FEATURE: Top tips to prepare for the festive season

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They need a longer run-up than most. There’s much to do and a lot at stake. Both their business and their customers are relying on them to make it a season to remember.

And it’s not simply a matter of blowing the dust off the decs. Christmas may still be a time to celebrate in the old-fashioned way, but those final few weeks of the year are subject to market and consumer trends as much as any period, and it’s worth giving some thought to how you might profitably tinker with tradition.

Last year brought some subtle shifts in how people used pubs, according to Reuben Pullan, senior insights consultant at research firm NIQ.

“We saw a wobble in visitor numbers. The number of people going to the pub during the four-week festive period was up 3% on 2024, but frequency of visits dropped. It was the high frequency visitor, going to the pub multiple times a week, that was down, by 2%,” he said.

“Spend was static at an average £46 per visit despite inflation, which suggests people are cutting back. Pubs need to bear in mind that they have limited opportunities.

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Christmas is one of the most valuable trading periods for pubs – but also one of the most demanding. As festive bookings increase, so do calls, emails and messages about party packages, menus, allergens, deposits, opening hours, orders and last-minute changes. The challenge is that these enquiries often arrive when teams are at their busiest.

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“What you do to exploit that will differ according to the venue, of course,” he goes on. “Most people are looking for a balanced offer – food and drink are both important to them. But you must choose what’s right for your pub.”

If you’re wet-led, being local is the big driver of Christmas trade. “People want to be with friends and family, so you can tap into that community feel. Small gatherings of family and friends are the top reason for visiting. They’re celebrating, but in intimate group settings.”

Those people will still want more from their Christmas occasion, says Pullan. “Some 40% of those we surveyed have higher expectations of a pub at this time of year.

“Number one is a warm and welcoming environment – not something you can simply add to your offer. It means staffing is important. It’s worth spending a couple of hours to get your team into a polished routine that includes taking a second to acknowledge customers and talk to them.

“Staff should have time to recommend seasonal alternatives on the menu, and drinks such as mulled wine and cider, which are low-cost, reasonably priced, and easy to do. The smell has become a part of Christmas!”

One major trend is that stout, which has seen massive growth in the past few years, is very much on drinkers’ Christmas lists with sales in the 2025 four-week period up 52% against the rest of the year, compared to 16% for all drinks.

Spirits were also a strong performer, up 38%, but the real surprise was no and low alcohol drinks, which were up by 30%.

And when it comes to solids, 34% want a traditional Christmas dinner, 24% want casual pub food and 16% want international cuisine.

Views from the festive front line

Kingswood Arms, Banstead, Surrey

By early October, the team at Fuller’s Kingswood pub will already be putting up the Christmas decorations. After all, they have no fewer than 38,000 baubles to dangle about the place!

“We can take three times what we’ll take in a regular summer week, so it has to be done right,” says GM Kelly Benoualid, who has built up the festivities from nothing since arriving in 2022.

Preparations began in July for a seven-week calendar of events that launches on 12 November with a lights switch-on that last year attracted 3,000 people.

Then it’s Opera in the Restaurant, a Murder Mystery, a Charity Puzzle Tournament, Christmas movies, a Festive Pet Photoshoot, Christmas markets, the Santa Fun Run, the Christmas Choir, Gingerbread House Making and live music every Friday, concluding on January 3 with the Grinch’s Trashcan Present Exchange.

The festive menu will be themed on ‘food nostalgia’ with a homely feel. “People are eating out less so you’ve got to give them an experience. It’s not just turkey on a plate, it’s everything that comes with it,” says Benoualid.

The same goes for drinks. Mulled gin will join mulled wine and cider this time, and there’ll be a Winter Tipples cocktail list plus jereboams and magnums of Chablis and Rioja for the office parties.

Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars

“Christmas is our time,” declares Tim Bird, co-founder of the seven-strong chain. “We expect to hit record takings over the two weeks that include Christmas and New Year.

“We’ll have our Christmas specials out by the end of September, but we don’t take bookings at most of our pubs. The Bulls Head in Mobberley took £2m last year and we’ve never taken a booking there. Even Liam Gallagher has had to queue!”

Specials such as turkey, game and fish are offered on top of the main menu. “Customers still want fish and chips and burgers,” says Bird. “Turkey is our best seller, though.”

As well as seasonal drinks including mulled wine and cider, hot toddies, Irish coffees and winter spritzes, December is the busiest month for no and low alcohol at Cheshire Cat.

“Quality drinks such as Guinness Zero, Lucky Saint or an alcohol-free spirit and mixer makes them feel a part of things,” explains Bird. “We saw no and low grow last year when we created a list, and it’s worth £200,000 to the business now.

