Pubs across Salisbury set to benefit from Coronation celebrations
£120 million could go into the industry this weekend
Last updated 3rd May 2023
With people up and down the country ramp up preparations for the King’s Coronation, the weekend’s celebrations are expected to provide local pubs with a much-needed boost.
As much as £120 million could be injected into the industry, which has been battling the cost of closure during the pandemic and the recent cost-of-living crisis.
Shane O’Neil runs the Old Ale and Coffee House in Salisbury and says Bank Holiday weekends play a crucial role in managing a pub:
“Anything which gives people a reason to celebrate and be with friends and family is a great thing,” he said.
The pub, on Crane Street, has a garden for customers to use and has also been planning some ‘specials’ for the historic weekend.
Shane said: “We’ve got some delicious specials that our chef is cooking up for us, and then we’ve got some special cocktails to reflect the occasion, alongside a fantastic playlist that we’ve put together.”
The financial gain from such a weekend, so close to the regular long weekends in May, is helpful for pubs, but Shane believes having three Bank Holiday’s so close together could be “problematic” in the current cost-of-living crisis.
“To have two ‘party weekends’ is difficult for some people. A lot people are going to be involved in street parties but they’re going to want to be in a pub for the evening,” Shane said.
And while it has been difficult for independent pubs, Shane reckons things are improving even though he says it’s becoming ‘increasingly difficult’ not to put customers prices up.
Hamptworth's The Cuckoo Inn is also preparing for the bumper Coronation Weekend.
The pub, recently named Cider Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale, is putting on live music, free cake and has coronation themed Ale's and Guest Ciders.
Pub owner Nik Ampliantis wants to "spice it up a bit" for the celebratory weekend. He added that it was important for pubs like his, which has a small inside space, to make the most of the Bank Holiday weekends.
"The profit is coming mostly from Spring and Summer, and a little bit from Autumn. When the weather is good, people will travel, they won't stay at home."