The deck might be packed in summer, but you can’t build your business around the weather. The best way to ensure your bar or brewery is packed all year round is by hosting events — and if you need a hand coming up with bar event ideas, we’re here to help.

At Eventbrite, our researchers are constantly searching for event trends to help our global community of event creators come up with the fun events, theme nights, and special event ideas their customers want.

So, are you ready to host amazing events at your bar? Check out our comprehensive list of bar, brewery, and pub event ideas — from the old classics to some quirkier experiences.

Table of Contents

Classic bar event ideas

Collaborative bar events

Newsworthy bar event ideas

Community bar event ideas

Games night bar event ideas

Themed night bar event ideas

TV and film bar event ideas

Patrons at a bar dance and drink on the floor
PINK FUZZ + Floating Witch’s Head + MOS / Duck Club / Boise, ID

Why is it important to have fun bar events?

It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking at game nights, karaoke nights, open mic nights, or even just showing a sports event on the big screen — bar events help to build a positive atmosphere in your bar. And according to researchers, when the atmosphere is good, people spend more time (and money). In fact, hosting a live music event in Australia averages a 3:1 benefit-to-cost ratio.

Translation: Hosting social events in your bar is good for your bottom line.

But hosting events and themed nights isn’t all about profits and foot traffic. Bar events are a brilliant way to engage customers and build a community. Our 2023 Event Trends Report found that most people aren’t just looking to attend an event — they want an experience. 

If you can provide your customers with a unique experience, you’ll turn them into loyal customers. This creates a sense of community around your venue, enabling you to bond with regulars and the local area.

Those strong links also mean you can leverage the power of word-of-mouth. If people love your bar and the events you’re putting on, they’ll spread the word for you — and no amount of advertising can replace that.

Jazz band performs on stage in front of crowd
Emmet Cohen Trio / Birdland Jazz Club / New York, NY

Classic bar event ideas

Remember: they’re classics for a reason. Do one of these well, and your bar will reach its target audience and quickly become famous for hosting the best nights in town.

To help you decide which ideas for bar events are best for your venue, we’ve rated each of these concepts on a scale of one to three based on space requirements, equipment needed, and staffing requirements.

1. Live music 

Live music is a surefire way to attract a crowd and boost engagement. Consider reaching out to local bands who are eager to perform for the exposure. Alternatively, take the event up a notch by booking popular artists and selling tickets at the entrance. This not only creates excitement but also encourages interaction and participation from the audience.

Want to kick it up even more? Take a page out of event creator DJ Pilo’s book. Their Latin Motion event doesn’t just have a live Latin band — they also hired professional performers and DJs to keep people dancing.

2. Trivia night 

Trivia night is a classic crowd-pleaser. Businesses like Funky Bunch Entertainment will even send an emcee to your venue and run a world-class trivia night that’ll put your pub on the map. 

You can make trivia nights a weekly thing to combat traditionally slow nights. For example, The Retreat Hotel in Brunswick hosts a pub quiz every Monday and Tuesday to keep regulars coming back.

3. Comedy night

Book out your back room and start networking with the comedy community in your local area. The best thing about up-and-coming comedians is that they’re always looking for exposure. Who knows who you’ll uncover!

For lessons in best practice, take a look at event creator Laugh Lab in Adelaide. Their open mic nights for new comedians are a brilliant way to build a community around your bar.

4. ‘Special’ night

Steak nights, parma nights, half-price pint nights, taco Tuesdays, $1 wing nights… you know the deal. Put a certain product on special for one night only and watch that product’s fans flock.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, event creator Bondi Lines does a weekly Soda day where everybody gets a free house drink on arrival.

5. Bottomless anything

Appealing to the gluttonous nature of society, there’s a current trend in “bottomless” or “all you can eat/drink” events in Australia. 

The idea is that people pay an entry price to have access to as much of a certain product as they want — and savvy consumers love it. 

At The Pickle & The Patty’s weekly ALL YOU CAN EAT & DRINK events, patrons who purchase a ticket get 90 minutes of bottomless booze (including house beer, classic cocktails, or wine), a burger, and an endless supply of wings and sides.

Women laugh sitting at table with beer and pizza
Macoletta Williamsburg Pizza Making Class / Macoletta / Brooklyn, NY

Collaborative bar events

Partnering with another business, brand or organisation is a clever way to half the effort and double the reach. This can be done super successfully with food providers in bars and visa-versa with breweries at restaurants. 

6. Tap takeover

Have a local brewer or popular bartender take over your taps for a night and do a range of specials to promote their products. This works well for new product launches, offering a first taste of the newest brews in town.

To see it in practice, look at The Kewdale Tavern and their Coopers Vintage Tap Takeover event featuring six special releases.

7. Tasting night or ‘Urban Cellar Door’

Reach out to some wineries or distilleries to see if they’re keen on setting up a pop-up tasting table at your venue. Perhaps they’ll loan you a sommelier to charm guests with their knowledge for a night or curate a food and drink menu pairing.

