Urban Beach Fun Comes to Newport City Centre!

This August, all the fun of the seaside is coming to Newport city centre, providing perfect family entertainment during the school summer holidays. Newport Now BID is bringing an urban beach to John Frost Square from August 2nd to 27th, transforming the heart of the city into a summer paradise.

The beach will be open daily from 9am to 5pm, complete with buckets, spades, and deck chairs, offering fun for all the family. The month-long event is supported by Newport City Council via the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF), making it possible to bring this unique experience to Newport.

Newport Now BID manager Kevin Ward shared, “We felt there was a gap in the Newport events calendar at the end of the school summer holidays. Bringing the seaside into the city centre for almost all of August is a fantastic way to mark the end of the holiday season. Children will love the beach, and there will be some surprise entertainment at different points during the month for all the family. Just as importantly, the beach will bring additional footfall into the city centre at a crucial time for our businesses.”

The urban beach is the latest in a series of city centre events delivered or funded by Newport Now BID, and it’s being brought to life in partnership with Yellow Bus Events. Past iterations of the urban beach in 2017 and 2018 were much shorter, so this extended event is a significant upgrade made possible by the SPF.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda, provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. This fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities, supporting local businesses, and enhancing people’s skills.

Head to John Frost Square this August for a month of seaside fun right in the heart of Newport!