How I Create Perfect Pub Crawls

In my time as a beer and travel writer I have written the odd pub crawl. Apart from loving the research side of it, I keep creating pub crawls because people keep doing them. In my opinion, people love pub crawls because they turn an ordinary spot of drinking into an event, an adventure and if you’re lucky, memories.

I’d love to talk about the art vs science method and formula that creates such a wonderful crawl but I’ll be honest with you and say that I’d be lying if I said such a thing existed. All it really comes down to is planning because without a plan it’s basically just a trip to the pub that might fail to get off the ground.

Ill-planned pub crawls often fail because people get too drunk, end up in the wrong place or can’t be bothered moving their ass after a few venues. To avoid wasting your time on such a misadventure, use these tips to plan pub successful pub crawls that are worth your time, effort and a place in your heart.

Think Small

“Pub crawls make a great couples activity!” - Katie (probably)

Pub crawls are not a case of ‘go big or go home’. There’s no need to shoot for the stars, all we are planning on is doing some drinking. If we bite off more than we can chew (gulp more than we can swallow?) we might find ourselves choking before we’re halfway there. Therefore, thinking small the smartest way to start planning a successful pub crawl.

Start by keeping your crawl crew small. Crawl crews of six or less have an easier time finding tables and have fewer expectations to manage. Next, pick an area that you’d like to crawl around so you don’t waste hours of the day half-cut on public transport.

And finally, select the venues you’d like to visit. Four venues is a good minimum, about six is good and eight is getting ambitious. Any more than eight and you are really going to have a dedicated crew and limit it to one drink per venue. Map out a path that minimises travel time and you’re almost done.

Other than your general location, the number one thing that should be guiding your venue choices is…

Variety

Nice pubs, rough pubs, posh pubs, cheap pubs, themed pubs, real pubs, dreamed pubs…

Pub crawls can be messy, tiring, loose, fast and chaotic but my golly they should never be boring. Above all else, the key to a memorable and worthy pub crawl comes down to one element; variety. What’s the point of moving your crew to another venue only to find it is much the same except there are no available tables and you missed happy hour while you were commuting? When choosing your venues select a group that has as much variety as possible.

For example, if you’re going to one very modern venue, try to go to another one that is rather old school, like some subterranean speakeasy themed joint. Then, counteract that with somewhere with unbeatable rooftop views. If you’re planning to go to a brewery, stop in somewhere known for cocktails, wine or spirits later on. Go somewhere you’ve been, go somewhere you haven’t and don’t be afraid to go to some place with a weird gimmick either.

When it comes to variety, another thing to consider is one of the most important pub crawl elements of all…

Food

Classic British pub food and spicey Chinese dishes are both great food choices in pub crawls, and in life.

Quick maths: drinking + time + walking = hunger. To stop the chance of you drunkenly abandoning your crawl, ensure you visit a few places where you can deliciously line your stomach.

Personally, I like to eat at roughly every second stop and I always want to finish with some food. For example, if I am planning a five stop crawl I’ll want to eat at stop 2 and stop 5, potentially grazing on something at stop 4. Additionally, I’ll be wanting the aforementioned variety and will plan to have a different cuisine or style of food whenever I eat. Remember, you don’t have to eat at a venue. Ending the night on a kebab is always a good thought, as is walking through an area where you know there will be food trucks.

Keeping yourself fuelled is one of the key elements not only to a successful pub crawl but to one worth doing. Booze and food are best friends and you deserve to spend time with them.

And in reality, that’s it. I’m not much of a planning guy but it only really takes less than an hours research to put together a fun pub crawl for you and a few friends, one that might even make the odd memory or two.