Plan Your Pub's Spring in an Afternoon with AI

Spring is a run of reasons to visit: Dry January, Burns Night, two Six Nations championships, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, St Patrick's Day and Easter, with drinks days in between. That is a lot of posts, posters and booking reminders, and most of us end up planning each one the week before it.

This guide shows you how to plan the lot in one afternoon with a free AI assistant. You choose the moments and you check the facts. The assistant drafts the calendar, the posts and the poster wording. The prompts come at three levels, so whether you have never opened ChatGPT or use it every day, there is somewhere to start.

Pick five moments and by teatime you will have a week-by-week calendar for the season, 15 posts, the wording for five posters and five team briefings.

The fixtures, bank holidays and legal points in this guide were checked on 16 October 2026 against the sources listed at the end.

Spring 2027 at a glance

Mother's Day moves every year. It is the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks before Easter Sunday, which is 28 March in 2027.

Each moment links to its full how-to guide, and the whole season is in our Spring Pub Playbook.

Before you start

You need four things: the AI assistant you already use, your diary, your menu and drinks list with prices, and about two hours. ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot all have free versions that can write everything in this guide.

Then do two jobs, once:

1. Switch off training and agree your house rules. Our AI for pubs guide shows where the switch is in each assistant, and sets out the rules that keep guests' details and allergen decisions away from it.
2. Tell it about your pub. Paste this at the start of your planning chat, or put it in the assistant's custom instructions so it applies every time, and fill in the brackets:

I run [PUB NAME], a [VILLAGE LOCAL / TOWN PUB / FOOD-LED PUB] in [TOWN]. We open [DAYS AND HOURS] and serve food [WHEN]. Our guests are mostly [WHO THEY ARE]. Our booking link is [LINK]. Write in British English, in a warm, plain voice. Never invent prices, dates, times or allergen information: if you need one, ask me.

The afternoon, step by step

Six steps, about two hours. Keep everything in one chat, or one project, so the assistant remembers what you have already decided.

1. Pick your moments (15 minutes)

Do not try to do all of them. Pick four to six that suit your pub and your guests. A sports pub might take both Six Nations and St Patrick's Day. A food-led pub might take Burns Night, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Easter Sunday lunch.

Add your own dates too: the pub's birthday, a local fixture, the school holidays. Nobody else on your high street is planning around those.

2. Build the calendar (30 minutes)

Paste in the dates you picked and ask for a week-by-week plan. If your pub company or a supplier has sent you a spring toolkit, photograph its dates page, and any recipes you want to use, and give it those instead of typing.

Here are the dates I want to promote this spring, between the ### marks. Make me a week-by-week calendar as a table, from the week of 4 January to the week of my last date. Columns: the week, what is on, what to post, which bookings to open, which reminders to send, and jobs for the team. Use only the dates I have given you.

### [YOUR DATES] ###

Tell it how far ahead to work. Our events calendar guide suggests that for a fixed-menu food night you start planning eight weeks out, open bookings at six and start promoting at four. For a big sporting fixture, open bookings three weeks out and start promoting ten days before.

By that rule, Valentine's Day planning starts before Christmas and Mother's Day planning in the first fortnight of January. That is why this afternoon belongs in December.

3. Find the clashes (10 minutes)

Add the fixtures and ask the question every planner should:

Here are the Six Nations fixtures, between the ### marks. Compare them with my calendar. Where do they clash with my other dates, and which weeks have nothing on?

### [PASTE THE FIXTURES FROM THE OFFICIAL SIX NATIONS WEBSITE] ###

For spring 2027 it should find these:

• Valentine's Day is the same Sunday as England v France, which kicks off at 3.10pm.
• Mother's Day weekend starts with Scotland v Ireland on the Friday night and Wales v England on the Saturday.
• St Patrick's Day comes four days after Ireland v France closes the championship on Saturday 13 March.
• International Whisk(e)y Day is Easter Saturday.
• 27 and 28 February is the only weekend in the championship without a men's match, so it is worth filling with something of your own.

If it misses one, tell it. Then decide what each clash means for you: a rugby afternoon followed by two Valentine's dinner sittings, say, or a busy three days of staffing either side of Mother's Day.

