Seasonal intelligence
When does your venue need you most?
Monthly occupancy, peak trading days, and quiet periods for UK pubs, restaurants and hotels — built from real industry data.
Pub demand is the most volatile of the three: a deep Dry January trough, a long summer garden run, and a December peak that can carry a fifth of the year's profit.
Monthly demand heat map
Trading volume index by month — hover or tap a tile for the insight.
Jan
55%
JanuaryVery quiet
- Trading volume
- 55%
- Very quiet band
- 55–62%
- Vs annual average
- -23pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Dry January trough — footfall and wet sales both dip hard.
Feb
65%
FebruaryQuiet
- Trading volume
- 65%
- Quiet band
- 63–70%
- Vs annual average
- -13pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Six Nations weekends and Valentine's food covers lift the mid-week lull.
Mar
72%
MarchSteady
- Trading volume
- 72%
- Steady band
- 71–78%
- Vs annual average
- -6pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
St Patrick's Day and Mother's Day drive two strong stand-alone trading days.
Apr
76%
AprilSteady
- Trading volume
- 76%
- Steady band
- 71–78%
- Vs annual average
- -2pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Easter and the first bank holidays open up outdoor trade.
May
82%
MayBusy
- Trading volume
- 82%
- Busy band
- 79–86%
- Vs annual average
- +4pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Two bank holidays plus long evenings — garden trade becomes the growth engine.
Jun
84%
JuneBusy
- Trading volume
- 84%
- Busy band
- 79–86%
- Vs annual average
- +6pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Father's Day, tournament football and sustained beer-garden demand.
Jul
86%
JulyBusy
- Trading volume
- 86%
- Busy band
- 79–86%
- Vs annual average
- +8pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
School holidays begin; family daytime trade adds to evening wet sales.
Aug
88%
AugustPeak
- Trading volume
- 88%
- Peak band
- 87–95%
- Vs annual average
- +10pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Summer high point — bank holiday weekend is often the year's best non-December week.
Sep
78%
SeptemberSteady
- Trading volume
- 78%
- Steady band
- 71–78%
- Vs annual average
- 0pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Trade normalises as the garden season closes; sport returns to the schedule.
Oct
74%
OctoberSteady
- Trading volume
- 74%
- Steady band
- 71–78%
- Vs annual average
- -4pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Quietest autumn month until Halloween weekend spikes late-night trade.
Nov
77%
NovemberSteady
- Trading volume
- 77%
- Steady band
- 71–78%
- Vs annual average
- -1pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Party enquiries convert — deposits taken now decide December's ceiling.
Dec
95%
DecemberPeak
- Trading volume
- 95%
- Peak band
- 87–95%
- Vs annual average
- +17pp
- Pubs range
- 55–95%
Annual peak — party bookings, walk-ins and New Year's Eve stacked together.
Colour scale — pubs trading volume
Range 55%–95%
Very quiet
55–62%
Jan
Quiet
63–70%
Feb
Steady
71–78%
Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov
Busy
79–86%
May, Jun, Jul
Peak
87–95%
Aug, Dec
Bands are scaled to each venue type, so a “peak” pub month and a “peak” hotel month sit at different absolute percentages.
Month-by-month — pubs trading volume
12 months
| Month | Trading volume | Band | Vs avg | Insight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55% | Very quiet | -23pp | Dry January trough — footfall and wet sales both dip hard. |
| February | 65% | Quiet | -13pp | Six Nations weekends and Valentine's food covers lift the mid-week lull. |
| March | 72% | Steady | -6pp | St Patrick's Day and Mother's Day drive two strong stand-alone trading days. |
| April | 76% | Steady | -2pp | Easter and the first bank holidays open up outdoor trade. |
| May | 82% | Busy | +4pp | Two bank holidays plus long evenings — garden trade becomes the growth engine. |
| June | 84% | Busy | +6pp | Father's Day, tournament football and sustained beer-garden demand. |
| July | 86% | Busy | +8pp | School holidays begin; family daytime trade adds to evening wet sales. |
| August | 88% | Peak | +10pp | Summer high point — bank holiday weekend is often the year's best non-December week. |
| September | 78% | Steady | 0pp | Trade normalises as the garden season closes; sport returns to the schedule. |
| October | 74% | Steady | -4pp | Quietest autumn month until Halloween weekend spikes late-night trade. |
| November | 77% | Steady | -1pp | Party enquiries convert — deposits taken now decide December's ceiling. |
| December | 95% | Peak | +17pp | Annual peak — party bookings, walk-ins and New Year's Eve stacked together. |
Annual average: 78% · Range: 55–95% · Bands scaled to pubs data.
Busiest days
- Friday
- Saturday (especially event-driven)
Quietest days
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
Peak & trough
Strongest month: December at 95%. Weakest month: January at 55%.
Around 80% of pub sales land before 9pm, with the sharpest peak between 6pm and 8pm.
Annual demand curve
Trading volume across the year, January to December.
Key events that spike demand
Christmas & New Year
Party bookings, walk-in wet trade and NYE ticketed events.
Six Nations
Five to six guaranteed high-volume weekend afternoons in Feb–Mar.
St Patrick's Day
A single-day wet-led spike with strong late trade.
Summer garden trade
May–Aug outdoor covers, weather-sensitive and hard to forecast.
Mother's Day
Highest food-led day of the spring — books out weeks ahead.
Halloween
Late-night, event-led weekend for wet and cocktail sales.
Major football tournaments
Euros and World Cups reshape the whole summer trading pattern.
Bank holidays
Sunday-night trade behaves like a Saturday.
What to do, quarter by quarter
Q1 · Jan–Mar
- Lock in Christmas party bookings now — run early-bird pricing through February to flatten the January lull.
- Build a Six Nations fixture calendar and pre-sell tables for every kick-off.
- Run a low- and no-alcohol menu push so Dry January drinkers still choose you.
Q2 · Apr–Jun
- Get garden photography shot and live on Google Business Profile before the first bank holiday.
- Price bank holiday Sundays as Saturdays and staff them accordingly.
- Launch Father's Day and tournament bookings eight weeks out.
Q3 · Jul–Sep
- Add family daytime offers to capture school-holiday footfall alongside evening trade.
- Capture emails and mobile numbers at peak — this is your cheapest December audience.
- Open Christmas enquiries in August while summer traffic is still high.
Q4 · Oct–Dec
- Ticket Halloween and NYE rather than relying on walk-ins.
- Chase party deposits weekly through November — unconfirmed enquiries decay fast.
- Book January's low- and no-alcohol campaign before the December rush starts.
Next step
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