As Lightport fades, hope builds for Southport's bright 2026
An estimated 40,000 people visited the attraction on Saturday and Sunday alone
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
Last weekend saw the first ever Lightport event take place in the town centre, attracting tens of thousands of visitors across three days, a huge influx in what is effectively an out-of-season time of the year.
As one visitor in front of me repeatedly expressed, it was also a stunning spectacle. Today’s edition looks at the success of this event amid a concentrated effort to increase visitor numbers to the town.
Southport briefing
🏖️ Southport is set to benefit from a £1m advertising campaign from VisitEngland. The tourism body is launching a marketing campaign to drive breaks to seaside destinations on England’s North West coast, putting the spotlight on destinations, attractions, experiences and accommodation providers to build back demand for domestic breaks. The digital campaign, which will cover all seaside resorts along the North West coast, will target social media with content ranging from short films, articles, interactive guides and coastal ‘show reels’ to encourage visitors to discover more and explore further. It comes as VisitEngland research shows that England’s coastal destinations have seen an 11% year-on-year drop in visitor numbers and the pilot campaign aims to support VisitEngland to make the case to the government for similar marketing activity in the future. Minister for Tourism Stephanie Peacock MP said: “The government is committed to championing our regions and reminding people of the great destinations right on their doorstep. We are proud to shine a light on the stunning coastal resorts of the North West. These places have their own rich story to tell and deserve the jobs, investment and the pride that a thriving visitor economy brings. VisitEngland’s campaign is a key example of the necessary innovation and partnership needed to ensure the success of our domestic tourism sector.”
🚓 A man has been accused of kidnap and assault after an incident at a Southport home led to an arrest on the M6. Police were called to a property on Ash Street on Sunday after reports two people had forced their way in, assaulted a man in his 40s and taken a woman in her 30s. Later that day, a car was stopped on the motorway and a man and a woman were arrested, while the woman who was reported to have been taken was found safe and well in Skelmersdale. On Tuesday, Merseyside Police said that 34-year-old Lee Jevons had been charged with kidnap and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The woman who had been arrested in connection with the incident has been released with no further action.
⛳ Golfers are being given a chance to play a round at the Royal Birkdale for a heavily discounted price ahead of the return of The Open Championship. The elite competition returns to Southport this summer for the first time since 2018 and is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of spectators. To mark the occasion, the club has created The Birkdale Ballot – a limited ballot offering UK golfers the chance to play a fourball for £396 or £99 each. That compares to a normal cost of £450 for a single round for one person and demand has been so great that a second ballot has already been created with additional times available.
Tens of thousands descend on town centre for first cultural event of year
By Jamie Lopez
An estimated 40,000 people visited the Lightport attraction in just two days as the new event took over the town centre.
The illumination spectacle, which was spread over three zones along Lord Street, kicked off a year of cultural events in Southport last weekend and proved to be a hugely effective way to attract visitors.
As well seemingly taking over social media, Lightport saw a constant stream of people visiting over three days, with a strong crowd still present even in bitterly cold weather near to its closing time on Monday evening.
According to figures shared with The Southport Lead, around 40,000 are believed to have attended across Saturday and Sunday, with Monday’s attendance not included in that. Meanwhile, Southport Market saw trade increase by 60% compared to the same timeframe in 2025 and others reported a 50% rise.