As an example, check out Two Before Ten’s Rump and Reds. The venue partnered with Linear Wines to offer diners a unique experience combining delicious food with specially paired local wines.

8. Pop-up guest

Partnering with another well-known name in the industry is a great way to draw a crowd. 

For example, getting a popular food truck to set up in your car park like Whitehart Bar in Melbourne recently did with Primo Street Pizza. It works particularly well when their product compliments yours perfectly, like pizza and beer!

9. Bar crawl

Everyone loves a good crawl. Team up with other local establishments to create a themed bar crawl and super-size the event’s outreach through each venue’s promotional channels. Just make sure you work with the other venues to prepare for the onslaught of customers when the crawl is live. 

For a unique take on the traditional bar crawl, take a look at event creator Puppy Pub Crawl. They specialise in social events that connect dog owners to dog-friendly bars in their local area.

10. Charity event 

Partner with a charity to either host an event or donate a percentage of purchases to a good cause. We saw this in many pubs around Australia as they supported the Beers for the Bush campaign. 

Event creator Worthy Australia is a great example. At their Saving Sixteen Annual Charity Event, 100% of ticket sales go directly to support women and children escaping domestic violence.

Crowd dances at bar event for Pride
Heyday – 80s Dance Party – Pride Edition! / Nonsense ATL / Atlanta, GA

Newsworthy bar event ideas

If you have a newsworthy idea, you might be surprised at how easy it is to get a local journo down to run a story. 

In the hospitality industry, targeting cultural go-to publications like Broadsheet, The Urban List or Time Out makes more sense than mainstream news agencies.

11. Break a record

The biggest pizza. The fastest time to peel and eat an orange. The most juice extracted from grapes by treading in three minutes. The most hamburgers eaten in three minutes. 

These records will be hard to beat. But you could shoot for a local or unique world record.

For example, event creator One Life Live It is planning a Guinness World Record attempt in January to create the world’s biggest group ice bath.

12. Celebrity guest

Getting a local celebrity through the doors to host an event is a surefire way to attract media attention. It doesn’t have to be an A-lister… aim for B or C!

Want to see how a celebrity guest can get people in the door? Look no further than SLAY Presents Brisbane PRIDE After Party Ft Kitty Glitter. The Brisbane Pride Fair Day after-party already looked brilliant — but add in one of Australia’s top drag queens as a special guest, and you’ve got a recipe for success.

13. Competitive eating

Give the people something ridiculously large to eat in a short period of time, promise them a free t-shirt and photo on your wall of fame, and they’ll come out to play. 

Hopefully, the journos will too.

You can even incorporate an eating competition into part of a broader event. That’s what event creator Sweet As Dessert Festival has done with their upcoming Brisbane Dessert Festival. The event combines eating competitions with cake decorating contests, cooking demonstrations, and lots of stalls to keep guests going.

14. Celebrate a milestone

Find something — anything — to celebrate: political milestones, the anniversary of your opening, the football team’s last premiership, a local hero’s birthday, or the 100-year anniversary of your building. 

You can even kick your milestone party up a notch like Ripple Presents is doing. To celebrate their sixth birthday, they’re turning the Top Yard Rooftop into a big top circus.

Couple play giant jinga outdoors on table
Avocadocon / Avocadocon / San Francisco, CA

Community bar event ideas

A good pub or brewery is as much a part of the community as the Post Office or corner store. Try hosting an event that brings everyone together.

15. Street party

Drop pamphlets in the letterboxes down your street to let the neighborhood know everyone’s welcome for an upcoming get-together. Perhaps talk to your local council about spilling out onto the street with some stalls or activities.

To see how a street party is done the right way, take a look at event creator Erin Madeley Consulting and their upcoming George Street Festival. With food, music, activities for kids, and retail stalls, this East Fremantle street party has got something for everyone.

16. Sponsor a local club

If there’s a local sports club or social group in your area, offer them a regular reservation and exclusive drink special, or perhaps throw some sponsorship dollars behind the club for some cross-promotion. Hopefully, their members and fans will become regulars.

Share your events with your community with automated emails.

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An attendant checks people in using a tablet

17. Business networking

Entice the nearby office building to host their Friday afternoon meetings at your pub with an attractive drink special or catering package. 

That’s exactly what The Pirate Bar is doing with event creator Facilit8 and their Facilit8 Business Networking Sundowner. Events like this are a great way to establish new links with local businesses (and establish your bar as a great meeting point).

18. Speed dating

More singles are turning back to real-life dating events to meet potential partners. In fact, Eventbrite has seen a whopping 389% increase in the number of real-life dating events added to the platform over the last five years in Australia. 

This could be your opportunity to cash in on “Tinder fatigue.” 

