28th September 2026
How Far Ahead Should Pubs Plan for Christmas?
If you're waiting until December to start thinking about Christmas, you're probably already behind.
Festive planning starts earlier than you might think, with around 4 in 10 Christmas occasions being planned in or before November. More than half of consumers also say they start going out more from early November onwards.
And while some customers will book weeks ahead, around half won't book at all.
So, getting your Christmas offer, Christmas menu, drinks and promotions ready isn't just about being organised. It's about making sure you're ready for customers who plan ahead and those who decide where they're going at the last minute.
When should you start planning?
The short answer? Earlier than you think.
Around 4 in 10 Christmas occasions start being planned in or before November, while more than half of consumers say they start going out more from early November. That means your Christmas menu, festive drinks, decorations and promotional activity should be ready well before December arrives.
Customers are also thinking about their Christmas budgets early. Around half say they'll be saving specifically for Christmas, suggesting there's an opportunity to get your Christmas offers in front of them while they're still making their plans. And despite cost-of-living pressures, the on-trade remains important: if disposable income was reduced, 45% of consumers said the on-premise would be their number one spending priority for the next 12 months.
Get your Christmas plans together. Finalise your Christmas food menu, drinks range, key dates and offers.
Start promoting. Get your Christmas menu, booking options and festive drinks in front of customers and build awareness of what's coming.
Keep the momentum going. Use social media, in-venue messaging and timely offers to capture both planned and spontaneous visits.
Don't switch everything off on 1 January. There are still opportunities around New Year offers, post-Christmas drinks and get-togethers.
The takeaway: Don't wait for December to tell customers what you're doing for Christmas. By then, plenty of them will already have made their plans.
Bookings matter, but don't forget the walk-ins
Here's where festive planning gets a little trickier.
Around half of festive customers book ahead on key dates. But of those who do, most book around a week before their visit. That makes the week before a key trading period an important time to make sure your booking options and Christmas offers are front and centre.
Keep your booking process simple, show availability clearly and make it easy for customers to see alternative dates or times.
But there's another group you can't afford to forget. Around half of festive customers don't book at all. That means walk-ins could be a huge part of your Christmas trade.
Make it obvious that you're welcoming walk-ins, whether that's through social media, Google listings, signage outside your pub or simply making sure your team knows where you have space available.
And the way people celebrate is changing too. Work Christmas parties, traditionally one of the biggest booked occasions of the season, have been declining. At the same time, smaller and more informal gatherings with friends and family are growing.
A couple popping in for Christmas drinks, a small group meeting after work or a family looking for a relaxed Christmas meal can all be valuable occasions.
The takeaway: Plan for bookings, but leave room for spontaneity too.
What does a typical Christmas look like?
December isn't one long peak trading period. There are quieter moments, busy weekends and a handful of days that can make a huge difference to your festive trade.
Rate of sale typically builds towards the weekend, with particularly strong trading in the days immediately before Christmas. That predictability gives you something useful: you can plan for it.
Weekends are an opportunity for larger groups and higher-energy occasions, while midweek can be a chance to attract customers who want to avoid the crowds. And don't forget January. New Year celebrations don't necessarily finish on 31 December, so there can still be opportunities for New Year drinks, offers and get-togethers after Christmas itself.
Build-up
Use November and early December to drive bookings and awareness of your Christmas menu and festive drinks.
Peak
Focus your stock, staffing and service around the busiest festive dates.
Wind-down
Use post-Christmas and January offers to keep customers coming back.
The takeaway: Don't treat December as one big block. Give each stage of the festive season a job to do.
Match your Christmas offer to the time of day
Not every Christmas customer is looking for the same thing. A lunchtime visit is very different from a late-night Christmas Eve celebration, so there's an opportunity to adapt your offer depending on when customers are coming in.
Lunchtime
Think relaxed, food-led occasions. A festive dinner menu, Christmas lunch, set-price meal or food and drink pairing could work well here, particularly for customers looking for something lower-key.
