Photo credit – Image: Greene King
Brits across the nation can grab a free pint at their local Greene King pub as soon as the first drop of rain falls in Manchester from 25th March.
As a weather-obsessed nation, research by Greene King to mark the first day of spring revealed that despite over eight in ten Brits (81%) believing rain is quintessentially British, almost three quarters (74%) claim that it puts them off going out and socialising. Those least likely to go out are Gen Z, with 85% citing they’re less likely to go out if it’s wet.
To encourage the nation to step outdoors and into the showers and to mark March 2023 being the wettest March on record for 40 years, this year, leading pub company and brewer Greene King is celebrating the rain with its biggest ever free beer giveaway.
According to research, Manchester has been crowned the UK’s wettest city, with over 1 in 5 of the nation claiming it’s the place that rains the most in the entire country.
So, to launch Greene King’s free pint offer, a nine-foot-tall pint glass shaped rain drop detector will be situated at Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester city centre from Monday 25th March.
Once Manchester experiences it first drop of rain onto the pint glass, the detector will light up and the free pints deal will be activated in Greene King pubs up and down the country, so Brits can head to their local participating pub to shield from the rain and quench their thirst.
With the nation’s go to topics of conversation over a tipple being sport (56%) and the weather (49%) to chat about down the pub, Greene King has enlisted Former England footballer and avid pub lover, Peter Crouch to launch its free pint offer.
He said: “Having experienced playing football at the highest level for England, I know how much the nation loves their sport and hates the weather, so it’s no surprise to see that’s what people chat about at the pub most.
“I’ve also had my fair share of playing in wet conditions and seen first-hand how it can impact sport, and with my height, when it rains, I feel it before most people do.
“There’s no better place to go on a rainy day than a cosy pub to enjoy a well-earned drink, I’ll be on tenterhooks looking out for the rain on Monday, with 100,000 free pints up for grabs, there’s only one place I’ll be heading when the rain drops start to fall.”
Despite the Great British weather being stereotypically wet and miserable, over four in ten (44%) Brits admit they still don’t like the rain and over three quarters of the UK (75%) reveal weather as the most typically ‘British’ topic of conversation.
Clair Preston-Beer, Managing Director for Greene King Pubs, said: “Since March 2023 was the wettest March on record, we decided to mark the beginning of spring by offering the nation 100,000 free pints in our Greene King pubs nationwide to celebrate rather than commiserate the first drops of rain, because let’s face it, it won’t be the last of the wet weather!
“With over four in 10 (41%) saying a free pint would cheer them up on a rainy day, it was a no-brainer for us to announce our biggest ever pint giveaway, as we all love a freebie, but the stats show not all of us love the wet weather!
