Halloween proved a monster night for Britain’s pubs and bars, with revellers ordering almost four cocktails a second during the busiest hour of the celebrations

  • Stonegate pubs and bars served 14,258 cocktails in a single hour on Halloween night, about 238 a minute – or nearly four a second
  • Sex on the Beach was the most popular cocktail, with 31,000 sold in total
  • Revellers knocked back 67,000 shots on Saturday night, and 49,000 Jägerbombs over the weekend

New figures from Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, reveal that Halloween Saturday was its busiest day outside the Christmas period in five years, as thousands of Brits dressed up and headed out to celebrate.

At the peak of the night, between 10pm and 11pm, on Saturday (31 October), Stonegate’s managed pubs, bars and venues served 14,258 cocktails, about 238 a minute – or nearly four cocktails every second. In the same hour, bar teams poured 9,625 shots and 3,953 Jägerbombs.

Across the weekend, revellers ordered 248,000 cocktails, with 171,000 of them sold on Halloween night alone. Sex on the Beach was the clear favourite with 31,000 served.

Shots were just as popular, with over 67,000 sold on Saturday night, led by Tequila Rose (26,900), which almost doubled Cuervo Silver (14,800). Partygoers also knocked back 49,000 Jägerbombs over the weekend.

Guinness was the most popular pint sold across Stonegate’s managed venues with 49,800 poured, ahead of Birra Moretti (40,800) and Cruzcampo (31,300).  Across Stonegate’s Craft Union pubs, over 289,000 pints were poured on Halloween night.

The turnout provides a welcome boost for Britain’s hospitality sector, which continues to face significant pressures from rising operating costs, business rates and wider economic conditions.

David McDowall, CEO of Stonegate Group, said: “Halloween has become one of the biggest occasions in the British pub calendar, and this year’s celebrations show just how much people still value a great night out.

From cocktails and late-night celebrations to packed community pubs, we saw people coming together across the country to enjoy the occasion. As always, I would like to thank our teams for working so hard to delight our guests.

“It is particularly encouraging at a time when pubs and bars continue to face significant pressures from rising costs and a challenging economic environment. They are a timely reminder of the important role our venues play in bringing people together, supporting local communities and keeping Britain’s social life thriving.”