Bowling strikes gold on Valentine’s Day as {couples} search enjoyable ‘without pressure’

Couples swapped romantic dinners for an evening on the bowling lanes this Valentine’s Day as bookings swelled by a 3rd, new knowledge from the UK’s greatest 10-pin bowling operator reveals.

Hollywood Bowl mentioned folks have been more and more locking of their date nights forward of time relatively than counting on spontaneous journeys.

Bookings for February 14 have been up by 34% this yr, in contrast with final yr, throughout its 77 UK centres.

Some places benefited from an excellent greater flock of tourists, with centres in Carlisle, Oxford, Wigan, Colchester and Wellingborough all recorded bookings development of greater than 50% year-on-year.

The knowledge additionally revealed the typical reserving lead time rose by 62%, growing from 2.1 days in 2025 to three.4 days in 2026, indicating folks have been shunning last-minute bookings in favour of extra organised plans.

Hollywood Bowl mentioned the surge in bookings level to extra {couples} in search of casual and accessible experiences to mark Valentine’s Day, which fell on a Saturday this yr.

Darryl Lewis, UK managing director for the enterprise, mentioned: “Couples were still keen to mark Valentine’s Day this year, but many wanted to do so in a more relaxed way.

“Rather than locking in a big, formal night out, people kept plans flexible and opting for an experience-led date that feels fun without the pressure.”

Hollywood Bowl has persistently mentioned that individuals have been looking for out experience-led leisure for the reason that Covid pandemic, however at a decrease price.

A household of 4 can have a recreation of bowling for below £26 at peak instances, with value rises at centres stored under UK inflation, the enterprise mentioned on the finish of final yr.

A survey by digital financial institution Zopa final week discovered that Britons most well-liked to spend much less on Valentine’s Day’s this yr than they did 5 years in the past as a consequence of cost-of-living pressures, with 30% of 25 to 34-year-olds saying so.