The figures suggest Dry January suppresses early month trade but does not stop consumers visiting pubs, with weekend activity rising consistently as the month progresses.
Bolt’s analysis of January 2025 showed visits fell 9% from December into the first weekend of the month.
Activity then recovered quickly, climbing 4% between the first and second weekends and a further 5% into the third. By the third weekend of January, visits had already returned to December levels.
Jan 2026
Early data from January 2026 points to the same pattern but with a slower pace of recovery.
Pub visits fell 7% into the first weekend of the month. They rose 4% between the first and second weekends, but growth eased to 1% between the second and third. By the third weekend, visits remained 2% below December levels, indicating consumers are holding Dry January commitments slightly longer than last year.
The rebound comes after pubs ended 2025 on a strong footing, with December sales up 5.1% year on year, according to the NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker.
But despite fuller venues and record dwell times over Christmas, profitability remained under pressure as operators absorbed higher wage, energy and NIC costs.
Bolt said the trends show the resilience of socialising in pubs even during one of the sector’s quietest trading periods.
Kimberly Hurd, Bolt’s senior general manager for the UK, said: “January always brings a reset in social habits, and pubs feel that immediately. What’s interesting is how consistent the rebound is. Even when people cut back early on, visits build weekend after weekend. This year, people seem to be pacing themselves more, but the overall trend is the same. As January goes on, pubs get busier.”
