Happy hour is like the wardrobe to Narnia.
For attendees, it means a couple of glorious hours of discounted food and drinks, and for event organizers, it means booming attendance rates and profit.
Sure, there might not be a lion or witch involved, but it certainly sounds like a magical portal to us.
As the world’s largest event marketplace, we’ve seen thousands of event creators turn creative ideas into magical events. With over 90 million active eventgoers using Eventbrite to find events in their local area, it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about generating interest.
In this article, we’ll share inspiring happy hour ideas that’ll get your creative juices flowing. Whether you’ve hosted hundreds of happy hours in the past, or you’re just getting started, we’ve got you covered.
Happy Hour Ideas to Wow Guests and Win Business in 2024
1.‘ Tarot card drink predictor’ hour
3. ‘Five-door, bar crawl’ special event
4. ‘Stock exchange, discount range’ challenge
7. ‘Wow, what a wild guess!’ promotion
8. ‘Mystery mixology’ discount
10. ‘Sorcery and spirits’ performance
1. ‘Tarot card drink predictor’ hour
Wow factor: 🤯🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Your next happy hour is going to highlight the mystical power of the dark arts.
For just $10, attendees get a brief (but enlightening) three-minute tarot card reading, offered by a professional tarot card expert, such as The Wild Ones. Ask the customer what they ‘want to know from the cards’, and the chosen card will reveal their answer.
Then, your incredibly talented bar staff will concoct an alcoholic potion based on the card’s theme. So let’s say an attendee draws ‘The Lovers’ card. They might receive a red martini with floating heart candy and a fairy floss topper.
To kick it up a notch, incorporate the ‘magic theme’ into your bar’s aesthetic, like Level Up Bar & Lounge with The Zodiac Party. Hang spiderwebs, vintage clocks, and fake crystals from the ceiling, and have a ‘magic crystal ball’ on your bar to mesmerize guests.
If you’re brave enough, you can even ask your staff to dress up as ‘witches’ with gray wigs and long velvet gowns.
This happy hour idea is fun, trendy, and highly entertaining. To bring in new customers, you could run the event for an entire month or run it as an ‘exclusive one-week event’ to cultivate hype around the idea and generate FOMO.
🎯 Local marketing tip: If you don’t want to splurge on a tarot card reader, try incorporating TikTok’s ‘Tarot Card Prediction’ filter instead.
Offer attendees one free drink if they share their results and a photo of their drink on their socials. Then, invite local micro-influencers (1,000–100,000 followers) to try it out and post their experience on their TikTok channel. That way, when people search ‘happy hours in X’ in TikTok, they’ll find you and your extraordinary tarot card reading funland.
2. ‘Letter of the week’ night
Wow factor: 🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Give the’ happy hour treatment every night of the week, and offer a different discounted drink starting with the corresponding letter of the day. This fun spin on a traditional happy hour classic will show customers that hittin’ the town isn’t just reserved for weekends.
It can also give you some tasty ideas for happy hour food. Set it out on a blackboard at the front of your venue with a list like this:
Monday = Mango mojitos
Tuesday = Tacos and tequila shots
Wednesday = Bottle of wine and waffles
Thursday = Tia Maria and toasties
Friday = Frozen margarita and fries
Saturday = Sushi and sake
Sunday = Sex on the beach and sundaes
To add even more tangible value to your offer, include half-price refills to the first 10 customers who purchase the ‘nightly special’ during your happy hour. For example, TasteUSA Food and Drink Festivals is hosting a Wine and Whiskey show that offers unlimited chocolate tastings during the event.
🎯 Local marketing tip: Utilize popular Instagram and Twitter hashtags that match the day of the week you’re promoting, like #throwbackthursday or #thankgoditsfriday, to increase visibility and attract more customers aside from your community.
3. ‘Five-door, bar crawl’ special event
Wow factor: 🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸
Effort: 💪
Instead of happy-hour-ing solo, team up with neighboring restaurants and bars and host the bar crawl of a lifetime, where drinks are dirt cheap, food is free-flowing, and the good times are guaranteed.
This event isn’t an intimate gathering but a moving party with a vibrant and chaotic atmosphere that makes happy hour delightful.
You’ll want to collaborate with venues close enough so attendees can walk from one establishment to the next. For example, Mer Events is hosting a ‘onesie bar crawl’ that showcases the best bars that Downtown Washington has to offer, like Mayflower Club and Rosebar.
Set up a special ‘off-menu’ happy hour option for attendees, or organize a VIP package for each venue that follows one theme, like ‘free-flowing tropical drinks and finger-sized eats.’
