taCity

Monopoly Pub Crawl Route: Taken from https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/8mjd27/we_did_the_monopoly_pub_crawl_for_my_stag_do/

In the emotionally-draining, exploitative and burn-out fuelling drudgery of modern urban capitalist life, there are decreasingly few means of escape in which new spaces of the city are explored unintentionally, and new social connections can be forged. Within this urban hellscape though, a chink of resistance can be found in the humble pub crawl. Yes, that’s right, I’m going to try and defend the pub crawl. Strap in, this is going to get wild…

A word of caution: This post will discuss drinking and pubs which I fully appreciate can have triggering effects on people who have experienced the horrifying effects of alcoholism, or experienced the often highly mysoginistic, sometimes violent pub environment and drinking culture therein.

First off, in a depressingly mundane and uneventful urban encounter and experience that is so often the purview of ‘creative city’ or ‘night-time economy’ practice, the pub crawl emerges as a delightful and perhaps nostalgic escape that can be steeped in urban history, intrigue and imagination (if the right route is established). It does this by offering a unique opportunity to engage in genuine psychogeographic activity while fostering social and place-based urban connections. I’m not thinking here of the ‘off-the-shelf’ pub crawls offered by entertainment companies, stag and hen-do organisers or even the CAMRA pub crawls.

As fun as these can be, I’m thinking here more a pub crawl that is genuinely exploratory, one that has a starting point but no end one in mind, or one that has a theme which encourages finding pubs based on specific criteria (such as a relevant name, history or cultural artefact, such as the infamous Monopoly Pub Crawl) rather the being in the same location (for example, I recently conducted the ‘Pirate London Pub Crawl‘ with a few of my own additions). At its core, psychogeography is the study of how geographic spaces influence human emotions, behaviors, and perceptions. A pub crawl can epitomise this concept by taking willing participants on a journey through various neighbourhoods, districts and locals each with its own distinct character and history (and even the modes of transport taken can be something to incorporate into the theme, and indeed part of the psychogeographic experience). As the night progresses, the cityscape transforms, and participants are taken on a sensory journey of sights, sounds, and tastes that are often overlooked during the daily grind. And yes, there’s even a Karl Marx crawl retracing his steps on a particularly drunken evening for the philosopher in the late 1850s, according to his memoirs.

By weaving through different areas, participants can discover hidden gems, historical landmarks, and cultural hubs they might otherwise miss. Each pub becomes a waypoint, an alcoholic node in the urban real ale network that connects people to their surroundings and creates an interconnected cultural narrative of the city. The dynamic nature of the pub crawl enables a deep, emotional connection with the urban landscape, encouraging individuals to see their environment with fresh, if a little blurry eyes.

Moreover, in the digital and late capitalist era, genuine social interactions are becoming scarce. The pub crawl serves as an antidote to this isolation, bringing people together in a convivial, if sometimes raucous atmosphere. Whether it’s with old friends, new acquaintances, or even strangers, the pub crawl promotes socialised bonding and shared experiences that can foster lasting connections. This is not a new idea to geographical scholarship. Mark Jayne, Gill Valentine and Sarah Holloway have written extensively about alcohol consumption in the city and it’s role in sociality. Indeed, they have argued that by “focusing on relationships, reciprocity and care, it offers an important antidote to long-standing political, policy, popular and academic pathologisation of alcohol as contributing to an ‘urban crisis’ of violence and disorder.” In an era increasingly isolating, privatised and when loneliness epidemics are rife, the pub, and the inhibiting joviality of the alcohol consumption they generate, are very important, perhaps even vital parts of our lives.

Pubs themselves play a vital role in facilitating urban sociality, and have often been theorised as ‘third spaces’, in that they foster and shape community cohesion, economic development and social capital. These establishments often provide an intimate setting where conversations flow freely, inhibitions can subside, and genuine connections are forged. As individuals engage in conversation with diverse groups of people, they experience a sense of camaraderie that transcends barriers of age, background, and profession. This has become exemplified by some of the country’s co-operatively owned pubs, notably The Bevy in Brighton which was threatened with closure, only for the local community to step in and buy it and transform it into a vital local hub.

Obviously, pubs are not for everyone. I’ve mentioned that they are often highly mysoginistic, and spaces where extreme violence – gendered, racial, emotional and physical – can occur. For some, alcohol is an addictive and destructive substance. Drinking to excess as some of us will know from painful experience, exposes us to severe health risks. So pub crawls are by no means for everyone. And in a cost of living crisis, having just one drink in a big city can cost the same as an hour’s wage for some jobs, let alone multiple drinks across the evening.

But that said, if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to partake and enjoy a pub crawl, with their unique ability to blend psychogeographic exploration, sociality, and publicness in an increasingly privatized leisure economy, I recommend you do. As participants embark on this oldest of urban adventure, they can gain a newfound appreciation for the city’s intricacies and establish genuine connections with their fellow explorers. So, next time you’re contemplating how to spend a night out, consider the pub crawl—an enriching journey through the urban landscape that leaves lasting memories and a deeper sense of urbanity in all its glorious messiness…