St Patrick's Day most popular for pints in 2023
The data, based on draught pint sales across Greene King’s 1,600 managed venues, showed St Patrick’s Day (17 March) was ahead of other key trading days for beer sales in 2023 with a total of 700,000 pints pulled across the day.
The King’s Coronation on Saturday 6 May was the second most popular day, according to Greene King’s statistics, with 562,000 pints poured in celebration.
Preparation is key
February’s Six Nation’s Rugby tournament also proved popular with pubgoers, seeing more than 3m served, while the opening match between England and Scotland on Saturday 4 February saw the most pints sold across the competition.
Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie said: “The pub is often the preferred choice for people to celebrate major events, so it’s important pub operators make the most of the potential boost in trading and be ready to welcome people through their doors.
"From keeping an eye out each month for sporting fixtures to being aware of cultural celebrations that might cause a spike in trade, preparation is key."
Bumper year
Other popular trading days in 2023 included the Saturday before the Spring bank holiday, on 27 May, which saw close to 400,000 pints pulled and the FA Cup Final match between Manchester United and Manchester City in June, with more than 350,000 pints sold throughout the day.
The pub operator and brewer also expected to sell some 560,000 pints on New Years Eve, ahead of welcoming "bumper" events for the on-trade this year.
Mackenzie added: “Pubs have always been at the heart of communities and that is never clearer than when the nation is coming together to celebrate.
"Looking forward, 2024 promises to be a bumper year of sport with the Olympics and the Euros. We’re working hard with our managers and tenants to help them to prepare and maximise events throughout the year.”
