From Lego to lager - getting pub events right
Giving people a reason to get out to the pub has never been more important, so the Lock In team take a look at some of the wild, wacky and traditional ideas for pulling in the punters.
Entertainment & Events
Karaoke no longer a novelty as experience-led visits boom
From spinning disco balls to live-band singalongs and private singing suites, karaoke is undergoing a major transformation in Britain’s pubs.
Sir David Attenborough’s unusual connection with city pub
As national treasure Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday, The Morning Advertiser (The MA) takes a look at his unusual connection with a former London pub.
PubAid’s Community Pub Hero Awards 2026 opens
Not-for-profit organisation PubAid has launched its Community Pub Heroes Awards for 2026.
Extra time to be crowned best pub in the UK
There’s still time to enter the Great British Pub Awards with a deadline extension to next week.
Sacha Lord names pub set for £2,500 bank holiday bar tab
Sacha Lord has named the Manchester pub set to benefit from a £2,500 bar tab this bank holiday, after sourcing recommendations from his Instagram followers.
Punch Pubs & Co reveals National Publican of the Year award winners
A number of Punch Pubs & Co operators were honoured at the group’s National Publican of the Year Awards.
Key trading days for pubs this summer
With a packed sporting calendar, key occasions and the all-important bank holidays on the horizon, summer 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal trading period for pubs.
Greene King Pub Partners unveils Night of Excellence award winners
Numerous pubs took home gongs at the 2026 Greene King Pub Partners Night of Excellence awards.
Scaling culture: The challenge facing growing pub operators
Measuring sales, spend per head and covers is generally standard practice but, the people delivering those numbers are still largely understood via lagging indicators, one expert highlighted.
Lidl to open first pub
Supermarket giant Lidl has announced plans to open its first pub.
Over 30m pints sold over Easter as rural pubs shine
More than 30m pints were poured in pubs across the country this Easter, with rural pubs leading the charge and reinforcing the strength of destination-led drinking and food-led occasions.
Search for the nation’s best pub begins
The hunt for the best pubs in the country is now under way as the 2026 Great British Pub Awards returns.
PUBLICAN AWARDS 2026
Publican Awards 2026: Winners’ gallery
See pictures of the 2026 Publican Awards winners as they celebrated their success in this photo gallery.
What the 2026 Publican Awards winners had to say
This year’s Publican Awards champions shared their delight on their wins.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Partnership Pub Company (501+ sites): Greene King
Building on a long-established reputation as a trusted partner in the leased and tenanted sector, with around 1,000 partnership pubs, Greene King has grown its franchised division to 100 sites through the food-led Hive and wet-led Nest brands to offer a...
Publican Awards 2026 Best Partnership Pub Company (up to 500 sites), sponsored by Diageo: Laine Pub Company
Founded 30 years ago and now operated as an autonomous arm of the Punch Pubs empire, Laine has established itself as a specialist operator of pubs and bars aimed at Generation Z.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Sustainable Pub Company: St Austell Brewery
St Austell Brewery has been named Best Sustainable Pub Company in recognition of a mature, strategically embedded and future-focused approach to environmental leadership.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Pub Operations Team, sponsored by Asahi: Hickory’s Smokehouse
Judges were impressed with the strong structure, processes and initiatives of Hickory’s passionate and dedicated ops team, which alongside its huge passion for its people, is driving the brand’s ongoing success.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Pub Employer (501+ employees), sponsored by Illy: Butcombe Group
This year’s Best Pub Employer (501+ employees) impressed judges with its strong values, innovative approach to training and people-first attitude.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees), sponsored by Carlsberg Britvic: Barons Pub Company
The 11-strong Surrey pubco Barons has reinforced an established reputation for nurturing talent and motivating its teams with its win in this year’s awards.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Pub Brand/Concept, sponsored by Funkin: BOX, Arc Inspirations
Arc Inspirations’ BOX brand has continued its rapid evolution as one of the UK’s most dynamic pub bar concepts, marked most notably by the opening of its seventh site – its first in London and its debut in the south of England.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Premium Food Offer, sponsored by Damm UK: Ardent Pub Group
Ardent Pub Group stood out to judges for its clear commitment to delivering truly premium pub dining, underpinned by strong culinary principles and a genuine passion for hospitality.
Publican Awards 2026 Best New Site, sponsored by Heineken UK: Molly Mc’s, Windmill Taverns
With an irrepressible sense of energy, Windmill Taverns has created something quite special with the launch of its latest new site.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Managed Pub Company (51+ sites), sponsored by Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I: Urban Pubs & Bars
Founded in 2014 by Nick Pring and Malcolm Heap, Urban Pubs & Bars has expanded rapidly through a combination of individual acquisitions and portfolio purchases.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Managed Pub Company (2 to 50 sites), sponsored by Molson Coors: St Austell Brewery
St Austell’s win in this category comes in the year that the company celebrates its 175th anniversary, but it was a reward that recognised the management team’s strategic skill, hard work and substantial investment rather than one weighted with big...
