice of pointing out mistakes."

The complaints of hoteliers and locals are that they have been affected when night business operators do not meet the standards of the administration. The locals and tourism businessmen of Lakeside submitted a memorandum to the district administration office demanding that some clubs open till 2 am only, saying that when some clubs open till morning, there is a lot of commotion, and the loud sound of motorcycles coming out of the club affects the tourists and locals. 

There is a standard for CCTV to be accessible to the entrance and the surrounding road area and the record should be kept as per the rules, vehicle horns should not be sounded in the surrounding road area within the premises of the business premises, and there should be a proper arrangement to control noise pollution . Standards have been set, including that employees should be employed on a rotating or shift basis, salary and allowances should be transferred to the banking system. A committee has been formed with the police and businessmen under the leadership of the Assistant Chief District Officer to monitor whether the licensed night businesses meet the standards or not. 

The president of Pokhara Tourism Council, the umbrella organization of Pokhara's tourism businessmen, Taranath Pahari says that there is no coordination of the night business due to lack of full implementation of standards. "We want the business to run all night, but we don't want to affect others by causing noise pollution," he says.

President of Hotel Association Pokhara Laxman Subedi says that the announcement of 24-hour opening was made in haste. "Police manpower is limited, there is no situation to increase manpower," he says, "nearby hotels are losing guests due to the night business." He said that hotels in Pokhara are providing 24-hour service for tourists.

President of Restaurant and Bar Association (Reban) Pokhara Vishwa Poudel says that it will be difficult for businessmen to open a 24-hour restaurant after meeting all the standards. "Employees should be kept in shifts, employees are not found, there is no guarantee of security, the number of customers is low," he says.

Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai, the coordinator of the Pokhara Visit Year Performance Committee, says that all kinds of businesses should run spontaneously and one should not affect the other to keep the night life going. "Opening 24 hours has been beneficial, but it is also a challenge," he says. The