What is your opinion in pubs in 2026?

Well I spent a good amount of my childhood in pubs so there is a certain amount of nostalgia there. I can still vividly smell the tobacco smoke when I go into my father's old pub, and I have fond memories. All the local kids would be in there, running around between the tables, maybe finding the odd quid to sink on the slot machines when the staff were occupied... Then when we got to be teenagers we'd be allowed to drink, too. People didn't get too serious about IDs or anything until I was well into my 20s (and still don't, in a lot of places). Then when we grew up a bit more, we used pubs for pre-drinks before the actual night out (like uni etc). Then when we were actual grown-ups, it became the other way around - have a couple of drinks at the pub and then go home and do the proper drinking..because of how expensive it is. Or rather, how much more aware of money we are. I've got progressively more wealthy as I've aged but spent less and less time on pubs due to money. My father and his friends have maintained the exact same habits they did 30 years ago. But for my generation it's a little bit different I'd say? I go 1) as a treat, for lunch, with the family 2) for a few rounds when it's a friend's birthday or after work, or 3) when I'm having a nervous breakdown 3 is kinda jokey BUT there is something comforting about walking into a pub, absolutely no expectations or pressure, sitting in a quiet corner doing the crossword sinking a few pints by myself, or putting a few of the old boys up to a game of pool (I'm a woman, so, pretty easy to do, lol.) I'm very socially anxious/awkward so it's nice to go into a familiar setting and just be able to chat and have people be genuine whilst simultaneously not giving a fuck. You don't get that elsewhere. You can talk, or you can sit quietly. As long as you're not being a d*ck, there's little judgment. I also worked in pubs and bars when I was younger and look back on those times with great fondness, too. I'll be genuinely devastated if pub culture fully dies.