Afternoon and early evening
This is a good space for more social occasions. Happy hours, festive drinks, live music or simple Christmas drink offers could help give customers a reason to visit.
Later evening
On the bigger festive dates, younger drinkers are more likely to experiment and trade up. This is where premium beer, premium lager, Christmas cocktails and more exciting festive serves can come into their own.
Christmas weekends
Don't overlook earlier occasions either. Brunch and daytime visits are becoming more relevant, while late-night occasions can become increasingly important for younger customers.
The takeaway: One Christmas offer won't work for every customer or every time of day. Match your offer to the occasion.
The four Christmas dates you really need to plan for
There are plenty of important dates throughout the festive season, but a few consistently stand out.
Mad Friday
Often the first major trading peak of Christmas
Customers can be more cautious with spending as they save for the bigger celebrations still to come, so simple offers, quick service and a well-stocked bar are key.
Christmas Eve
Usually the biggest trading day of the festive period
Make sure your best-selling Christmas beer, lager and cider are covered, your team is ready for the extra demand and your service can keep pace.
Boxing Day
A very different occasion
Customers tend to stay longer and food plays a bigger role, making it a good opportunity for a relaxed Christmas menu, family occasion or afternoon drinks.
New Year's Eve
A big premiumisation opportunity
Customers are more willing to trade up and make an occasion of their night. If you're taking bookings, promote them early and make your premium beer, premium lager and Christmas drinks range part of the experience.
The takeaway: Don't treat every peak day the same. The best Christmas offers reflect what customers are actually coming out to do.
Build your Christmas plan around three simple goals
All of this can be brought back to three things: more people, more often, more spend.
More people
Get more customers through the door by making your pub look and feel like somewhere worth visiting. Festive decorations, lighting and a warm, welcoming atmosphere all help. So does getting your Christmas drinks, food menu and offers in front of customers early.
Use social media to build awareness and don't forget the basics: a clear Google listing, accurate opening hours and obvious booking information can make the difference between a customer choosing you or moving on to the next pub.
More often
Christmas doesn't have to mean one visit per customer. Give people reasons to come back throughout the festive period: a Christmas lunch in early December, drinks with friends later in the month and a New Year's get-together in January.
And because around half of festive customers don't book, make sure your walk-in availability is just as visible as your booking options.
More spend
Once customers are in, look for natural ways to increase the value of their visit. Longer visits create more opportunities for another drink, food or a trade-up.
Make your premium beer and lager options visible, use food and drink pairings and make sure staff feel confident recommending something new. Give customers the opportunity to trade up, rather than trying to sell them up.
Your Christmas planning checklist
Is my Christmas menu ready by November?
Have I started promoting my Christmas offer early enough?
Can customers easily book with me online?
Am I making walk-in availability clear?
Have I planned stock and staffing around my busiest days?
Does my Christmas beer range include premium and seasonal options?
Have I got a good mix of Christmas drinks and festive serves?
Do my offers work for smaller groups as well as big parties?
Have I planned something for quieter midweek periods?
Am I thinking beyond Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve?
Have I got a plan for January and New Year offers?
Christmas planning doesn't have to mean doing everything at once. Start early, break the season down into manageable moments and build your Christmas menu, drinks and offers around how your customers actually behave.
The goal isn't to be everywhere and offer everything. It's to be ready when your customers are ready to celebrate.
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Get StartedSources: HEINEKEN, "Making the Most of Christmas Bookings" (Toluna Research, September 2022; CGA Christmas Report, 2022); HEINEKEN, "Christmas in the On Trade: Category Insights" (CGA Category Database; CGA Cost of Living Pulse Survey, April 2023; Kantar Alcovision, December 2022); The Oxford Partnership, "How Pubs Won At Christmas," December 2025; CGA by NIQ, "Christmas Report 2025"