- Fancy dress identified as one of Brits’ best ways to beat boredom in 2024
- TV personality Charlotte Dawson leads the charge for getting out of the daily grind and into the ‘weekend spirit’ with hilarious photoshoot
- Butlin’s giving away the ultimate Big Weekender to one lucky winner, plus £20 off for everyone else
Almost half (44%) of UK adults admit that they regularly feel bored, according to new nationwide research and in fact, it’s socialising that we’re craving the most.
The study from Butlin’s Big Weekenders revealed a lack of social opportunities (23%) as the number one contributor to boredom, followed by limited entertainment options (18%) and poor public transportation (15%).
Charlotte Dawson, TV personality and daughter of comedian Les Dawson, is encouraging the nation to inject a sense of fun and creativity to their lives by non-traditional means; fancy dress.
Bizarrely, fancy dress has been cited as one of the best ways to beat boredom in Britain in 2024, with more than two thirds of the nation (67%) saying it’s a sure-fire way to help them overcome boredom. It has also been proven to help people feel more confident, break down barriers, make people feel less awkward and more likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger when in fancy dress!
Fancy dress is a legendary part of a Butlin’s Big Weekender with guests going to town on their creativity – the weekender breaks are the ultimate adults only weekend getaway to let your hair down, have endless laughs and make life-long memories with friends.
Starting from just £69pp, Butlin’s Big Weekenders guests get three-night accommodation and entertainment including all live performances and headline acts, top DJs plus activities such as pool parties, silent discos and ‘Bingo Bango’. There’re also extras like Bottomless Brunch, Go-Karts and Laser Tag to keep guests busy during the day.
Not only that, the Butlin’s Big Weekenders legendary fancy dress Saturday nights are renowned for guests going all out with fabulous costumes – from traffic cones, bananas, aliens and more – plus a new fancy dress ball will be joining the celebrations for 2024.
The research also revealed the average Brit dons fancy dress at least once a year, while almost one in ten (9%) indulge in the activity four or more times throughout the year. Unsurprisingly, Halloween (34%) is the most popular occasion to dress up, followed by costume parties (29%) and birthday parties (26%), with the average wearer spending £36.50 on their outfit.
Charlotte recently took to the streets of Stoke-on-Trent, which was geographically revealed as the UK’s most bored city, to bring the power of fancy dress to the high street. Donning whoopie cushion, traffic cone and banana outfits, courtesy of Smiffys thanks to a new partnership launching with Butlin’s Big Weekenders, Charlotte rallied up the local shoppers and heard their own hilarious experiences with fancy dress, uncovering why it helps us to feel carefree and ultimately, have a good time. See full video here.
Charlotte Dawson commented: “I had a lot of fun getting onto the high street in Stoke and showing how fun, silly and carefree fancy dress can be. There’s nothing quite like just letting go of your inhibitions, not taking yourself too seriously and having an excuse to strike up a conversation with a stranger (something I like to think I’m quite good at!)."
“I can most definitely vouch that fancy dress, whether it’s at Halloween, a hen party or a Butlin’s Big Weekender, is the BEST way to let your hair down and have a right laugh”.
When it comes to characters, Barbie-mania continues to grip the nation. The pink-clad personality is now the nation’s number one fancy dress option (10%), followed by Batman (9%), Cinderella (9%), Harry Potter (9%) and The Joker (8%).
Top 10 Fancy Dress Costumes
- Barbie
- Batman
- Cinderella
- Harry Potter
- The Joker (Batman)
- James Bond
- Spider-Man
- Superman
- Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
- Snow White
The research also uncovered the importance of the weekend to the nation, with the average Brit getting the ‘weekend feeling’ at 3pm on a Friday, however over a quarter of us (27%) are already well into weekend mode by Friday morning or even earlier in the week!
Mike Godolphin, Entertainment Director at Butlin’s, said: “At Butlin’s, we’re all about celebrating the weekend. And there’s truly no better way to make the most of your days off work than at a Butlin’s Big Weekender, with everything you need on resort, and so much included in the price."
“It’s interesting to see from the research that the three most popular things that Brits do to get into the weekend spirit, are listening to music (34%), eating something tasty (32%) and having an alcoholic drink (31%) – all of which can be done on a Big Weekender. Whether you want to let your hair down and party the night away, or don fancy dress and live your best Barbie life, Butlin’s Big Weekenders is the place to be.”
Butlin’s is offering one lucky Brit the chance to win their own ultimate, all expenses paid Big Weekenders trip, including entry and accommodation to a Big Weekender for up to four guests, VIP access, Premium Dining, £250 spending money PLUS a £200 fancy dress package! For full competition details and to enter visit: https://butlins.com/bigweekenders/competitions. If you’re not the lucky winner, don’t worry – use code BANANA20 for £20 off anyway!*
To find out more or book your next Big Weekender break visit https://www.butlins.com/bigweekenders
Data taken from a OnePoll survey of 2,000 adults, March 2024
*BANANA20 will give guests £20 off a BBW in 2024 and 2025 (excluding Arena breaks and DJ Spoony). Code will be valid from 21/03/2024 to 07/04/2024. All offers are subject to promotional availability, may be withdrawn at any time and cannot be combined with any other offer or internet code except the 5% Premier Club loyalty discount.