Celebrate National Hospitality Day on 18 September

National Hospitality Day, championed by industry charity Hospitality Action and a taskforce of hospitality’s main trade associations, professional bodies, and charities, will be celebrated this year on 18 September.

National Hospitality Day will be a nationwide celebration of our brilliant and resilient hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars and foodservice outlets, and the suppliers that support them. It will be a showcase of all that’s great about UK hospitality; a collective shout-out for the places we’ve all missed; and a financial shot in the arm for a sector that’s been hit hardest by Covid. And it will provide a chance for the country to say “welcome back, we’ve missed you” by supporting its favourite places.

The pandemic hit the hospitality industry and the suppliers that support it like a hammer blow. Restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels and venues have all grappled with an existential threat, this past year, as have the farmers, brewers, manufacturers and distributors that supply them.

Businesses, livelihoods, and lives have been lost. Despite this, operators and their suppliers have demonstrated huge resilience, and a boundless generosity of spirit. They’ve worked tirelessly to fuel the workers in the frontline of the fight against Covid. They’ve kept hospital patients, care home residents and schoolchildren fed. And they’ve supported families in acute financial need with free meals.

Hospitality businesses are encouraged to host exciting events, from hosting a gala dinner with guest chefs or arranging a Q&A with a local celebrity. Or they could be as modest as laying on free nibbles and entertainment; or cooking a hog roast in the garden. Participating venues must build a charitable element into their activities, so that guests will be helping four key hospitality industry charities while they’re enjoying themselves.

All monies generated by National Hospitality Day will be divided between four participating charities: the Drinks Trust, Hospitality Action, the Licensed Trade Charity and Springboard. Together, they o­ffer lifelines to the people and businesses behind UK hospitality.

For more information and to participate in National Hospitality Day, find out more here: https://www.nationalhospitalityday.org.uk/