Why Aussies are ditching weekends for the Wednesday catch-up

The mid-week catch-up is on the rise in Australia, with bank data revealing pub and club spending is shooting skyward outside the weekend.

Wednesday is increasingly the day of choice for Aussies to catch up and relax with a glass of house red or a couple schooners, lured in by mid-week specials and a more family-oriented atmosphere.

Westpac said their data showed while Friday and Saturday remained the biggest-spending days at pubs and clubs around the country, Wednesday recorded the strongest growth of 6.1 per cent year on year.

That’s not only the biggest growth for any day of the week, but more than three times the growth recorded across the week as a whole.

Monday (up 0.7 per cent), Thursday (0.3 per cent), and Friday (0.4 per cent) remained steady, while Tuesday (up 2.3 per cent) saw stronger growth.

The data also showed the average value of Wednesday pub and club spending per account rose just 0.7 per cent year on year, indicating people aren’t building bigger bar tabs, just turning up in greater numbers.

Carina Leagues Club in Brisbane is among those venues seeing bigger crowds on Wednesday.

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Chief executive Adam Wiencke put the change down to the club’s efforts to promote its member specials.

“Right now, our customers are looking for genuine value,” he said.

“Our meal specials, combined with our new family-friendly space and full table service, are giving members more reasons to head out mid-week.”

The trend is consistent across the country, with spend growth peaking on a Wednesday in almost every capital city and territory.

While Greater Melbourne and Greater Sydney remain the biggest-spending regions on Wednesday overall, the ACT recorded the largest year-on-year uplift ( up 11.5 per cent).

At a local level, venues on the Sunshine Coast (up 17.2 per cent) and the Southern Highlands regions in NSW (up 14.8 per cent) saw the biggest uptick of any area in the country.

Westpac’s data also revealed the shift was evident across generations.

Wednesday spending shot up 12. per cent for people aged 18 to 24 year on year, and up 7.6 per cent for 55- to 74-year-olds.

Westpac spokesperson Luke Oxley said multiple factors were likely in play.

“From pub trivia to after-work drinks, or simply wanting to avoid the weekend crowds, Wednesday is emerging as a genuine night out in its own right,” Oxley said.

“With cost-of-living pressures still front of mind, a midweek catch-up can feel like a smaller, easier option – a possible sign Australians are adapting, rather than stepping back.”