Many employers are replacing traditional alcohol-fueled Christmas parties with more sober affairs, including afternoon activities, as demand shifts to alcohol-free, activity-based events that start during work hours. Companies are opting for events like wreath-making, indoor crazy golf, and laser clay-pigeon shooting, reflecting a trend towards healthier, more engaging options as drinking until the early hours declines.
Participation in parties that started at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. at Convene’s London office space was 45% higher compared with parties that started at 6 p.m., indicating a rising interest in daytime events, the Financial Times reports. Employers, including banks and law firms, are opting for smaller team events instead of large company-wide parties.
This shift is partly driven by the younger generation embracing healthier lifestyles. The Financial Times quoted a banker stating, “Gen Z doesn’t drink as much. Very different crowd to when I started in banking.” Generation Z, those born after 1996, are valuing health and rejecting the culture of being forced to drink.
A poll of 2,000 adults who celebrate Christmas and drink alcohol found that those born after 1996 were most likely to go without booze, according to The Sun. Nearly half of Generation Z drinkers are planning a teetotal Christmas. In contrast, only 6% of Baby Boomers plan to avoid alcohol during Christmas this year, as reported by the Daily Star Frontpage.
The motivation behind the trend among younger drinkers includes a healthier lifestyle, financial mindfulness, and the empowerment of making personal choices regarding alcohol consumption. Many younger drinkers are motivated to reduce their alcohol intake by a desire for a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.
Over half of adults believe that festive parties now offer low- or no-alcohol drinks more frequently than they did five years ago. According to The Sun, 55% of respondents feel that the variety of low- or no-alcohol drink options has significantly improved over the past five years. The improvement in quality makes the experience of drinking low or no-alcohol beverages more enjoyable.
Brian Perkins, president of Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, who commissioned the study, said: “Moderation is no longer limited to awareness months and days, it is now part of our everyday lives,” as reported by The Sun. He added: “Efforts to moderate in January have been brought forward into the festive period, and throughout the rest of the year, as we see more people choosing no-and-low alcohol alternatives as their drink of choice.” He concluded: “To help people moderate, it is important they have options available to do so; that’s why we pride ourselves on having a strong no-and-low portfolio which is growing from strength to strength.”
The preference to moderate drinking rises to 35% among the youngest workers, according to the Daily Star Frontpage. A quarter of respondents prefer to moderate their drinking with no-and-low alcohol options at work Christmas parties.
The Financial Times reports that companies like Pizza Pilgrims are seeing record Christmas bookings this year, boosted by new initiatives like Pizza Masterclasses, which are popular with corporate clients. Thom Elliot, co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, says, “It’s much more experiential… and it’s been so popular.”
Other companies are offering creative workshops such as Christmas wreath-making and candle-making, providing engaging alternatives to traditional parties. Alice Howard, owner of London-based Botanique Workshop, has seen a sharp rise in requests from law firms, banks, and PR agencies for Christmas workshops, including making wreaths, according to the Financial Times.
Julia Green, head of corporate events at Center Parcs conferences and events, agrees that expectations around alternatives to alcohol have changed. She states, “We are seeing a different generation [of] event planners. They are looking at things differently. In the past there was a formula to an event. It’s not just orange juice as an alternative to prosecco. We’re being asked to match the quality.”
The trend of alcohol-free events is supported by research showing that such environments contribute positively to employee morale and engagement. According to research commissioned by catering group Compass, some 24% of UK workers said alcohol was “something [they] would want to see” at work-related social events, while a quarter of employees in 21 countries wanted alcohol at work events and 39 percent requested activities that did not involve alcohol.
The shift away from boozy late-night parties is also influenced by legal considerations. Tim Martin, chair of JD Wetherspoon, noted there are fewer formal office parties this year. He adds, “There’s more legal pressure on companies now to take charge of people during office parties, as lawyers are always pointing out the dangers of companies organising [these events],” according to the Financial Times.
The report “Sexism in the City” published this year by the Treasury select committee found that “many of the worst cases of sexual harassment took place outside the office, happening, for example, at conferences and drinks events,” the Financial Times reports. Last year, the Chartered Management Institute found almost a third of managers had witnessed inappropriate behaviour or harassment at a work party.
Laura Willoughby, founder of Club Soda, which advocates for mindful drinking, notes that younger workers are “the most sober generation”. She states, “They’re keen not to get too drunk, have embarrassing pictures on Instagram, and feel anxious. [The] ladette generation were taught that alcohol helped anxiety, the younger generation know alcohol makes it worse,” as reported by the Financial Times.
An increasing trend of people “bookending” an evening out with soft drinks or alternating non-alcoholic with alcoholic drinks, known as “zebra striping,” is observed. One survey found two in three adults (rising to 78% of 18 to 24-year-olds) moderate their alcohol consumption by mixing it up this way, according to the Financial Times.
This cultural shift is also reflected in other countries. In South Korea, a lifestyle called “Sober Life” is spreading among Generation Z, emphasizing light enjoyment of social activities instead of excessive drinking, where individuals either abstain from alcohol or consume only small amounts to avoid intoxication, reported Segye.
