Research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that, from 2007 to 2023, the proportion of young people aged 18 to 24 who don’t drink any alcohol rose from 13 to 23 per cent.
As some of the traditionally most eager participants in after-work drinks, this is having a big impact at the bar.
The second factor is the cost of living, with economic pressures adding up as going out becomes more expensive. When the price of everything increases, including the cost of a round of drinks, it decreases your ability to consume too many.
On top of this, our work cultures have also matured. The focus of socialising used to almost exclusively involve alcohol-heavy functions, but employees are now demanding different and better options. We no longer want to head to a pub just to sink beers with the boss, and expect more variety and creativity with how we connect.
The final nail in the coffin for Friday-night drinks is a sheer drop in numbers in the office on Fridays, with many hybrid workers preferring to spend the last day of the week in their homes, wrapping up work.
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The small signs of hope for the hospitality industry are the dispersion of crowds into the suburbs and the rise of Thursday-night drinks instead. Credit card data from the UK shows that spending in central London now peaks on Thursdays, instead of Fridays as it did in 2019.
As we finish our eulogy for Friday-night drinks, we always need to remember the good times. There were new connections, office relationships, unexpected friendships and countless stories where you just had to be there.
Of course, you can still get all these benefits from people who you work with. Friday-night drinks may be dying, but it doesn’t mean that creating deeper connections with your colleagues has to as well.
Tim Duggan is author of Work Backwards: The Revolutionary Method to Work Smarter and Live Better. He writes a regular newsletter at timduggan.substack.com