Remember: It’s not an ordinary bar crawl — it’s an epic adventure and an opportunity for attendees to discover local gems that’ll become their new local.
🎯 Local marketing tip: As you partner with local legends on the same venue strip, you’ll be on a promotional goldmine. To make the most of this opportunity, list your event on an event discovery platform like Eventbrite, which uses keywords to connect active ticket buyers with local events in their area.
Then, boost your presence on Google to gain even more attention by contacting local lifestyle sites like Time Out that suggest ‘things to do on the weekend’ and sending them a press release about your event.
Level up your event marketing.
4. ‘Stock exchange, discount range’ challenge
Wow factor: 🤯🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Give your attendees the chance to channel their inner Wolf Of Wall Street with a stock exchange happy hour challenge.
Link the drinks offered during your happy hour with software, like the Bar Stock Exchange, and showcase the prices on a TV screen.
@shawnthefoodsheep Dow Jones Stock Market Bar #bar #barcelona #spain #travel ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) – Danilo Stankovic
Base the dynamic pricing model on the popularity of drinks. So when more people buy a certain beverage, it’ll cause its ‘price to soar,’ whereas if a drink isn’t selling, its price will plummet, just like in the stock market.
For example, if a Corona beer is in high demand, its price could surge to $25 a bottle, while less popular options, like a local craft beer, might drop to $3 — it’s the excitement of trading without the risk of losing your house.
If you don’t want to invest in specific software, you can create your system by simply writing it on a whiteboard. It might not be 100% accurate, but it’ll still be the ultimate happy hour game that both booze-drinkers and sober-itians can enjoy.
🎯 Local marketing tip: To boost your visibility on Google search, write an article on your website about your ‘exciting new happy hour’ that’s launching at your bar. When writing, you can include secondary keywords associated with business, like ‘stock market’ to attract a business-orientated audience.
5. ‘No dress up? Pay up!’ day
Wow factor: 🤯
Profit: 💸
Effort: 💪
Did you know that in the Oxford dictionary, the word ‘dress up’ is defined as one of the best happy hour ideas for restaurants? Okay, fine… it doesn’t really say that.
But. honestly, we think it should because hosting a designated dress-up day at your restaurant is a genius way to bring in new business.
Over the next few months, drop a new dress-up theme for the week on your social pages, like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. If attendees come dressed to impress during your happy hour times, they’ll not only receive a discounted drink but also have their picture taken and plastered on the wall behind the bar.
To keep things fresh, change up the discount range each week to correlate with your costume challenge difficulty.
For instance, you could set a small challenge one week, like ‘come to bar X dressed all in white, and receive $5 wines and beers and $10 cocktails’. But the next week, you kick it into the next gear by offering a free cocktail and discounted appetizers for any customer dressed as a famous TV character starting with A.
Add an extra fun twist, and offer those who haven’t dressed up the ‘Hall of Shame’ menu — a customized selection of food and beverages filled with playful options, like the ‘spiteful sprite-filled mocktail.’ To encourage light-hearted participation, you can even ring a little bell to call out ‘non-costumers’ and have dress-up customers jokingly ‘boo’ them.
This idea is a great way to build strong relationships with new customers, encourage recurring visits, and boost engagement rates on your social media.
🎯 Local marketing tip: Use NonsenseATL’s approach and post the best outlandish costumes on Instagram as your happy hour advertisement to spark excitement. This idea will likely be a hit with groups of friends, so don’t forget to tag attendees in the comments so their friends can also see your ad!
6. ‘Message in a bottle’ game
Wow factor: 🤯🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪
Remember when you would look for buried treasure because the cost of living was too high? Yeah, no, of course not, we never did that either…
But, hypothetically speaking, wouldn’t it be a childhood dream come true if you combined the excitement of finding ‘hidden treasure’ with the joy of discounted drinks?
For the secret pirate-lovers out there (yes, you), here’s what you can do.
Place a vintage ‘treasure map’ on each table at your venue, the kind with ‘burnt edges’ and tea-dyed paper. Next to the note, put a feather pen and a small glass bottle with a tiny message inside — this will contain the first clue to finding the treasure.
Then, place empty bottles of alcohol as ‘game pieces’ that attendees can use to navigate ‘through the map.’
But here’s the twist: To find out the next clues, participants have to order a drink at the bar. When they finish their glass, there’s a QR code on the bottom, which they scan to reveal the next clue.
Once attendees get to the ‘treasure’ at the end of the map, offer them a free treat like a basket of fries or a ‘victory cake’ to round off this fun game.
🎯 Local marketing tip: To get more attendees through the door, use unconventional marketing tactics, like guerilla marketing. For example, you could stage a publicity stunt where lookalike ‘pirates’ try to break into your bar and take back their hidden treasure.