“We’ve lots of activities planned, too, brass bands and choirs – it’s got to be special.”

Bird also knows you have to give time to your staff at this time of year. “Working at Christmas is a challenge for everyone. They all get tired, so you’ve got to pick them up, give them moral support, a hug.

“Every day is a Sunday, so you’ve got to be on it. So many people depend on you to nail it, it’s stressful. But the rewards are amazing.”

Blind Jack’s, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

The Best Pub for Beer at the 2025 Great British Pub Awards is also famed for its Christmas decorations that light up the town’s square.

“It’s become a bit of a spectacle,” says Blind Jack’s owner Christian Ogley. “People stop to look at it, photograph it and talk about it. Strangers start conversations and customers tend to stay for another drink. That’s when a pub is doing its proper job.

“Christmas isn’t just about selling more drinks, it’s about giving people somewhere they genuinely want to be. They tell their friends about it and come back next year. It becomes part of their own tradition.

“I’m not particularly interested in chasing Christmas trends,” he adds. “Most customers still want what they’ve always wanted, a warm welcome, a good drink, a beautiful room and the feeling that something good is happening around them.”

The Thornhill, Calverley, West Yorkshire

A decline in bookings for traditional Christmas roasts led licensees at the Star Pubs & Bars house, Jamie and Sally Hanson, to turn to sharing boards, buffets and small plates.

“We’re always busy in December so we reduce the size of the menu to make it easier to produce and minimise wastage,” says Jamie Hanson. “Customers were choosing from the normal menu rather than the set Christmas lunch, and looking for more informal options, so we have repurposed our small plate dishes as sharing boards and buffets.”

Shepherd Neame

The Christmas menu for the brewer’s managed estate this year is built around local produce and the company’s brewing heritage, with beer used as an ingredient throughout.

“Our brewing heritage is part of the food story,” says head of food Simon Howlett. “The Iron Wharf Stout-cured smoked salmon is a great example, liver pâté is served with 1698 Ale and caramelised onion chutney, while Christmas Ale is used in our festive pudding.”

Even the cheese board continues the brewing story, coming with Iron Wharf Stout fruit cake and 1698 Ale caramelised onion chutney.

Butcombe Pubs & Inns

Managing director Alice Bowyer has seen a “huge growth in larger events and special occasions, and Christmas is, of course, an opportunity to capture these larger bookings.

“We’ve built an offer that caters for a range of festive occasions, from office parties and family gatherings to overnight escapes.

“And for 2026 we’re launching our Festive Feast, designed for groups of 14 to 16 guests. Served family-style at the centre of the table, it features turkey with all the trimmings, pigs in blankets, sharing pies, trout and plenty of gravy, creating a communal dining experience.”

The Jack O’Newbury, Binfield, Berkshire

This will be Dom Chapman’s first Christmas at the Jack O’Newbury and he’s going to keep it traditional.

“People want turkey and, rightfully, they aren’t pleased if you don’t have it,” he says. “People love it, and it has to come with all the trimmings. It’s not a good idea to try too hard to bring in new ideas.

“But you also have licence to offer a few luxury items. You have to have mulled wine or cider on the bar, people drink a little more champagne than usual and you can do quite well with a cocktail list.”

Wholesaler hints

“The holiday season is all about meaningful moments, treats and indulgence,” says Leigh Baker, customer proposition director for foodservice at Booker.

“Dining is still front and centre, but the format has shifted. Instead of large parties, expect a rise in smaller groups of friends, family and colleagues. And prepare for peaks during the day, especially early afternoon and after-work, and mid-week gatherings as socialising shifts from big nights at the weekend to lower key, informal moments.”

Christmas menus need an “injection of creativity,” he argues, “to take on new influences and flavour trends.

“Newstalgia is the buzzword for this festive season – blending familiar favourites with contemporary updates to make menus feel on-trend and creative without losing their core seasonal appeal.

“It’s about creating comfort-led dishes that feel elevated and have a stylish visual appeal. It doesn’t require a full menu overhaul - presentation can do a lot of the work.”

Sharing boards and group grazing are already trending, and the appetite for ‘picky bits’ is set to continue into the festive season, presenting “an opportunity to increase average spend per head with hand-held options, finger foods and bite-sized portions.”

Festive sips

At Young’s, cocktails have never been so important, and the pub company’s winter list will this year take a ‘hybrid’ approach that combines the classics with spritzes with a seasonal twist.

“We’ll also be embracing darker spirits but in a more approachable manner with serves including Yuzu Honeybee, containing Jameson Irish Whiskey, Beesou Honey Aperitif, yuzu and ginger ale,” announces commercial manager Sam Ellis.

