100+ Event Ideas for Bars & Pubs

Filter through our 100+ bar event ideas to find clever & fun ways to draw patrons to your pub. Share your pub event ideas with us too!

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Couples Game Night

A Couples Game Night gives you the chance to surprise and delight pairs of couples and build affinity toward your…

Couples Game Night

Book Club Event

offer a unique fusion of literary exploration and social gathering, creating a special experience for bookworms and enthusiasts.

Book Club event - people's hands going through bookpages

Hold an Art Exhibition

Explore unique artwork, engage in interactive activities, and connect with talented artists, all while enjoying our vibrant atmosphere and refreshing…

Art Exhibition at a Bar

Exciting Language Exchange

Create a welcoming environment, foster meaningful connections, and provide engaging activities that promote language fluency and intercultural understanding.

To host a language exchange event

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

Attract customers and create a festive atmosphere at your bar with our guide to hosting an unforgettable Ugly Christmas Sweater…

ugly christmas sweater contest

Black Friday Escape

Escape the Black Friday frenzy and unwind at our bar! Enjoy themed cocktails, live entertainment, and cozy relaxation stations.

Black Friday Sign

Bar Block Party

Host a sensational bar block party that brings together the community for an unforgettable experience.

Hosting a Bar Block Party

Host an After Party

By extending the festivities beyond the main event, after party events provide an unique opportunity to attract new customers and…

hosting an after party

Host an Inspiring Charity Event

By organizing charity events, you can showcase your bar as a socially responsible venue that cares about giving back.

Hosting a charity event

Pub & Bar Event Ideas FAQs

All of the incredible bar ideas above are just the thing to make your bar more interesting.

But nothing is more interesting than you and your staff. The most important factor turning a patron into a regular is their relationship with you and your bar.

If you want an interesting bar be sure to train your staff to care about the clients and the service they provide. These event ideas may be helpful but they won’t help if your staff doesn’t care about guests.

Each event is a little different but no matter what promotion is key. You have to get the word out and that can involve your marketing tools. Are you spreading the word on social media? Do you have an email list with hundreds of clients on it you can send emails to? Can you announce it on your website? You have to build your marketing tools. Let us know if we can help you with a beautiful new website.

The short answer is yes. But the longer answer is a little more detail. A successful bar has a base clientele of regulars. These are the people who come once a week or more and consider your place their second home. You have to build these regulars in order to make money. They’re the ones who will call their friends to meet them at your location. Giving them a reason to show up with these ideas can be just the thing.

Many of these event ideas are perfect for small bars. Some of them you may have to scale down but for the most part small bars will find an abundance of ideas to try out above.

We haven’t put one on but if you’d like us to add a filter for smaller bars we could do that.

Yes you could just have board games available and a foosball table and some other simpler bar activities. These are always popular with guests and don’t require much effort on your part. They are not included above however as they can not really be considered “events” as they don’t require much arrangement and thought.

Pub stands out because of its clientele. If you wanna stand out talk to people in your bar. Ask them why they came. Ask them why they frequent other bars. There’s nothing you can do better than learning from your existing patrons. Be sure to ask them how you can improve your services as well! 

And have thick skin. Let them criticize you and take it gracefully. 

Yes, events can make a bar interesting but people don’t go to events to hang out by themselves. Go to events because they like the other people who have attended. If you have a client who seems to attract other people take good care of them. Give him a free drink here and there or maybe comp their attendance fee for a few events.

If you want an interesting bar you better have interesting patrons – In addition to good food good drinks lovely atmosphere and a great location and a friendly staff. All the basics that every business requires.