Publican Awards 2026 Best Experiential Operator, sponsored by Sky Business: Incipio Group
A bold commitment to creating unforgettable social spaces saw Incipio Group take the title of Best Experiential Operator.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Food Offer, sponsored by Square: Urban Pub & Bars
Urban Pubs & Bars stood out to the judges for its ability to achieve record-breaking profits and excellent like-for-like food sales growth across the multitude of different menus at its now 69-sites.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Drinks Offer, sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners: Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars
Winning the same category at the Publican Awards three years in a row is almost unheard of but Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars has done just that, taking home the Best Drinks title once again.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Community Pub Operator, sponsored by Atmosphere TV: Oak Taverns
Oak Taverns has been recognised for the heartfelt, community-first ethos that has shaped the business since its inception.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Brewing Pub Company, sponsored by Thatchers: Robinsons Brewery
With a heritage stretching back to 1838, it’s fair to say that Robinsons knows what its doing when it comes to running a brewery and a pub estate.
Publican Awards 2026 Business Leader of the Year, sponsored by Poppleston Allen: William Lees-Jones
An overwhelmingly popular choice for Business Leader of the Year, William Lees-Jones struck a chord with voters for his outspoken campaigning, and continuing to drive his family business onto greater and greater success.
Publican Awards 2026 Best Accommodation Operator: Chestnut
Chestnut delivers a distinctive pub‑accommodation offer across its 25 sites in the east of England, 22 of which provide overnight stays.
PUBLICAN AWARDS 2026
Publican Awards 2026: Social media highlights
The hospitality sector came together to celebrate the best in the business on Wednesday 25 March 2026.
2026 Publican Awards winners unveiled
This year’s winners of the industry Oscars have been revealed with businesses up and down the country honoured.
PUBLICAN AWARDS 2026
Publican Awards taking place today
Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to find out who the winners of this year’s Publican Awards are.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Partnership Pub Company (501+ sites)
Tenanted, leased and managed partnership companies continue to innovate and evolve to make sure their partners have the best chance to succeed, as this year’s finalists demonstrate.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists of Best Partnership Pub Company (up to 500 sites), sponsored by Diageo
Laine Pubs and Wells & Co go head to head as the finalists for the Publican Awards 2026 Best Partnership Pub Company (up to 500 sites), showcasing two standout approaches to modern pub partnerships.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Sustainable Pub Company
The Publican Awards 2026 Best Sustainable Pub Company finalists showcase operators embedding environmental responsibility into everyday practice
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Pub Operations Team, sponsored by Asahi
The Publican Awards 2026 Best Pub Operations Team category highlights standout businesses whose operational leadership drives performance, culture and growth.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists of Best Pub Employer (501+ employees), sponsored by Illy
The 2026 Publican Awards Best Pub Employer (501+ employees) recognises the pub company that delivers an outstanding working environment, combining comprehensive training, strong staff engagement and benefits, and clear, meaningful career development...
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees), sponsored by Carlsberg Britvic
The Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees) award celebrates operators for their exceptional commitment to people and culture.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Pub Brand/Concept, sponsored by Funkin
The 2026 Best Pub Brand/Concept finalists in this year’s Publican Awards each showcase innovation, immersive experiences and rapid growth across the country.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists of Best Premium Food Offer, sponsored by Damm UK
The finalists in the Best Premium Food Offer showcase the highest quality of pub fare.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best New Site, sponsored by Heineken UK
This year’s Best New Site finalists are exceptional venues, aiming to redefine the hospitality landscape, from coastal builds to urban reinventions.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Managed Pub Company (51+ sites), sponsored by Budweiser Brewing Group
Strong innovation and future business plans are two areas judges have been scrutinising for the 2026 Best Managed Pub Operator (51+ sites).
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Managed Pub Company (2-50 sites), sponsored by Molson Coors
The 2026 Publican Awards’ Best Managed Pub Company (2 to 50 sites) category celebrates standout operators, each showcasing exceptional management, innovation and growth.
FEATURE: IN ASSOCIATION WITH SKY BUSINESS
FEATURE: Game on for savvy operators
Pubs have moved on a lot in a relatively short space of time – and that’s because the industry is aware it can’t stand still if it is to succeed.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the finalists for Best Experiential Operator, sponsored by Sky Business
This year’s Best Experiential Operator finalists highlighted their commitment to an immersive, interactive offer across all aspects of the business.
Publican Awards 2026: Meet the Best Food Offer finalists, sponsored by Square
This year’s Publican Awards Best Food Offer finalists are raising the bar for exceptional pub dining.