“And we’ll be partnering with Pernod Ricard UK to create a mulled twist on the margarita, hot negronis and honey toddies, alongside the safe bets of mulled wine and cider.”

For Samantha Beer, marketing manager at Funkin Cocktails, the trick is compiling “a cocktail menu that feels festive without being overcomplicated.

“It’s important to think beyond the menu, too. Great Christmas service starts with a confident team who know their serves inside out, can make recommendations naturally and keep things running smoothly at peak times.

“Giving bar teams ideas and inspiration ahead of the festive rush prepares them for what’s to come, makes life simpler for them and gives them more time to spend looking after guests.”

Christmas on tap

Does your bar need a Christmas beer? Chris Mitchell, head of marketing at Vocation Brewery, which operates three venues in Sheffield, Halifax and at the brewery’s home in Hebden Bridge, believes they can play an important role – but it’s the whole festive range that counts.

“Our bars balance trusted favourites with seasonal discoveries, giving people plenty of choice across different Christmas occasions,” he says. “It’s not about replacing your core range. Familiar lagers, pale ales and IPAs deliver strong volumes while seasonal beers add theatre and discovery when people are open to trying richer, more indulgent and unusual styles.

“That’s where Christmas beers earn their place on the bar.”

“Rather than relying too heavily on one festive novelty,” Mitchell favours a mix of sessionable and stronger beers on cask and keg, ensuring the offer appeals to different customers and works for different seasonal occasions, too.

“Customers might visit for an after-work pint or office party, a festive meal or a longer get-together with friends and family, so there isn’t one beer style that fits every occasion.”

To that end, Vocation has launched a new Life & Death Session IPA (4.2% ABV) alongside a Christmas range that includes pastry stouts and modern IPAs.

“The aim isn’t to make every beer overtly Christmassy, but to offer enough variety to make the range feel different and interesting when people are open to treating themselves and trying something new.”

Mick Howard, on-trade director at Heineken UK, points to longer dwell times experienced in the lead-up to Christmas 2025 – the average stay in the pub rising to two-and-a-half hours - as an opportunity for up-selling.

“While guests might be going out less, they are willing to treat themselves when they do, increasingly moving into premium drink categories.”

Visibility of premium lager brands, which saw a 3% uplift over Christmas 2025, can be key, along with an emphasis on stout, cider – and low and no beers and ciders.

“That category has enjoyed significant growth, up 46% in volume, and variety is especially important at Christmas as more people are driving and looking for alcohol-free options,” says Howard. “Nearly a third of consumers say they’ve left a venue early or disappointed due to a lack of no and low drinks.”

For Stephen Groucott, on-trade category controller at Molson Coors, a well-balanced range, combining premium options with familiar choices at more accessible price points, is essential to generating sales among the wide range of customers you can expect over Christmas.

“Visits to pubs and bars remain a treat for some consumers, so creating an experience and sense of occasion they cannot replicate at home is more important than ever,” he says.

“Operators can use advance bookings and previous sales data to identify their busiest periods, then work with suppliers to ensure they have sufficient stock, glassware and point-of-sale materials.

“Speed of service will also be critical,” he adds. “A focused drinks range, well-maintained draught lines and staff confident in recommending products will help serve customers efficiently while encouraging trade-up.”

Cider might have the image of being a summer drink, but as Sally McKinnon, head of marketing and strategy at Westons Cider, points out, “five of the top 10 cider trading days in 2025 were linked to Christmas celebrations.

“The festive season plays directly into some of the occasions where cider is strongest - social get-togethers, work parties, family gatherings, festive drinks and longer group occasions. The opportunity is clear.”

McKinnon advises operators to “keep the range focused, back brands with proven demand and put apple – which accounts for two-thirds of on-trade cider sales - at its heart.

“There’s also an appetite to trade up at Christmas. Visiting a pub for a celebration changes the mindset. But operators need to give people an obvious premium choice rather than assuming they’ll automatically trade up.”

Staff support

“The festive period places significant increased demand on hospitality teams,” says Chris Welham, CEO at the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC), which last Christmas received more than 1,440 calls to its free 24-hour helpline.

“Longer shifts, increased customer volumes, staff shortages, financial pressures and the weight of balancing work commitments with family responsibilities all take their toll. And for business owners, the critical need for a strong fourth quarter can ratchet up the pressure, too.

“We know from our research 92% of employees believe team wellbeing impacts productivity and service quality. It highlights the crucial role people play in delivering successful festive trading and access to support can make the difference between a difficult period becoming overwhelming and getting the help someone needs before burdens escalate.”

LTC offers a free and confidential 24-hour helpline, Wellbeing Platform and Employee Assistance Programme.