Running a bar is all about filling the stools and keeping the taps flowing. Whether it's locals looking for a haunt or tourists on the prowl for a good time, the right events can turn a slow night into a full house.

Here, we’ll list some solid events bar owners can initiate to boost visits regardless of location, combining timeless ideas with a few twists to mix things up and make it fun.

Sip and Sample Beer Tastings

To start with, free beer tastings. Find and team up with a local brewery or craft beer distributor to feature a selection of brews, four or five samples, each a few ounces. Schedule it on a slow evening, say a Tuesday, charge a minimal admission fee to break even, and allow people to sip their way through. It’s a win-win for both.

Add some bar snacks such as pretzels, sliders or peanuts/pistachios to keep them hanging around, and that dead night is now alive with new faces who may stay on for a full pint.

Card Tournaments

For a more serious gaming event, a card table tournament, something with actual stakes to attract a different kind of a competitive crowd.

Let’s take Poker as the main event here, with the Bar Poker Open Florida World Championship as an inspiration and a successful model. Taking place in December 2024 at Palm Beach Kennel Club, it had almost 1,000 players with a $100,000 guaranteed opener and a $150,000+ main event.

Smaller local bars can size that down with, for example, a Texas Hold'em night with a $20 buy-in, limit it to 50 players, and pay out cash or bar credit to the top three. If there is room, add baccarat or blackjack tables to mix things up. Card players linger, drink steadily, and bring friends who'll cheer and spend.

And even for those who can’t make it to a live table or in case there’s not enough space at the bar, there’s a growing scene of digital card gaming worth noting. There is currently an extensive list of best online casinos with a few platforms offering Poker alongside other classics like blackjack and baccarat, all in virtual form, anywhere.

Game Nights

Then, for a more relaxed audience, game nights. Pool tables and dartboards are staples of bar fun, but take it up a notch with a twist; consider shuffleboard tournaments or a retro arcade station with free-play machines such as Pac-Man or Street Fighter.

Provide a prize for the champion, perhaps a gift card or free round for the crew, and watch the competitive crowds pour in. It's low-effort to put together and keeps people laughing and drinking for hours.

Trivia nights also fit into this category if finding arcades is difficult. Choose a theme or a few of them, pop culture, sports, even local history, and make it a weekly event with a leaderboard. Make the entry fee free, but have teams buy food or drink to remain in contention, for example, or vice versa.

A small trophy or the ability to brag about it for the winning team keeps it all in fun, and regulars will be showing up like clockwork in no time. Visitors enjoy it as well, as it is a friendly way to break the ice with the group.

Live Music

Even though the most common method, it is tried and tested. Live music nights. Hire a local band, acoustic, rock, whatever the mood or the theme of your bar, and get them to play in the corner.

No cover charge if you can avoid it, just let the music draw people in. A quality act gets people toe-tapping and ordering another drink, especially if the set list presses the right nostalgia buttons. Summer weekends or Friday nights are ideal for this, bonus points if you’re near the beach.

Sing and Swing Karaoke

Karaoke nights are a no-brainer. Hire a host or a rent a machine, and allow the crowd to sing everything from Sinatra to Taylor Swift.

Add a "best performance" award, a free beverage or a cheesy crown, and it's a success. Or make the process democratic and allow the viewers to vote for the best singer or performance.

The magic lies in the fact that it attracts shy locals who get up their courage after a drink and visitors keen to take the stage. Thursday nights are okay to fill in the midweek lull.

Food Specials

Twisted food promotions can pack tables, too. Think "Taco and Tequila Tuesday" with $2 tacos and margaritas. Or a wing-eating contest paired with pitcher specials. Get interactive, maybe a contest for the best homemade hot sauce regulars bring in.

It's not necessarily about cheap food; it's about giving people a reason to come in and stay awhile and have a drink.

Dress-up Parties

Lastly, themed costume parties for the younger crowd. Halloween is a no-brainer, but why not go beyond?

A "Casino Royale" evening with pretend chips and bow-tied dealer ties into the card game theme, and a winter beach luau attracts snowbirds looking for a bit of sunshine. Free admission, a signature drink, and a photo booth create a festive and social media-worthy environment and help out reach a wider audience.

These are a few examples that don't require a large budget, only planning and a sense of what works for the crowd. Combine these ideas, see what sticks; and the bar should be the place everyone's buzzing about. Locals get their ritual; visitors their anecdotes, and competitors trophies.