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Improving Weston-super-Mare

The Tropicana

Experienced venue operator opportunity

North Somerset Council is currently going through a procurement process to find an experienced venue operator to lease the Tropicana for at least 20 years following major refurbishment. More information can be found in our news releases:

Progress with the Tropicana operator search to be discussed

Operator sought for Weston “iconic” entertainment venue

The Tropicana is now closed to allow construction and refurbishment work to take place.

Tropicana new design

The Tropicana is an iconic building on Weston-super-Mare's seafront. 

This unique entertainment venue has played host to notable events and celebrities since it opened in 1937. 

Notable performers and events include:

  • Hollywood greats such as Laurel and Hardy and Diana Dors
  • internationally-renowned street artist Banksy and his 2015 ‘Dismaland – Bemusement Park’
  • SEE MONSTER art installation 

Once an outdoor pool, the space now offers dynamic and flexible indoor and outdoor events space suitable for a diverse range of art forms. 

Plans for improvement

We are regenerating the Tropicana to:

  • provide purpose-built indoor and outdoor entertainment spaces
  • increase capacity
  • elevate its status as a nationally significant multi-use entertainment venue 

In May 2025, planning consent was granted to:

  • repair the main 1930s promenade building
  • demolish the existing 1980s internal building and replace it with a brand-new structure to host indoor events for around 1,000 people
  • increase the total venue capacity to 5,000 people plus event staff
  • install sustainable and renewable energy sources, including heat pumps and solar panels, to improve energy efficiency and help tackle the climate emergency

You can find out more about the plans including detailed drawings on our planning portal. The planning application reference is 24/P/2691/R3. The application was approved in May 2025. 

News release - “Full steam ahead” to reinvent the Tropicana as planning approved

Construction work started in autumn 2025 and is due to be completed by the end of 2026.

Cultural Development Fund

In January 2025, it was announced that we were successful in our bid for an additional £2.7 million in funding for further improvements to the Tropicana.

The funding from the UK government’s Cultural Development Fund will be used to:

  • improve and fit out interior spaces for culture and entertainment, increasing accessibility, and enabling greater flexibility of use through the ability to hold events and activities of a greater range of sizes
  • install equipment such as for lighting and sound to accelerate a future venue operator’s delivery
  • deliver a cultural programme in a partnership between the council, the venue operator and local cultural organisations boomsatsuma and Super Culture

News release - £2.7m cultural funding secured for the Tropicana

New operator

As well as the regeneration and refurbishment work, we are also currently working to identify and appoint a new operator for the site. As part of running the Tropicana with a long-term lease, the operator will plan and manage the programme of events. 

The operator is expected to be announced in autumn 2025.

It is hoped that a new operator would be appointed to fit out and reopen the Tropicana shortly after work completes in 2026.

Thanks to our funders

This project has been made possible thanks to two successful bids made by the council for:

  • £20 million from the UK government’s former Levelling Up Fund awarded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to deliver the Improving Weston programme, including the Tropicana
  • £2.7 million from the UK government’s Cultural Development Fund awarded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), delivered by Arts Council England

This is part of North Somerset Council's ambitious placemaking vision for Weston.