7. ‘Wow, what a wild guess!’ promotion
Wow factor: 🤯
Profit: 💸💸💸
Effort: 💪
Most happy hour themes are based around discounted wine, beer, and spirits. But what about the sober saints among us who don’t drink a lick of alcohol?
This year, put a spin on the classic ‘can you guess the drink’ happy hour promotion by including an added element — food.
When customers sit down at your restaurant or bar, ask if they want to participate in your 100% sober happy hour promotional challenge. If they do, hand out a blindfold that attendees have to wear throughout the challenge, like curds&co is doing at their next wine-tasting event. By doing this, attendees will have to rely on their ‘spidey-sense’ to guess the right answer.
Next, bring out a small tasting plate with the promotional offer for the night. It could be a simple pairing, like a bar-made Lemon, Lime, and Bitter paired with a small bowl of cheesy fries, or a more challenging option, such as an organic passion fruit kombucha with one pan-fried dumpling.
If attendees correctly guess they’re tasting a chicken and onion dumpling, but they are totally off the mark with their drink selection, you might give them a standard discount. However, if they guess both correctly, you could offer a ‘special discount’ and a free dessert at the end of their meal.
Research shows that surprise discounts and rewards can facilitate impulse buying for customers, so don’t be surprised if attendees are willing to spend more when the discount is applied — plus, they’ll be riding the wave euphoria after being right, and who doesn’t love that feeling?
🎯Local marketing tip: Consider listing your happy hour event on discount platforms, like Groupon, to attract and target customers actively looking for a great deal on a fun night out.
8. ‘Mystery mixology’ discount
Wow factor: 🤯🤯
Profit: 💸
Effort: 💪💪
Imagine you’re a detective in a world of flavors, with every sip a clue to a tantalizing mystery. That’s what the ‘mystery mixology discount’ is all about.
Upon arrival, each guest receives a cryptic envelope. Inside, a riddle hints at a secret cocktail, concocted just for the evening. The twist? The ingredients are a puzzle waiting to be unraveled.
Guests buzz around, riddle in hand, trying to work out the components of their elusive drink. When they think they’ve got it, they head to the bar and confidentially reveal their guess. If correct, they’re rewarded with a handsome discount on their cocktail.
🎯 Local marketing tip: Tease your attendees with enigmatic social media posts hinting at the night’s secret mix. A sprinkle of mystery creates anticipation and a crowded bar!
9. ‘Fantasy flight’ contest
Wow factor: 🤯🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪💪
The ‘fantasy flight’ is a magical journey and an open invitation to spend a little time in a world of fantasy, all while sipping on delicious happy hour drinks.
Contestants sign up to showcase their most imaginative cocktail, inspired by fantastical worlds. Think drinks that glitter with cosmic dust or shimmer with mythical allure. Creativity is the key.
On the big night, each aspiring mixologist unveils their creation. Guests sample and vote for their favorite concoction, and the winning mix becomes a featured special for a month. The creator wins a prize, like a treasure trove of themed goodies or free cocktails for an hour (you might want to put a max on that!).
🎯 Local marketing tip: Collaborate with local fantasy hubs, like bookstores or gaming shops, for cross-promotion. It’s a perfect way to tap into the community of dreamers and bring them to your doorstep.
10. ‘Sorcery and spirits’ performance
Wow factor: 🤯🤯🤯
Profit: 💸💸
Effort: 💪💪💪💪
Merge magic and mixology with a ‘Sorcery and spirits’ performance night. This isn’t just a night out — it’s an entrancing escapade.
Envision a room, dimly lit, with candles casting dancing shadows, as a mysterious magician moves among the guests, playing spellbinding tricks. At the bar, bartenders dressed as wizards put together mystical brews that bubble and fizz, enchanting all who behold.
Each drink is a tale of magic, adding to the experience for attendees with an air of ancient lore. It’s a night of immersive enchantment, where every detail, from the décor to the drinks, whispers of wizardry.
🎯 Local marketing tip: Entice the early crowd with a ‘magical happy hour,’ offering bewitched beverages at enticing prices to start the night with a sparkle.
Don’t play it safe with your happy hour ideas
Don’t stick to the same old happy hour idea that’s been used by hundreds of other venues for years now.
Be the new kid on the block — a trailblazer that shows others how it’s done.
At Eventbrite, we understand how important it is to market your event to attendees in your local area actively looking for unique events. However, we also know it’s equally important to use social media marketing, email campaigns, and data insights to help turn first-time attendees into die-hard fans. That’s why we’ve created Eventbrite’s all-in-one marketing tools.