4. Write the posts (45 minutes)

For each moment, ask for three posts: one to announce it, one reminder and one last call.

For [MOMENT] on [DATE], write three Facebook posts of under 70 words each: one to announce it, one reminder a week before and one last call the day before. Then write each one again as an Instagram caption of under 40 words. Use only the facts I have given you.

Read every one aloud. If it does not sound like you, say so: "shorter", "less cheesy", "more like a local". It will try again.

5. Write the posters (20 minutes)

For each moment in my calendar, write the wording for an A4 poster: a headline of up to six words, three short lines about what is on, the date and time, and how to book.

Put the wording into your usual poster template, a free design tool such as Canva, or your supplier's point-of-sale. Use your own photographs of your own food and rooms. Keep official logos, team crests and other brands' artwork out of anything AI makes for you: they belong to someone else.

6. Book it in (10 minutes)

Put every post date in the diary, or schedule the posts if your tools can. Ask for a one-page team briefing for each moment: what is on, what to say to guests and what to recommend. Spring is planned.

Three levels of prompt

Pick the level that suits you. Each prompt plans the whole season.

Starting out

You have never used AI, or only once or twice. Copy this and fill in the brackets:

I run a [TYPE OF PUB] in [TOWN]. I want to promote these dates in spring 2027: [YOUR DATES]. Make me a simple week-by-week plan of what to post and when, and when to open bookings. Use plain British English. Before you start, ask me any questions you need answered.

The last line matters. Letting it ask you questions first gets you a better plan than letting it guess.

Getting comfortable

You have used it a few times. Give it more to work with:

Here are my pub's details: [NAME, OPENING HOURS, FOOD TIMES, BOOKING LINK, MENU HIGHLIGHTS AND PRICES, WHO OUR GUESTS ARE, HOW WE SOUND]. Using the dates below, make a calendar as a table with a row for each week from 4 January to the week of my last date. Then, for each date, write three short social posts (announce, reminder, last call) and the wording for an A4 poster. Tell me anything you were unsure of.

[YOUR DATES]

Going further

You use it every week. Give it your own figures and let it challenge you:

Here are last spring's weekly totals for covers, bookings and takings, with no customer details: [TOTALS]. Tell me which dates earned most, which weeks were quiet and what you would change this year. Then build a simple booking tracker I can use in a spreadsheet, with a row for each moment, and a one-page team briefing for each event: what is on, what to say to guests, what to recommend and who does what. Finally, tell me the three weakest parts of my plan.

Totals only, never names. And if you want the whole plan to run itself, with bookings, reminders and results in one place, see the last section.

Date by date

Copy-ready prompts for each moment, at all three levels. Replace the words in square brackets, and run every answer past the checks in the next section.

Dry January

Guests doing Dry January still go out. Give them a reason to choose you. Our guide to low and no alcohol done properly covers building the range.

• Starting out: "Write short descriptions for these alcohol-free drinks: [LIST]. Under 15 words each. No health claims."
• Getting comfortable: "Write four posts for Dry January about our alcohol-free range, one for each week, under 60 words each. Make them about the drinks, not about giving something up."
• Going further: "Here is my alcohol-free range with prices: [LIST]. Suggest which three to put on a table talker, and write a line the team can use to offer them at the bar."

Burns Night: Monday 25 January

Burns Night is the easiest fixed-menu night of the year: one sitting, one price, pre-ordered.

• Starting out: "Write a post announcing our Burns Night supper on Monday 25 January at [TIME], [PRICE] a head, booking at [LINK]."
• Getting comfortable: "Write the menu descriptions for our Burns supper: [DISHES AND INGREDIENTS]. Under 20 words each. Keep every ingredient I have listed and add none. Do not describe any dish as free from an allergen."
• Going further: "Write a running order for our Burns Night, from doors to close, including the Selkirk Grace, piping in the haggis, the Address to a Haggis, the toasts and Auld Lang Syne. Give each part a time and the role responsible."

Men's Six Nations: 5 February to 13 March

Five rounds, starting with Ireland v England on a Friday night, with no men's matches on 27 and 28 February. Our Six Nations guide covers screening, food and bookings.

