28th September 2026
Christmas Trading Peaks: Which Days Matter Most for Pubs?
Christmas is a big opportunity for UK pubs, but the latest data shows that not every day is created equal.
Christmas Eve, Mad Friday and New Year's Eve were among the biggest trading moments of the festive period, with customers staying longer and spending more when they did go out. For pubs, that makes planning around the right days just as important as having the right Christmas offer.
So, what can the festive trade of 2025 tell us about planning for Christmas 2026?
It wasn't just about how busy pubs were
Festive trading wasn't driven by a huge increase in the number of people in venues. Instead, customers were staying for longer and getting more out of their visits.
Average dwell time reached 145 minutes, up 16% compared with the same period in 2024. Occupancy, meanwhile, was 63.17%, up just 0.2% year on year.
Customers stayed particularly long on Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, helping to increase spend per visit even though footfall remained broadly stable.
£26.37
Avg total spend
+1.9% YoY
£21.02
Avg drink spend
+1.6% YoY
£31.43
Avg food spend
+2.7% YoY
What to do in 2026
If customers are staying for longer, give them more reasons to order another drink, add food to their visit or trade up to something a little more premium.
- Make your Christmas drinks menu easy to browse
- Offer premium beer and lager alongside your usual favourites
- Create simple food and beer pairings
- Give staff easy prompts to recommend another drink or food option
- Use festive drinks and seasonal serves to give customers something different to try
The takeaway: You don't always need more customers to increase sales. Making existing visits more valuable can be just as important.
The five days that mattered most
The festive period was concentrated around a handful of peak trading days. Here's how they stacked up:
Source: Oxford Partnership Christmas Stop Press, Christmas 2025
What to do in 2026
Don't spread your Christmas planning evenly across the whole month. Look at your own sales data and identify which days and occasions matter most for your pub. Then make sure you've got the right stock, staffing and Christmas offers ready before they arrive.
The takeaway: Plan for your biggest trading moments rather than treating every day in December the same.
Which Christmas drinks were winning?
There were some clear winners across the festive period. The data suggests customers were looking for a mix of familiar favourites and drinks that felt a little more special.
Growing categories
Declining categories
Source: Oxford Partnership Christmas Stop Press, Christmas 2025
What to do in 2026
Use your Christmas beer range to give customers choice without making things complicated. You don't need to replace your best-selling products. Instead, think about where you can add something different or give premium options more visibility.
- Give stout more prominence during the colder months
- Include a premium lager option alongside your core range
- Consider world lager for customers looking for something different
- Use flavoured cider to add variety to your drinks range
- Train staff to recommend a trade-up where it makes sense
The takeaway: Give customers a clear reason to try something different or spend a little more.
Food still had an important part to play
Food spend grew faster than drink spend during the festive period, reaching £31.43 and increasing 2.7% year on year.
That fits with the longer visits seen across Christmas. Customers weren't just heading out for a quick drink. Many were making more of an occasion of it, particularly around planned meals and social gatherings.
What to do in 2026
Think about how your Christmas menu can work alongside your drinks offer. A festive dinner is an obvious opportunity, but don't forget the smaller occasions too. Sharing dishes, a simple festive lunch or food and drink pairing could all help increase spend without adding too much complexity.
The takeaway: Don't treat your food and drinks offers as separate things. They can work harder together.
What does this mean for your 2026 Christmas offer?
The biggest lesson from Christmas 2025 is that successful festive trade isn't necessarily about being busy every day. It's about understanding when your customers are most likely to go out, what they're looking for and how you can make those occasions count.
Plan your staffing around demand
If Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are your biggest days, make sure your staffing levels reflect that. Also look at quieter periods where a well-timed offer could help drive visits.
Get your stock right
Peak trading days aren't the time to run out of your best-selling beer, cider or Christmas drinks. Use previous sales to forecast demand and make sure your premium and seasonal options are covered too.
Make your Christmas offers work harder
Don't discount for the sake of it. Think about offers that add value, encourage food and drink purchases together or help fill quieter periods.
Think beyond Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve might be the biggest day, but Mad Friday, New Year's Eve, the Saturday before Christmas and Boxing Day all delivered strong trading too. Your festive plan should cover the whole period, with different approaches based on what your customers are actually doing.
Your 2026 festive planning checklist
Look back at 2025
Which days, products and occasions drove the most sales for your pub?
Plan around peak days
Make sure staffing, stock and service are ready for your busiest occasions.
Review your Christmas beer range
Give customers a good mix of familiar favourites, premium options and seasonal choices.
Build a drinks offer
Consider festive cocktails, seasonal serves and premium drinks alongside your usual range.
Make your Christmas menu work harder
Look for simple ways to connect food with drinks and increase spend per head.
Use offers strategically
Target quieter periods rather than discounting across the whole festive season.
Keep an eye on margins
More sales are only useful if the offer makes commercial sense.
Christmas 2025 showed that customers are still willing to spend when the occasion feels worth it. For 2026, the opportunity is to focus on those moments, make the most of longer visits and give customers plenty of reasons to come back.
The best Christmas offer isn't necessarily the biggest one. It's the one that works for your customers, your pub and your bottom line.
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Get StartedSource: The Oxford Partnership, "Festive Spend Shifted to Bigger Moments," Christmas 2025