We can’t ignore the fact that over a quarter of us hit alcohol harder during the summer months. Research, conducted by Club Soda, the Mindful Drinking Movement, shows that 1 in 3 (33%) UK adults who drink will have at least one hangover per week this summer, adding up to an average of nearly two whole weeks of hangover days over the summer months for every UK adult. That’s two weeks that could be spent doing something else.

While the research confirms the ongoing trend that young people are drinking less, it shows that as a whole the UK loses a massive 706 million summer days to hangovers.  

In the UK, 57% of adults drink alcohol (down on previous years), but the data also shows that 1 in 5 of those drinkers are looking to reduce the amount they drink.

When asked what they would do instead of nursing a hangover, the most popular answers were holiday/travel (38%), sleep (33%), time with family/loved ones (27%), hobbies and personal projects (26%), socialising (25%), sport or fitness (25%) and dating or sex (21%).

Club Soda is the UK’s Mindful Drinking Movement. They support individuals to rethink their drinking habits, have built an online guide featuring the best pubs and bars for mindful drinkers, and curate the best alcohol-free drinks at the Mindful Drinking Festivals. Club Soda already has 35,000 members who are actively changing their drinking habits.

Since the first festival launched in the summer of 2017, the mindful drinking scene has grown substantially and the demand for low and no alcohol drinks is ever increasing. The movement hopes that the rapid growth of adult alternatives will help us reclaim some of our summer and spend it on more fun. (Just check out some of the smiling faces at last summer’s event)

Club Soda co-founder Laura Willoughby MBE, said: ‘While everyone gets excited about doing a dry January, the best months for reaping the benefits of a booze-free month are the summer ones. Think about it. Warm weather, long days, and your summer break are all things we look forward to enjoying. Surely we want to make the most of them, rather than dozing off in a deck chair after a boozy afternoon?

‘An alcohol-free night out can give you superpowers the next day, and the new wave of alcohol-free drinks makes this even easier to achieve. There are now plenty of zero proof beers, spirits, craft sodas and cocktails that make any night out feel special and last longer – and make sure your hangover does not get in the way of your weekend!’

The free-to-attend festival will be showcasing 40 of the best tasting adult-orientated drinks brands in the industry, some recognisable from previous events and others which are brand new. Many of the drink producers are London based – including millennials making drinks for their peers and new women innovators. The event is expected to attract over 5,000 fans, from the sober curious and mums-to-be, to foodies and fitness fanatics.

Visitors will get the chance to taste the new wave of alcohol-free drinks including beers, spirits, wines, kombuchas, shrubs, elixirs and a whole host of delicious cocktails invented by radical alchemists, before soaking up the sunshine in a deck chair to enjoy live DJ sets from London’s musical talent.

Sponsors include Lindeman’s Wines, Big Drop Brewing Co and CEDER’S Alt-Gin. There will be launches, tastings and surprises from both festival sponsors and new craft producers alike – there’s something for everyone and for every occasion.

The Festival will feature:

• Zero to 0.5% abv drinks; beers, wines, ciders, cocktails, ‘spirits’ and adult soft drinks.
• Tasting sessions from producers and experts, including cocktail masterclasses in partnership with La Maison Wellness.
• Free samples of some of the newest and most exciting drinks available.

The Club Soda Mindful Drinking Festival is hosted by Spitalfields Market in east London, on Saturday 20th July from 11am to 5pm.