• Starting out: "Here are the Six Nations fixtures: [PASTE FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE]. Write the wording for a poster listing every match with its date and kick-off time, and a line saying how to book a table."
• Getting comfortable: "For each of these matches, write a post to open table bookings three weeks before and a reminder ten days before, under 60 words each: [FIXTURES]."
• Going further: "Here are our covers and takings for each match day last year, totals only: [TOTALS]. Which kick-off times did best? Suggest a match-day menu and a table plan for this year's busiest fixtures."

Valentine's Day: Sunday 14 February

It is a Sunday, and England play France at 3.10pm. Two evening sittings, say 6pm and 8.30pm, at a fixed price with a deposit taken at booking, keep the rugby and the romance apart.

• Starting out: "Write a post announcing our Valentine's Day set menu on Sunday 14 February: [MENU, PRICE, SITTING TIMES, BOOKING LINK]."
• Getting comfortable: "Write three posts for Valentine's Day (announce, reminder, last call) and a short email for guests who have agreed to hear from us. Use only these facts: [FACTS]."
• Going further: "We have a match crowd in the afternoon and two dinner sittings in the evening. Write a plan for the changeover between 5pm and 6pm: the jobs, the timings and who does each one, using roles, not names."

National Margarita Day: Monday 22 February

A Monday drinks day, and a reason to put a cocktail on the board. Make the drink the story, not the price.

• Starting out: "Write a post for National Margarita Day on Monday 22 February about our margarita, [PRICE]. Under 50 words. No drinks deals."
• Getting comfortable: "Suggest three margarita variations using these ingredients we already stock: [LIST]. Give each a name, a one-line description and the method. Do not suggest any drinks deal."
• Going further: "Write a two-minute briefing that teaches the team to make our margarita the same way every time, and a line they can use to suggest it."

Mother's Day: Sunday 7 March

By the eight-week rule, planning starts in the first fortnight of January. It is also a rugby weekend, with Scotland v Ireland on the Friday night and Wales v England on the Saturday, so plan the staffing for all three days.

• Starting out: "Write three posts for Mother's Day lunch on Sunday 7 March: one to open bookings, one reminder and one last call. Our menu is [MENU AND PRICE] and bookings are at [LINK]."
• Getting comfortable: "Write the Mother's Day menu descriptions from these dishes and ingredients: [LIST]. Under 20 words each. Keep every ingredient I have listed and add none. Do not describe any dish as free from an allergen."
• Going further: "Here are last year's Mother's Day bookings by arrival time, totals only: [TOTALS]. Suggest sitting times for this year, how long to give each table, and the jobs for the team on the day."

St Patrick's Day: Wednesday 17 March

Midweek this year, four days after the Six Nations finishes with Ireland v France. In Northern Ireland it is a bank holiday.

• Starting out: "Write a post for our St Patrick's Day night on Wednesday 17 March: [WHAT IS ON, TIMES, PRICES]. Under 60 words."
• Getting comfortable: "Plan a St Patrick's Day evening for a Wednesday: music, food and drink ideas, and a timetable from 6pm to close. Then write the poster wording."
• Going further: "Write a post for the final Six Nations Saturday, 13 March, that invites the rugby crowd back for St Patrick's Day on the Wednesday, and a one-page briefing for the team on the night."

Easter weekend: Friday 26 to Monday 29 March

Four days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, where Good Friday and Easter Monday are both bank holidays. In Scotland, only Good Friday is. Easter Saturday is also International Whisk(e)y Day.

• Starting out: "Make me a plan for Easter weekend, Friday 26 to Monday 29 March: one idea for each day, and a post for each."
• Getting comfortable: "Plan a family Easter Sunday at the pub: an egg hunt, a children's menu and Sunday lunch. Write the posts and the poster wording, using only these details: [DETAILS]."
• Going further: "Here are our covers and takings for each day of last year's Easter weekend, totals only: [TOTALS]. Where should I add staff, and which day needs a reason to visit?"

International Whisk(e)y Day: Saturday 27 March

It is Easter Saturday this year, and a tasting flight suits it. Whisky sold by the glass must come in measures of 25ml or 35ml, or multiples of them, whichever your pub uses, so change any smaller "taster" sizes an assistant suggests.

