Go Sober in October: Going out without alcohol in Yorkshire just got easier

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.

Leeds hosted the second highest amount of sober events in the UK, just after London but ahead of 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.

Sober events in Yorkshire include the Sober October Kick-Off on October 5 4-8pm at the Functional Drinks Club in Otley. This evening is a great opportunity to meet likeminded people and stock up on the best non-alcoholic craft beers around, as well as the largest range of Kombucha in Yorkshire.

Over in Leeds there’s a Sober Socials Monthly Meetup on October 16 from 7pm at A Nation of Shopkeepers on Cookridge Street. Designed for people that are sober, sober curious, or just fancy a night off the booze.

If you’re still looking to party, but without alcohol, look no further than Ignite’s Heart of the Rave event on October 26 from 2-8pm. Held at Dance House in Leeds this event promises to celebrate all the euphoria and joy of a rave, whilst swapping the alcohol, drugs and late nights, for wellness, vitality and joy. The event will be kicked off with a Full Power Cacao Ceremony that will include intention setting, a heart-opening, music-infused meditation and an activating breathwork.

If you’re giving yourself a deep detox in October, why not try a Restful Yoga and Writing Workshop in Sheffield’s Grow Yoga studio on October 18, or a Guided Walk I’nt Yorkshire Dales visiting the hills and valleys of Kettlewell on October 27, which kicks off at 9.45am.

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.