Weston gears up for bumper bank holiday weekend as Monster awakens

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Weston-super-Mare is looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to the seafront and town this August bank holiday weekend with beautiful weather forecast throughout and a packed programme of events lined-up.

Whether it’s a day on the beach, in the water, discovering independent shops, street art, world foods or a show at the theatre, the town has it all. Also this weekend SEE MONSTER starts to awaken with the first in a series of three spectacular drone shows above the beach after the sun sinks over the bay.

With so many visitors expected, North Somerset Council has compiled a handy list of tips to help residents and visitors get the most from the weekend, particularly on Sunday when trips to the seafront are expected to peak.

SEE MONSTER awakening

Three drone shows will take place over the coming week. All shows will begin after sunset at 9pm or soon after.

The show dates are:

  • Sunday 28 August
  • Tuesday 30 August
  • Thursday 1 September.

The shows are created by award winning studio SKYMAGIC, whose work includes the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and London New Year’s Eve.

There will be no fireworks at the events.

Travel

Travel as sustainably as you can. There is regular public transport to Weston-super-Mare and both the station and bus hub are a short walk away from the town centre and seafront.

There’s plenty of cycle parking in the town centre and seafront too.

Parking

If you need to travel by car, car share if you can. There are lots of car parks to choose from. Pay and display charges will apply as usual. It’s free to park on the seafront after 6pm, and on Sunday 28 August, when the first SEE MONSTER awakening event takes place, parking will also be free after 6pm at the Locking Road long stay car park.

There are parking spaces for blue badge holders along Marine Parade and spaces will also be made available on the beach and Beach Lawns.

There will be fewer spaces than usual for parking on the beach on Sunday as an exclusion zone will be in place for the drone show and we expect the seafront parking to fill up first, so you may want to park in town and stroll along the prom to see the display.

Vehicles parked on the beach on Sunday will need to leave that area by 6pm due to the evening high tide.

If you choose to park on nearby streets please have consideration for local residents – don’t obstruct driveways and take your litter home.

Toilets

Public toilets will be open as usual across the weekend. On Sunday evening the seafront public and disabled toilets between the Tropicana and Grand Pier will stay open until 10.30pm for the drone show.

Litter

Please bring a carrier bag with you for your rubbish. There are plenty of recycling and waste bins along the seafront and these are emptied regularly. If bins are full please take your litter home with you. Leave only footprints.

Lost children and first aid point

In case your child gets lost, please write your mobile phone number on their forearm so you can be reunited quickly. The lost child and first aid point will be on the Beach Lawns opposite the Tropicana / Bay Café during the drone displays.

Food and drink

There are plenty of places to eat and drink all along the seafront and in the town centre so please take your pick. The Bay Café at the Tropicana will be open late on Sunday evening for the first drone show.

What’s On

The Visit Weston website has a great listing of events taking place across the town over the weekend and beyond. Highlights include the Culture Weston programme and What’s Next events at the Tropicana, curated to complement SEE MONSTER’s time in town.

Tide times

High tides and heights for the weekend are:

Saturday 27 August

  • 7.51am (11.12m)
  • 8.02pm (11.43m)

Sunday 28 August

  • 8.24am (11.39m)
  • 8.35pm (11.69m)

Monday 29 August

  • 8.57am (11.62m)
  • 9.08pm (11.88m)

More information

www.n-somerset.gov.uk/seemonster

https://seemonster.co.uk/

https://cultureweston.org.uk/whats-on/

https://www.visit-westonsupermare.com/

https://tropicanaweston.co.uk/upcoming-events/

https://superweston.net/