Boozy Brits are set for a summer of small talk as pubs pack out for Euro 2024.
With England and Scotland games live on TV from this weekend as they compete for European glory, thousands if not millions are expected to descend on their local to watch with an atmosphere.
And with it, countless conversations with strangers will be struck up whether queueing for the bar or in the loos, something which a booze expert says would be weird doing so anywhere else.
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Pete Brown, drinking culture journalist, said; “The British pub has evolved as a wonderful complement for who we are. We’re traditionally known to be quite reserved, stiff upper lip. The pub is this unique place where, when you’re at the bar, you can start talking to a stranger and it’s not weird
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“Pub connections can be just a few minutes which make you feel a bit happier. Or they could be the start of lifelong friendships.”
“The pub is the great leveller – once you walk over the threshold, you’re in a unique space where you can talk to everyone and anyone. As someone who is nervous about approaching people I don’t know, I’ve experienced both. And everything in between.”
Such chats strike a pretty serious note, the boss of a loneliness charity says, and can often go some way towards saving a life.
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According to a study from HEINEKEN UK and Marmalade Trust, 54% of Brits say those small moments of connection they experience in pubs makes them feel less lonely. Almost one in three people say that the pub is the place where they are most likely to have laughed or smiled during an exchange with a stranger.
Incredibly over half say they’ve forged on-going friendship with a once-stranger they met in a pub.
Ron Moody, CEO of the Marmalade Trust, said: “There will be many moments happening in the great British pub this summer, packed to the rafters with fans cheering on their teams. But whilst you’re queuing up at the bar this ‘Euros season’ perhaps take this as an opportunity to strike up a friendly conversation, meet someone new and connect.
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“They are the focal points of our communities and the comforting homes from home we go to unwind at the end of long days and relax in on weekends. To kick-off this year’s Loneliness Awareness Week, new research has been released today showing that pubs are officially the places where we’re most likely to talk to new people and forge new connections.”
He added: “Perhaps next time you are down at your local pub, ask them how their day is. You never know, it could lead to a lasting friendship”.
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