The Welsh Ambulance Service is asking the public to drink sensibly for the Christmas party weekend.
‘Mad Friday,’ also known as ‘Frantic Friday’ or ‘Black Eye Friday,’ is one of the year’s busiest nights for emergency services, with increased drinking and a rise in incidents and accidents.
Last year, the service received 1,250 calls to 999 on the last Friday before Christmas, and 1,932 calls to the 111 service.
This was an increase of more than 200 calls than the previous Friday.
With the festive season underway, the trust has given some advice to those going out this weekend.
It has said that people should eat before they go out, try to pace their drinking by having a soft drink or water between alcoholic drinks, plan the journey home, look after each other, not assault emergency workers, and only use 999 in a serious or life-threatening emergency.
Jonathan Edwards, the trust’s assistant director of operations (resourcing and EMS coordination), said: “Parties and get-togethers are a big feature of this time of year, which in turn puts pressure on blue light services.
“It’s easy to forget how much alcohol you’ve consumed when you’re enjoying yourself, but while we’re dealing with alcohol-related incidents, we could be delayed in treating someone whose situation really is life or death.
“We’re not killjoys but we are asking the public to drink responsibly and enjoy themselves safely.”
For non-serious emergencies, people are asked to visit the NHS 111 Wales website or call 111.