Over the weekend, 52% of respondents say they are going out less to restaurants, 43% to bars/clubs less, and 58% are reducing their shopping for non-essentials.
A crisis in how people spend their weekends has been identified by We Invented the Weekend festival and Ipsos’s recent research. This study shows that a third of Brits (35%) will be spending less on going out this year, such as to bars or restaurants. Equally, 3 in 10 plan to reduce the amount they do paid local activities such as going to the cinema or concerts. Those intending to cut back on these activities outweigh those who anticipate increase (just under 1 in 5), although around 4 in 10 predict little difference. Additionally, 1 in 4 think they’ll do fewer activities which involve travelling or time away within Britain, like day trips or music festivals – compared with only 1 in 3 (32%) expecting to do more free local ones (e.g. parks) – 8% expecting to do less and 48% staying the same.
People who plan to spend less time out this year (across any activity) cite the need to save as their main reason for doing so, with the most common responses including: saving on bills and daily expenses (50%), being unable to afford social activities (43%), and saving for long-term purchases like buying a house or traveling (32%).
According to the survey, at least half of Britons go out to restaurants (52%) and shop for non-essentials (58%) less than last year due to rising living costs. Moreover, households are being forced to reduce their social outings because of the higher cost of living, with 43% saying they are going to bars and clubs less and 38% saying they are going to the cinema less.
As a result of the cost-of-living crisis, the public’s engagement with weekend social activity has changed. As consumers spend more* on energy, fuel, food and resources, they have less money to spend on socialising, entertainment and travel at the weekends.
Wayne Hemingway MBE, co-founder of the We Invented the Weekend festival, insists that weekends are essential for reconnecting. But he warns about an alarming ‘Cost of Weekend Crisis.’ By 2023, people may be saving more money than ever before, but this could come at a price: a decrease in socialising with friends and family, entertainment, exploration and discovering new experiences.
We Invented the Weekend is a large-scale, free festival, where consumers have the opportunity to partake in activities and socialising – something that has been off limits for some time. We hope it will allow them to take a break from the pressures of everyday life and bring attention to the Cost of Weekends crisis. It’s iconic proposition; celebrating everything people enjoy on weekends in the birthplace of when they were invented.
In 2023, We Invented the Weekend will be a bold and inventive free festival in Salford, taking place on Saturday, 3rd and Sunday, June 4th. As part of the two-day event, MediaCity and Salford Quays will be opened up to partners such as the BBC, RHS, The Lowry, Manchester United, and many others. Sports, music, comedy, theatre, dance, workshops, talks, food, charity, wellness, crafts and more will be part of the festival’s celebration of free time.
With water sports on the canal, community feasts, and dance performances, as well as planting workshops and vintage markets, festival-goers can meet new people, try new things, and make memories.