• Starting out: "Write a post for International Whisk(e)y Day on Saturday 27 March about our whisky flight: [WHISKIES AND PRICE]."
• Getting comfortable: "Write a tasting card for these three whiskies: [NAMES]. A plain-English note of under 12 words for each, and the order to taste them in."
• Going further: "Write a ten-minute talk the team can give at a whisky tasting: where each whisky comes from and how it is made, in plain English. Mark anything I should check."

Women's Six Nations: 10 April to 15 May

Five Saturday match days: 10, 17 and 24 April, then 8 and 15 May.

• Starting out: "Here are the Women's Six Nations fixtures: [PASTE FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE]. Write the wording for a poster listing each match with its date and kick-off time."
• Getting comfortable: "Write a post for each match day, under 50 words, inviting guests to watch with us, with a line about food and how to book."
• Going further: "Compare these fixtures with our quiet Saturday afternoons last spring, totals only: [TOTALS]. Which match days should we push hardest?"

Check before you post

AI drafts; you decide. Six checks before anything goes out:

1. Give it the facts rather than asking for them. Ask an assistant when Mother's Day is and it may give you last year's date, or the American one in May. Paste in the dates from this guide or photograph your toolkit's dates page, and take the fixtures from the official Six Nations website and the prices from your own menu.
2. Check every date, time and price. The National Cyber Security Centre warns that these tools can get things wrong and present incorrect statements as facts.
3. AI does not know your licence. In Scotland, the law bans drinks promotions such as two drinks for the price of one, and a changed price must then stay the same for at least 72 hours, which rules out happy hours (Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, Schedule 3). In England and Wales, the mandatory licence conditions ban irresponsible promotions. If an assistant suggests a drinks deal, check it with your licensing officer before you run it.
4. Measures are set by law. Gin, rum, vodka and whisky sold by the glass must come in 25ml or 35ml measures, or multiples of them, and not both in the same pub (GOV.UK).
5. AI never decides what is in a dish. It can write the description. Your allergen chart decides what is in it. The house rules in our AI for pubs guide explain why.
6. Keep guests' details out, and use your own pictures. No names, phone numbers or email addresses in any prompt. Pictures should show the food and the rooms a guest will actually get.

Measure what worked

A plan earns its keep when you know what it brought in. Keep one simple tracker: a row for each moment, with the posts that went out, the bookings taken, the covers on the day and the takings. Five minutes the morning after each moment is enough.

In May, give the assistant the totals, never names, and ask: "Which of these moments earned most for the effort, and what should I do differently next spring?" Then put next year's dates in the diary while you remember.

How we plan at The Anchor

Every event at The Anchor, our own venue, starts with a brief that we write and approve: what is on, when, the price and how to book. The posts, emails, event page and booking details all come from it, so when something changes, we change the brief and everything follows.

The ideas are ours. We have run tasting nights for years, and AI turns each one into a full plan, the supplier messages, the artwork and an app to run the night, with guests rating each drink live on their own phones.

It all lives in one back-office system, built with AI's help, that brings together our bookings, events, marketing emails and text messages. That is how we see what each moment brought in, side by side, rather than guessing.

When you are ready for more

Everything in this guide works on a free account, and you can do all of it yourself.

When you are ready for change, and want the planning to run itself, with bookings that send their own reminders, one place for your events and messages, and figures that show what each moment earned, that is what Orange Jelly builds. At The Anchor, our own venue, we grew table bookings by 403%.

If that is what you want for your pub, call me on 07990 587315 or email peter@orangejelly.co.uk. For background reading, there is an AI readiness assessment and our full AI for pubs guide.

Sources

• 2027 Guinness Men's Six Nations fixtures and schedule confirmed (Six Nations Rugby, 9 March 2026)
• Guinness Men's Six Nations fixtures confirmed for 2027 (Irish Rugby, 9 March 2026)
• Five rounds of Super Saturdays confirmed for the 2027 Guinness Women's Six Nations (Irish Rugby, 13 May 2026)
• UK bank holidays (GOV.UK)
• Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, Schedule 3 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Alcohol licensing (GOV.UK)
• Weights and measures: specified quantities (GOV.UK)
• AI and cyber security: what you need to know (National Cyber Security Centre)

Sources checked on 16 October 2026.