Take a look at event creator Cheeky Events Australia and their wide range of speed dating events. By opening their doors to events like this, pubs and bars set themselves up for great repeat business — and might even become part of somebody’s love story!

Bar patrons playing table soccer

Games night bar event ideas

There’s an inner kid in all of us who can’t resist a good game — so why not host a games night at your bar? It’s an easy way to engage with potential customers and excite regulars with something different.

19. Board games

Board games are definitely back in fashion. Fill the tables with classic games like Cluedo, Monopoly, Battleships, Jenga, or chess. They’re all a lot more fun with a fully-stocked bar at hand.

To see how it’s done right, check out ​​Board Game BBQ’s Brisbane Game Day at the WestsideHQ in Brisbane. It’s got great food and drinks, classic games, and it’s family-friendly. What’s not to like?

20. Bar games

Host a pub classic tournament with games like darts, pool, and table soccer. 

You can even make it a regular thing. That’s what event creator ​​Prohibition Liquor Co has done with their monthly Prohibition Ping Pong Club. With a ticket to compete, guests also get a G&T from the bar and a gourmet toastie.

21. Beer Olympics

Gather team entries, draw a country for each team to represent, and then host an evening of games to compete in. Think beer pong, boat races, flip-cup, etc. 

For a different take, look at Sasquatch Bar and their Brewery Throwdown 2023 event. Rather than pit drinkers against each other, they created their own idea where attendees sample and vote for the best beers in a round-robin tournament.

22. Poker night

Book your function room one night a week and get the chips out for fun prizes.

If you want to attract some pros from further afield, you can even hold a high-stakes event like event creator Stacked Social’s big Stacked Poker Challenge in July. They even organised a holiday to Las Vegas for the winner.

Women in 90s outfits dance in a club
Heyday – 80s Dance Party – Pride Edition! / Nonsense ATL / Atlanta, GA

Themed night bar event ideas

Not everyone loves to dress up — but a lot of people do! That means your options here are endless, so here are a few of our favourite themed night ideas.

23. Pick a decade

Whether it’s the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, or 2000s, each decade has its own iconic look and music to get the party started. 

Want to see how this theme is executed correctly? Check out event creator The Bait Shop and their recent 90s House Party. They had 90s-themed drinks, the decade’s biggest tunes, and even a prize for the best double denim outfit.

24. Cash in on pop-culture

Keep your ear to the ground to pick up on popular trends such as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, or the latest binge-worthy TV series. Just make sure you learn from one Melbourne pub’s experience and check the copyright legalities first.

For example, take Grape Vine Events and their STRANGER THINGS Trivia [CURRUMBIN] quiz night. This is a great way to cash in on popularity for a big TV show without having to put together a huge themed event.

25. Celebrate a community sector

Champion one community sector with its own themed night, like single parents, accountants, cat owners, or specific student groups (who hardly need an excuse to attend a bar).

That’s what event creator Unify Media has done with its Melbourne International Students and Migrants Meetup. Setting up shop at Chai Shai, this event looks to build bonds between international students across the area.

Group of par patrons sit watching multiple sports games

TV and film bar event ideas

If you don’t have a big screen at your bar or brewery, it might be worth investing. TV and movies have a way of bringing people together — and so it’s easy to build events around exciting broadcasts or unique screenings.

26. Major sporting events

People love to gather at a venue to watch the big game. Make your venue a go-to spot with a reliable big screen and plenty of viewing spots. If you’re looking for a mid-week crowd, a lot of US sports play Monday–Friday, and the time difference is usually friendly for Australian viewing.

There are lots of great recent examples of this in practice, thanks to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. But the idea works with pretty much any sports games or sports teams.

27. Popular TV series

Some popular TV shows are particularly hard to stream in Australia, or require an uncommon subscription. 

This could be your opportunity to gather a crowd around your big screen. Be warned, though: There are legal requirements about broadcasting commercially or in a public venue.

For inspiration, check out Events x Grove ​and their DRAG RACE DOWN UNDER VIEWING PARTY. By combining it with a happy hour, this one viewing that patrons will love.

28. Movie marathon

You may be surprised at how many hours die-hard (or Die Hard) fans are willing to put into a movie marathon. Or spread your viewings out over a week to keep them coming back each night. 

If you want to attract college students, you could screen something unique like the UQU’s APS x International Movie Night. Again, there are legal requirements associated with licenses to show films in public. Check out screenrights.org for further information.

Bartender smiles while pouring a pint
Bacon & Beer Festival Classic / Canonball Productions / San Francisco, CA

Start promoting your bar events

All of these events can be easily set up as unticketed crowd-drawers. 

However, this does make it hard for you to plan and execute a successful event — especially if you don’t know how many people to expect. We all know that hundreds of “interested” people on Facebook can often turn out to be two tables of four. 

Creating a ticketed event with Eventbrite allows you to:

There’s so much you can do to promote your next event and fill your venue.