With the UK planning a summer of brunches, picnics, and BBQs, this got us thinking, is 2021 the year of the garden party?
As the UK moves into the second year of COVID-19, gardens are set to become havens for friends and family to enjoy making memories and reconnecting over a much-loved garden soiree. From water fights on the grass to wondering whether the weather will hold out long enough to eat BBQ food outside, parties in the garden are a staple of British summers.
With summer rolling in, we’ve looked at Google search activity over the past year to see which cities in the UK are searching for garden party and BBQ-related words and phrases the most.
We also looked at weather data to see which days are the most likely to stay sunny and warm enough for us to make BBQ plans well in advance.
The top 10 most garden party obsessed cities in the UK
We combined 13 BBQ and garden party phrases, such as ‘bbq ideas’, ‘best bbq food’, ‘garden party decoration’, and ‘garden party’ to find out which UK cities were searching for garden parties the most.
Plymouth is revealed as the garden party capital of the UK.
0.071% of all Google activity in the city over the past 12 months shows residents searching for ideas, menus, outfits, and decorations to prepare for a party at home with friends and family.
Top 20 most garden party crazy cities over the past 12 months:
| Rank | UK City | Garden Party Search Activity* |
| 1 | Plymouth | 0.071% |
| 2 | York | 0.053% |
| 3 | Brighton | 0.045% |
| 4 | Norwich | 0.045% |
| 5 | Oxford | 0.043% |
| 6 | Portsmouth | 0.040% |
| 7 | Belfast | 0.039% |
| 8 | Sheffield | 0.031% |
| 9 | Liverpool | 0.029% |
| 10 | London | 0.019% |
| 11 | Leeds | 0.016% |
| 12 | Birmingham | 0.013% |
| 13 | Bristol | 0.013% |
| 14 | Southampton | 0.012% |
| 15 | Edinburgh | 0.012% |
| 16 | Glasgow | 0.010% |
| 17 | Cardiff | 0.008% |
| 18 | Newcastle Upon Tyne | 0.006% |
| 19 | Nottingham | 0.006% |
| 20 | Manchester | 0.004% |
*Cities are ranked by the percentage of the local, digital population Googling garden party/BBQ-related search terms.
Most popular cities for BBQs
Which Brits have tongs at the ready and are the most pumped for BBQ season?
With more than 32k online searches for BBQ terms over the last year, most of this activity comes from residents in the South Western city of Plymouth.
| Rank | UK City | BBQ Search Activity* |
| 1 | Plymouth | 0.048% |
| 2 | York | 0.036% |
| 3 | Norwich | 0.033% |
| 4 | Brighton | 0.031% |
| 5 | Oxford | 0.029% |
*Cities are ranked by the percentage of the local, digital population Googling BBQ-related search terms.
Most popular cities for veggie & vegan BBQs
The cities most interested in throwing a vegetarian or vegan BBQ can be found in Northern England. Liverpudlians are searching for vegetarian and vegan BBQ recipes the most out of all UK cities.
| Rank | UK City | Vegetarian & Vegan BBQs Search Activity* |
| 1 | Liverpool | 0.009% |
| 2 | York | 0.007% |
| 3 | Brighton | 0.007% |
| 4 | Oxford | 0.007% |
| 5 | Norwich | 0.007% |
*Cities are ranked by the percentage of the local, digital population Googling vegetarian BBQ and vegan BBQ-related search terms.
The best day to have a BBQ in the UK in 2021
Average weather conditions – looking at hours of daylight and average temperatures – across the months of May-September for each of the 20 biggest cities in the UK were also analysed.
BBQ craving Brits should be prepared to ignite the grill on Thursday 1st July 2021.
According to the findings, this will be the longest, warmest day of the year for most of the UK. Temperatures will soar to 20.85°C with 16hrs 33mins of daylight brightening the country. With average rainfall for July over previous years at 101.3mm, this month gives UK residents the best chances to avoid a soggy garden celebration.
Oxford in particular will see the longest, hottest month out of all cities in the UK. Oxford residents should mark July in their calendars as locals here are expected to enjoy average temperatures of 23°C and 16hrs 4mins of daylight across the summer month.
For the UK as a whole, those looking to make the most of their summer 2021 can expect an average of 18.75°C and 15hrs 12mins of daylight on average between May – September.
Methodology & research
Research was conducted April 2021. Search results have been quantified using ‘actual population reach’ to eliminate the bias of city size. This takes into account population size vs the amount of searches in each location. Cities are ranked by the percentage of the local, digital population Googling garden party/BBQ-related search terms over 12 months. All data and sources available on request.
