Win in the festive frenzy: The top Christmas occasions and channels to target

Fusing volumetric data with in-depth consumer research, the report provides powerful and actionable insights into people’s likely hospitality choices between now and New Year. It shows three quarters (75%) of consumers visited a pub, bar, restaurant or other licensed venue in the run-up to last Christmas, so there are huge prizes to play for in the weeks ahead.

Dates for the diary

Sales analysis for the report indicates sharp spikes on big festive calendar dates like ‘Mad Friday’, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Last year’s trading peaked in the final full week before Christmas, with the previous seven days only fractionally behind. The best performing day of all in RoS terms was the penultimate Saturday before Christmas, which this year falls on 13 December—potentially making it the single most important day of 2025 for supplier activations.

As well as identifying big dates, it is crucial to target the right times of day for spending. Last Christmas brought a significant shift to earlier dayparts, with the number of people going out at lunchtime up by 5 percentage points to 20%, while those going out in early evening slots dropped 5 percentage points to 34%. All the signs point to a similar pattern of earlier celebrations in 2025.

The occasions to watch

Casual meals and relaxed drinks remain the most popular types of Christmas occasions, but last year brought a leap in after-work drinks, as more people returned to offices after long periods of working from home. Nearly a quarter (24%) of consumers went out for a work party or meal last Christmas, with celebrations peaking on the two last Fridays before Christmas, which fall on 12 and 19 December in 2025. These and most other occasions are group-oriented, which flags the potential for supplier-venue collaborations on tailored packages and deals.

Where to find the spenders

Matching the right brands and activations to the right venues will be another core part of success this Christmas. CGA by NIQ’s report shows food-led pubs were the top channel last December, though visits here were down by 2 percentage points year-on-year, while trips to casual dining restaurants rose by 3 percentage points. Christmas also pulls consumers towards city and town centres, which attracted 72% of festive visits in 2024. However, with nearly half (48%) of consumers saying they only travelled 10 to 20 minutes to a venue last Christmas, venues in suburban and rural areas have key close-to-home advantages.

Beyond the On Premise

There is also growth potential for suppliers and manufacturers beyond traditional On-Premise venues—especially Christmas markets, which were visited by 28% of consumers in 2024. However, there are signs that crowds and expense are putting some consumers off these markets, which may work to the advantage of other experiential, themed or activity-led venues.

Christmas-to-NYE opportunities

Beyond the core festive season, the period from Boxing Day to New Year’s Eve is sometimes seen as a lull in trading—but the Christmas Report highlights some valuable opportunities in this period. Last year, more than one in five (22%) said this was the part of the festive season when they went out most—up by 2 percentage points year-on-year. More free time is a key driver of these visits, along with a desire to relax after the hectic festivities.

Violetta Njunina, BevAl Client Director said: “Consumers are as eager as ever to celebrate Christmas and New Year in the special environments of pubs, bars and restaurants, and last year’s numbers show the scale of opportunity in the weeks to come. However, with the cost of living crisis still impacting millions of people, suppliers and venues are going to have to work very hard to tempt them out of home and unlock their spending. They will need to pinpoint exactly when and where to target activations, and this research is the ideal starting point for effective strategy-setting.”