To think over 60s are not catered for for an evening out...

[Dowser]

I'm not ready for cocoa and slippers yet on an evening. Don't think I'll ever be ready for Bingo.

So where do we in betweeners go for a night out.

My cousin has been staying for a week so cue lots of eating out, nice long summer days , relatively warmish summer nights and not wanting to go straight home for a meal.

We didn't really want to sit in an estate pub. We wanted a nice lively pub with a bit of music that was current. Somewhere where we wouldn't look too out of place if we had a little bop ( not a waltz ) around the dance floor.


What we got. Went into an Irish bar. Great we thought. A bit of black velvet band , Galway girl...that'll do to to fill in a couple of hours till it is time for cocoa and slippers.

What we got. A pretty deserted bar. Hip hop, some kind of gangsta rap channel on the tv. Fair dos , it wasn't so loud that we couldn't think and we could hear one another speak without shouting to make our throats sore.

Then a group of 8 guys came in to have a game of snooker. Bizarrely the girl behind the bar notched the music up by 10 decibels the minute they set foot in the place.

Why?

Couldn't hear, couldn't speak. Drank our drinks and went up to the wetherspoons up the road which was a bit better. If you blotted out the young shrieking women of course.


So where are we meant to go. I've got a few good years left in me before the care home beckons I hope.

[Dowser]

After a meal.

[drinkscabinet]

I think no-one over 30 is catered for in certain places. TBH, as someone in my 40s I don't go to pubs very much. We have one local real ale pub that doesn't have music that pretty much everyone I know goes to if they want to go to a pub. We have a wine bar that has good food and a decent selection of gin. And, em, that's about it. I always go out to eat these days.

I think over 60s are better catered for than you think, when I go to the theatre I'm the youngest by quite some way, same at my yoga class and swimming sessions. Everyone my generation can't get babysitters whereas the over 60s are all empty nesters enjoying themselves, my Mum (late 60s) has a more active social life than I do, she has no ties and a lot more disposable income.

[Mrsjayy]

Im mid 40s there is nowhere in my town id go for a drink on a saturday night they are either to loud or playing mtv or sport they are fine early evening but seem to turn the volume after 9 i know i sound a dottery moo

[Dowser]

Don't get me wrong. We have a good social life. We go to a quiz every week ( although most of them are dying a death) or the cinema or a meal.

Our town sadly lacks a theatre. I'm sure that would fill a big gap if we had something better than the excuse the council has given us for a theatre.

My cousin is from Cardiff and she says it's exactly the same there.
When we came out of the Irish bar ( we had to, it was closing at 10-30 ...I wonder why) the bar next door that I had ruled out as being too noisy had a load of women about our age sat outside singing how do you solve a problem with Maria....in hindsight we would have been better off there. At least we could have joined in.

[noddingoff]

It could be that the bar you went to thinks they will make more money from big groups of lads pushing coins into the snooker table and getting the beers in all evening a couple of nights a week year round than two over-60s having a drink after a meal when one of them comes to stay with the other. So that is their target market.
You need to go where you are the target market, or at least part of it. So: pubs with great food where they have live music several nights a week. Or a pub in a smallish village where they have to target everyone and the 18 year olds having a drink before going clubbing can rub shoulders with the old timers sitting in their favourite bar stools.

[Dowser]

Add message | Report | Message poster Mrsjayy Sun 19-Jul-15 17:30:29
Im mid 40s there is nowhere in my town id go for a drink on a saturday night they are either to loud or playing mtv or sport they are fine early evening but seem to turn the volume after 9 i know i sound a dottery moo


This was a Thursday :-(

[ProfYaffle]

It must depend on where you live. I'm in a part of the world where people like to retire to and there are tons of things going on. Not necessarily aimed at over 60's but run by them and therefore attracting people at a similar stage of life. If you don't feel catered to, why not start up something yourself?

[Dowser]

The guy in the Irish bar in one of our favourite places abroad plays to a packed house every night. He just has his guitar and backing music, has a bit of banter and plays everything you ask of him.

There's young and old alike . You can have a bit dance. Brilliant night out and you can still hear yourself think and your ears aren't ringing at the end of it either!

[Mrsjayy]

Oh was it tbh our town is the same and my village has 2 pubs 1 i wouldnt go into if i was dying of thirst and the other gets to stuffy when its busy,

[Love51]

My parents are always out! But thinking about it, rarely in a pub. One is in a bridge club, sings in a choir, barbeques round a mates house, mates round for a meal at theirs, playing cards with other couples, theatre, cinema, concerts, gigs, quiz nights (mainly community events, not pubs). Health no longer up to all the sports they used to do.
You baby boomers are exhausting. I don't know where you get the energy.

[wigglesrock]

My parents are always out in pubs (they're 64 and 65), especially now they've retired. I'm 41 and my husband a few years old, I've never found a shortage of places to go. Pubs with live music, pubs with loud music, pubs with no music, pubs with outside seating. There's always loads of different age groups out - I'm in Belfast

[Dowser]

There's all sorts of activities we can do. We are not short of things to occupy ourselves with. Heck we have been known to mind the grand children occasionally. We go to jewellery making class one night a quiz another, it's just if you fancy a nice drink, a laugh, a dance a bit of music.

If you have somewhere like that near you...support it. Use it before you lose it. It's a dying breed.

[MsMcWoodle]

My town is great like this. Very mixed, lot of great pubs and a venue that has gigs on and everyone goes. Not telling you where it is though!

[Purplepoodle]

Theirs loads of pubs in my home town (North east). Average age is over 30s on a sat night as everyone younger heads into town.

[Icelandicsuperyoghurt]

I know what you mean. There seems to be a thing in the UK that pubs/bars etc in the town centres are set up for younger people. I can't remember the last time I went out with friends into town other than to shop or to a concert or other event.

It really hits me when I visit family in Germany. There doesn't seem to be a 'them and us' mentality and people of all ages are in the city centre at night. We went to a fair there and at 11 pm there was older, young, families there and the atmosphere was fab. I'd be very dubious about going to something like that here at that time. There are some pubs/breweries that do attract an older crowd but you still get all sorts of ages in them.

I really don't get why the city centres seem to be for younger people as soon as the clock hits 6pm.