Considering Sober October this year? You’re not alone. The good news is that there’s a big variety of alcohol-free events taking place across London this year to give you a helping hand.

Combining an alcohol-free lifestyle with a busy social life is getting easier than ever. The number of dedicated ‘sober’ events on events marketplace Eventbrite grew by 67% in 2023, when more than 20,000 attendees joined non-alcoholic events across the UK. And Eventbrite has already listed more sober events in 2024 than in the whole of last year.

London hosted more sober events than any other city, followed by Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Southampton.

There has been a real diversification of the kind of sober events on offer, too. Sober raves and parties, alcohol-free mixology and mocktail making classes, dance classes, quizzes, business networking, meditations, LGTBQ+ events and ecstatic dance sessions are just some of the alcohol-free events sober-curious people can discover on Eventbrite across the UK.

Eventbrite has seen a 67% increase in sober events in 2023

placeholder image — Eventbrite has seen a 67% increase in sober events in 2023

Sober events in London include the Rise and Shine relaunch on Saturday October 5 from 11am where guests can enjoy a Cosmic Cacao smoothie before the midday gong opens up the dancefloor for some banging house tunes. This sober party takes place in the daytime in the picturesque canals of Hackey Wick.

Or why not try the Sunset Sessions Autumn Equinox with Ecstatic Dance on Wednesday October 2 in a secret central London park? Using silent disco headsets and with the grass beneath your toes guests can lose themselves through exhilarating dance before enjoying a sunset picnic.

Club Soda is one of the UK’s leading mindful drinking specialists. They are hosting an Alcohol-Free Cocktail Masterclass Experience on Sunday October 6 and 20. Perfect for anyone looking to moderate their drinking or simply curious about crafting cocktails without alcohol, this class will satisfy your thirst for creativity and flavour. Club Soda also host a monthly Queers Without Beers event serving up alcohol-free beer, mocktails and soft drinks.

Following in the path of celebrities like Cara Delevingne, Eva Mendes, Kate Moss, Tom Holland and Daniel Radcliffe, many people in the UK are exploring sobriety and are looking for events that support this lifestyle. The most recent ONS study on adult drinking habits reported that 20.4% of people said they did not drink at all, with a higher proportion of women than men claiming to be teetotal.

“The sheer number of sober events in our event listings show that event organisers have quickly responded to this growing interest in an alcohol-free lifestyle. And we are not looking at moralistic finger wagging here, either. These events offer fun, social, and educational alternatives to their alcoholic cousins. The events on Eventbrite tend to mirror social trends and while events peak in Dry January and Go Sober in October, there’s a wide variety of events throughout the year for people who people who want to get a buzz out of going out without being buzzed,” said Eventbrite’s Sebastian Boppert.