According to the latest data from Oxford Partnership and Vianet, some 25.4m pints were sold between Friday 28 to Monday 31 August.
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However, this was 3.9% down year-on-year, with 26.4m pints poured during the same period in 2025.
The downturn was attributed largely to poor weather, with thunderstorms, strong wind and heavy rain hitting most of the country, while last year’s bank holiday was considerably warmer and dryer.
Despite the decline, consumer engagement with the on-trade was notably stronger, the figures showed.
Average dwell time increased by 13 minutes, from 141 to 154 minutes, while occupancy rose from 62.1% to 66.1%.
Lower consumption
Occupancy was ahead of last year on every day of the bank weekend, suggesting the challenge was not attracting consumers into venues, but converting those visits into the same level of draught consumption.
Meanwhile, rate of sale was 17.3% higher than an average Friday-to-Monday period, equivalent to an additional 114 pints per outlet.
Sunday and Monday delivered the strongest uplifts, at 45.7% and 46.3% respectively versus an average equivalent day.
Category wise, total lager sales dropped 5.4%, while Cider fell 10.6% and flavoured beer was down 17.6% year-on-year. Craft was also down 10.6% and ale declined 3.2%.
Stout was the clear exception, growing 12.3% year-on-year and emerging as the only category measured to record growth. Premium lager proved comparatively resilient, declining just 1.5%.
Changing behaviours
Commenting on the data, Oxford Partnership CEO Alison Jordan said: “The Summer bank holiday demonstrated why footfall alone doesn’t tell the whole story of hospitality performance.
“Pubs were fuller, people stayed longer and the occasion still generated a significant uplift compared with a typical weekend but consumers simply didn’t drink as much draught beer and cider as they did last year.”
Jordan added the category breakdowns were “particularly interesting”.
“Stout growing by more than 12% while cider and flavoured beer declined sharply suggests the cooler, wetter conditions influenced not just how much people drank, but what they chose to drink,” she continued.
“For suppliers and operators, understanding these changes in behaviour is increasingly important. The opportunity is not simply to get consumers into venues, but to understand what drives their choices once they’re there.”
