Wednesday 28 October to Tuesday 10 November 2026
Was it
just you?
A dead Saturday or a heaving Tuesday usually has a reason. What real trade did against a normal week, the days that caused it, and what the rest of the country reported, so you can tell a quiet room from a quiet city.
What the market actually did
Every bar is a published read of real trade for this window, from national and regional trackers, against what is typical for the time of year. Zero is a normal week. Bars below the line mean the whole market traded down, so a quiet room was not your fault. Where no real number exists, there is no bar; nothing here is modelled or guessed.
- UK managed-venue drinks sales, week to 31 Oct: -1.5% vs typical (NIQ Daily Drinks Tracker (national, vs same week 2025))
- Beer in managed venues, week to 31 Oct: +2.9% vs typical (NIQ Daily Drinks Tracker (national))
- Spirits in managed venues, week to 31 Oct: -16.9% vs typical (NIQ Daily Drinks Tracker (national))
- UK high-street footfall, half-term week to 31 Oct: +2.7% vs typical (MRI Software OnLocation (national, vs same week 2025))
- UK footfall, all destinations, October: -0.7% vs typical (MRI Software OnLocation (national, vs October 2025))
A dry fortnight that ran mostly to script. Halloween on a Saturday did nothing for drinks sales nationally, down 1.8% on the day, but Southampton's version had Saints beating QPR 4-1, three liners and no rain, and it was the standout day. Fireworks Saturday, the fortnight's biggest call, stayed dry and still, though the one dining room we can see had a quiet night, perhaps because families went to the display and kept themselves for Diwali on the Sunday. One night is not a pattern, so the model is unchanged. Looking ahead, Thursday to Sunday stay dry and cold as the Christmas market opens on 12 November; then a wet, windy spell arrives on Monday night and lasts through Tuesday 17 November (about 20mm and gusts near 40mph, no Met Office warning yet).
Same week, six different trades
The city average hides more than it shows. The same fortnight treated a beer garden and an indoor curry house like different economies. Find your kind of venue.
| Your kind of venue | The week |
|---|---|
| Pub or bar with a garden Mixed week |
Eleven of fourteen days stayed dry, but highs fell to 9 to 12C from 1 November, so gardens were for smokers rather than sitting out. Beer (+2.9%) and cider (+3.9%) held up nationally in the week to 31 October, which helps any pub, garden or not. |
| Wet-led pub, no garden Good week |
The best-placed type: beer and cider growth in the Halloween week, a 3pm Saints win on 31 October filling the St Mary's and Above Bar pubs, and away games on 3 and 7 November on screens. High-street footfall in half-term week ran 2.7% up on last year. |
| Indoor sit-down restaurant Mixed week |
Wine fell 3.4% and spirits 16.9% in managed venues in the week to 31 October, the drinks a dinner table buys. Locally the curry house we track had a good week to 8 November (13% over forecast on sales) but a quiet fireworks Saturday, half a normal one. |
| Food-led pub Mixed week |
No segment read was published for these two weeks. Cold, dry Sundays on 1 and 8 November suit a roast, but the national drinks numbers say the spend per head on spirits and wine was soft. |
| Takeaway and delivery Mixed week |
NIQ reads the flat Halloween as more people staying in, which should help, but a dry fortnight takes away the wet-night push delivery depends on, and no platform published numbers for the window. Only Tuesday 10 November had the kind of evening rain that sends orders up. |
| Cafe Good week |
Half-term week brought families into town on dry, mild days around 15C, with high-street footfall up 2.7% on last year nationally, and WestQuay on Ice open daily. After half-term, cold weekdays make a hot drink the easy sell. |
What was actually on
| Day | What was on |
|---|---|
| Wed 28 Oct 15.5C, dry, gusts to 25mph |
Half-term week with SIX at the Mayflower and WestQuay on Ice open; a mild, dry midweek. |
| Thu 29 Oct 15.5C, dry, gusts to 16mph |
SIX at the Mayflower and Celebrating Celine at the O2 Guildhall on a dry half-term Thursday. |
| Fri 30 Oct 15.5C, dry, gusts to 19mph |
Bargate market, SIX and a comedy night at the O2 Guildhall; nationally Friday drinks sales fell 7.6% on last year. |
| Sat 31 Oct 14.3C, dry and still, gusts to 15mph |
The fortnight's clear hit: dry Halloween, Saints beat QPR 4-1 at St Mary's at 3pm, three liners turned round and SIX closed. |
| Sun 1 Nov 9.9C, dry but cold and grey |
Cold, grey Sunday after Halloween with the cruise weekend rhythm and WestQuay on Ice. |
| Mon 2 Nov 11.2C, dry, gusts to 30mph |
A quiet Monday lifted only by a Danny Elfman film-music concert at the O2 Guildhall. |
| Tue 3 Nov 12.1C, dry and bright, gusts to 33mph |
The Choir of Man opened at the Mayflower; Saints drew 1-1 away at West Brom that evening. |
| Wed 4 Nov 9.7C, a trace of rain after midnight, gusts to 33mph |
The Choir of Man at the Mayflower on a cold, breezy Wednesday. |
| Thu 5 Nov 10.4C, a passing shower around 5pm, gusts to 20mph |
Bonfire Night fell on a Thursday, so the big displays moved to the weekend; The Choir of Man carried on. |
| Fri 6 Nov 11.7C, light drizzle midday to 4pm (0.6mm) |
Bargate market and The Choir of Man on a grey, drizzly Friday before a three-ship day. |
| Sat 7 Nov 11.7C, near-dry (0.9mm in light afternoon spots), almost no wind |
The calendar's top call: the POP EXPLOSION fireworks at Mayflower Park, three liners, a university open day and two markets, on a dry, still evening. Saints lost 1-0 away at Preston. |
| Sun 8 Nov 9.5C, dry after a trace overnight, cold |
Remembrance Sunday, cold and dry, with the cruise weekend rhythm. |
| Mon 9 Nov 9.8C, dry, gusts to 22mph |
A quiet, dry Monday with only WestQuay on Ice and a Mayflower one-nighter. |
| Tue 10 Nov 8.8C, 8.6mm of rain from 1pm to midnight, gusts to 21mph |
The quietest call of the fortnight, and the rain arrived at lunchtime and stayed all evening. |
And it was not just Southampton
- Halloween gave drinks no liftManaged-venue drinks sales fell 1.5% year on year in the week to 31 October, with Friday down 7.6% and Halloween Saturday down 1.8%; NIQ thinks more people now mark it at home. Spirits fell 16.9%, while beer rose 2.9% and cider 3.9% (NIQ).
- Half-term rescued October footfallFootfall jumped 17% week on week in half-term after the storms, high streets 22%, but October still finished 0.7% down on last year, with high streets 2.5% down (MRI Software).
- OpenTable: 2026 dining up 10%OpenTable says dining at UK restaurants on its system rose 10% year on year in 2026, and group bookings of six or more 18%, as Christmas party season starts (Restaurant Online, 4 November).
Compiled 11 November 2026. Sources: https://archive-api.open-meteo.com/v1/archive?latitude=50.9097&longitude=-1.4044 · https://api.open-meteo.com/v1/forecast?latitude=50.9097&longitude=-1.4044 · https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/scores-fixtures/2026-11?filter=results · https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/scores-fixtures/2026-10 · https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on · https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/analysis/2026/storms-weaken-late-october-drinks-sales/ · https://retailtimes.co.uk/retail-footfall-dips-as-black-november-looms-for-the-value-conscious-shopper/ · https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2026/11/04/more-meals-out-more-micro-occasions-opentable-reveals-its-dining-trends-for-2027/