The night before Thanksgiving is widely considered the biggest bar night of the year. With just about everyone off of work the next day and many people home for the holiday, it’s no wonder that such huge crowds are drawn out to the bars every Thanksgiving Eve.
But with the larger crowds comes larger risks when going out on Thanksgiving Eve - a.k.a. “Black Wednesday.” There are some basic steps you can take to make sure you and your friends stay safe this year.
First and foremost, make sure you have planned out your transportation for the evening. Have a designated driver for the evening? Great! But try to keep tabs on them and make sure they don’t have too many. There will surely be some checkpoints out there and the last thing you want is to wake up with a DWI on Thanksgiving morning.
Even designated drivers should remember to stay safe on the way home. Just because they are sober, doesn’t mean everyone else on the road is as well.
If you’re using a car service such as Uber or Lyft, be sure to have the number for a local taxi service as well. Car services can be very busy on this night, so there is no garauntee you will find a ride through them - not to mention they charge bumped-up rates on nights with large volumes of customers.
Remember to take it relatively easy this year. While catching up with old friends and the prospect of having off work the next day, it can be easy to overdo it on Thanksgiving Eve. There’s no reason to be an absolute saint, but nobody wants to feel like vomiting while staring down their Thanksgiving meal the next day.
Be patient at the bar. The crowds will be crazy, and bartenders will be overwhelmed. Patience is a virtue, your drink will come. Don’t be the guy (or girl) that gets thrown out of the bar because they got into a fight.
Most of all, have a great time this year. It’s not every day you get to reconnect with old friends.