Kicking off on Friday 31 January, when France beat Wales 43-0 in Paris, the start of the tournament provided a better result for pubs, with 16.7m pints of draught beer and cider sold, figures from real-time marketing intelligence firm Oxford Partnership revealed.
Moreover, the data showed sales were up by 0.5% compared to the same game days in 2024, with a notable 19.7% surge against the previous Friday and Saturday.
On average, pubs poured 443 pints over the weekend (Friday 31 January to Saturday 1 February), generating £2,206 in income per venue.
Scottish fans led the charge, drinking an additional 168 pints per venue and catapulting their region to the top of the drinking charts.
Meanwhile stout, unsurprisingly, drove sales, with 25.4% year-on-year growth.
Guinness, a perennial favourite and event sponsor, claimed the second spot among top-selling brands, trailing only Carling.
Similar trend
World Lager also shone, with a 6.9% uplift versus the previous year.
Madri led the charge in this category, boasting the highest rate of sale.
However, it was a different story for World 4%, Premium Lager, and Core Lager, which all experienced declines, underscoring the ongoing consumer shift towards premium and international lager options.
Footfall followed a similar trend to sales, growing by 0.5% year-on-year.
Suburban areas outperformed other regions with a 2.1% increase in visits, while city centres saw a dip on Friday, impacting their overall performance.
Rural pubs remained steady, with Saturday proving to be their busiest day.
Celebrating together
Consumer dwell time also saw a modest rise, increasing to 159 minutes from 157 minutes in 2024 (up 1.2%).
Suburban pubs recorded the highest growth (1.3%), while rural outlets matched the national average.
City centre pubs, however, held steady with no change in visit lengths.
It followed data from technology provider Zonal, which showed bookings for this year’s event were 40% up compared with last year ahead of the first match.
Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan said: “The opening weekend of the Six Nations brought a well-earned boost for the hospitality sector.
“With 16.7 million pints sold and stout leading the charge, it’s heartening to see fans rallying around their local pubs to celebrate together.
“This is a testament to the enduring importance of pubs as community hubs and their ability to capitalize on major sporting events.
“The increase in footfall, dwell time, and premium choices reflects the resilience and evolving preferences of pub-goers.”
