Go Sober in October: Going out Without Alcohol Just Got Easier

Combining an alcohol-free lifestyle with a busy social life is getting easier than ever. The number of dedicated ‘sober’ events on events marketplace Eventbrite grew by 67% in 2023, when more than 20,000 attendees joined non-alcoholic events across the UK. And Eventbrite has already listed more sober events in 2024 than in the whole of last year.

The top five host cities for the number of sober events being held are (from one to five) – London, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Southampton.

There has been a real diversification of the kind of sober events on offer, too. Sober raves and parties, alcohol-free mixology and mocktail making classes, dance classes, quizzes, business networking, meditations, LGTBQ+ events and ecstatic dance sessions are just some of the alcohol-free events sober-curious people can discover on Eventbrite. 

Following in the path of celebrities like Cara Delevingne, Eva Mendes, Kate Moss, Tom Holland and Daniel Radcliffe, many people in the UK are exploring sobriety and are looking for events that support this lifestyle. The most recent ONS study on adult drinking habits reported that 20.4% of people said they did not drink at all, with a higher proportion of women than men claiming to be teetotal. 

“The sheer number of sober events in our event listings show that event organisers have quickly responded to this growing interest in an alcohol-free lifestyle. And we are not looking at moralistic finger wagging here, either. These events offer fun, social, and educational alternatives to their alcoholic cousins. The events on Eventbrite tend to mirror social trends and while events peak in Dry January and Go Sober in October, there’s a wide variety of events throughout the year for people who people who want to get a buzz out of going out without being buzzed,” said Eventbrite’s Sebastian Boppert.

The top five host cities for the number of sober events being held are (from one to five) – London, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Southampton.