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What makes a good beer garden?
How to make the most of your beer garden with tips from Great British Pub Award winners, The Tamworth Tap
There’s nothing quite like a cold drink on a warm summer day – and with over 27,0001 beer gardens across the UK, it’s no surprise that pubs and hospitality venues remain a popular place to spend sunny afternoons.
According to OpenPoll, almost a third (30%)1 of adults say that having a garden for the summer is a top priority when choosing a pub, while 40% of drinkers named beer gardens as their ‘ultimate happy place’.1
So enthused are we Brits with beer gardens that there are even apps available now which show which pub gardens are in the sunshine at any given time of day, letting users explore which pubs and cafés have sunshine in real time, as well as plan ahead for future visits.2
Other than the sunshine though (of course!), what actually makes a good beer garden?
To celebrate National Beer Garden Day on 22nd May, we teamed up with George Greenaway from Great British Pub Award winner for 2022’s Best Pub Beer Garden, The Tamworth Tap, to share his thoughts on what makes a good beer garden – including the perfect summer playlist to enhance your customers’ beer garden experience for the summer months ahead!
Go all out
According to our survey, almost half (44.8%) of the people who responded said that décor and spacing were important to them when visiting beer gardens this summer, while 1 in 3 (33.8%) ranked garden furniture amongst those things they found important.3
For The Tamworth Tap, that means “bringing the indoors out”, which they achieve by creating a “good layout, interesting focal points, comfortable, clean seating/tables, and separate smoking areas.”
Other ideas include an outdoor bar, food hatch for guests to dine al fresco, outdoor heaters, outdoor toilet facilities, well-thought-out lighting and décor – and of course, music.
Stay in tune
Almost 40% of the people we surveyed said that music was important to them when visiting beer gardens and outdoor spaces this summer,3 while in another of our surveys, almost 60% said they’d be more inclined to visit hospitality venues where live music and/or music-related entertainment is on offer. 4
As George explains:
“The ambience is key. We have so many comments on how customers have enjoyed the playlists, even asking where they can buy the CD. I’m certain we keep customers a little longer as they can’t leave because of the music.
“Our staff love our playlists. They also enjoy the interaction with customers who discuss the music. We never play inverted music. It’s all deliberately chosen for its genre. It’s unique to our venue and evokes positive reaction from tourists and locals alike.”
“Nestled at the bottom [of the garden] is the live music stage flanked by seating and tables. We built it about 5 years ago to utilise the space for live music, which is a huge draw on a Sunday afternoon. We also host live music on some Friday nights and special bank holiday gigs.”
“On the bank holiday in August we host an Elton John tribute act, which is the highlight of the year and very popular. We also host numerous other, more diverse events such as beer festivals, bat watch evenings, honeybee apiary demonstrations, Morris Dancing, and the sausage and cider festival.”
But what music is best to play?
Often, there is no one-size-fits-all with the music a beer garden plays. The Tamworth Tap chose their music carefully to suit the mood, demographic, and occasion. As George explains, “our music works with the time of day, the day of the week and the season. Even the weather is a factor. We create playlists that suit that particular situation, sunny day, Sunday morning etc. It’s different from inside, we’re a traditional ale house. The outside music reflects the weather and appeals to a different demographic.
When the BBQ is lit on a very hot day we play unmistakably summer tunes [and] it is set at a level, not too loud that customers have to shout and not too quiet that you strain to hear it. It’s a vital component in creating an enjoyable setting.”
George Greenaway, The Tamworth Tap
Some of George’s Saturday afternoon beer garden top music choices include:
Flower power
Other tips for creating an appealing beer garden include considering plants and nature. According to one of our surveys, 36.6% of respondents said plants and green space were important factors when choosing a beer garden this summer, something which ranked even more highly than outdoor heaters.3
As George added:
“Our garden has a real wow factor when entering, especially for the first time. The contrast to the street as you walk down the fairy-light lit alleyway is enchanting. Each year, the yard explodes in colour with an abundance of floral displays and hanging baskets. In the evening, ambient lighting accentuates features such as the Saxon wall, Georgian buildings, planted areas, and access ways, and candles on each of the tables provide the finishing touch.”
Stay in-sync
It is also a good idea to synchronise your outdoors with your indoors and consider your audience throughout your venue. As George advises, “have a theme that can be marketed through drinks and food and can be supported through your day-to-day operation. Make the décor and surroundings relevant to the local area and be non-specialist so as not to alienate any potential demographic. Paying particular attention to music genre and lighting is critical.”
These are just some of the ways beer gardens and outdoor spaces can be enhanced this summer. For more tips, visit the Tamworth Tap’s full interview.
References:
- OnePoll Survey of 2,000 Adults, May 2022
- https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-game-changing-new-london-pub-map-shows-which-boozers-are-currently-in-the-sunshine-042425
- Survey performed Survey by PPL PRS via Attest based on 500 UK adults, May 2025
- 4. Survey performed Survey by PPL PRS via Attest based on 2000 UK adults, April 2025
Author
Rhiannon Jepson
Rhiannon Jepson is a Member of The Chartered Institute of Public Relations and has worked in communication roles for around 7 years. She joined PPL PRS in November 2017, shortly after studying for a degree in English Literature, where she developed her love of writing and creativity. Since then, she has completed the CIPR Foundation course and enjoys bringing together her love of communications and music through her role as Senior PR & Communications Executive.
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