A Million Pints or More – Heineken Helped Pubs Prepare
An estimated one million pints were pulled as the city welcomed 800,000 visitors
As Belfast hosted the world’s biggest celebration of Irish traditional music, Heineken is helped pubs across the city tune up for what was one of the biggest hospitality events Northern Ireland has ever hosted.
More than 800,000 music lovers flocked to the city for the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann music festival (August 2-9), with Heineken bosses estimating that over one million pints of beer were enjoyed over the course of the week-long event.
Heineken supported licensed premises across the city with everything from fresh branding and venue makeovers to spruced-up beer gardens and customer areas, ensuring that they were ready to strike the right note when the music came to town.
“This was one of the busiest weeks that our hospitality industry has ever experienced, and we wanted to help our trade customers make the most of this landmark moment for Belfast and for Northern Ireland,” said David Greenlees, Senior Brand Manager with Craigavon-based United Wines which distributes Heineken in Northern Ireland.
“The Fleadh isn’t just a fantastic celebration of Irish music and culture – it’s also a massive opportunity for Belfast as it hosts this huge event for the very first time.
“The streets were filled with the sound of music and with more than 800,000 visitors, we predicted that over one million points were sold during the week – with big sales of Heineken across the city.
“We want pubs to look and feel their very best and we hope that our support and investment helped bars put their best pint forward and grab their fair share of the economic dividend that an event of this size brought.
“The music flowed, the conversations flowed… and the beer flowed too,” he added.
Every corner of the city came alive with traditional music, and the Heineken investment helped publicans prepare for what many described as a once-in-a-generation opportunity, creating inviting spaces where visitors could relax, enjoy live music and experience Belfast’s renowned hospitality.
Peita McAlister from the Morning Star, one of the venues collaborating with Heineken said: “The Fleadh was a unique opportunity for Belfast to demonstrate what a welcoming and vibrant city it is, and we were delighted to partner with Heineken to create a special atmosphere.”
While it’s still hard to estimated precisely how many pints were pulled, Heineken’s prediction of one million certainly wasn’t a tall tale – with recent ‘pints per visitor’ averages for the festival ranging between 1.13 pints and 2.5 pints per head (based on the total visitor numbers).
A figure of 1M pints equates to:
- Almost 143,000 pints every day
- Nearly 6,000 pints every hour
- Around 100 pints every minute
- Almost two pints for every second of the festival atmosphere! (based on trading hours)
By helping venues refresh their appearance and to be prepared for the influx of visitors, Heineken hoped the investment helped the city raise the bar – along with plenty of glasses too – and leave a lasting legacy long after the final tune has been played.
“This was an incredible showcase for Belfast and Northern Ireland,” added David Greenlees.
“Visitors will remember the music, but they’ll also remember the welcome they receive in our pubs. We were proud to play a part in helping the city put on a show worthy of such a historic occasion.”
