As part of Southend BID's autumn programme of events and marking the beginning of the Christmas festivities, our free seven-week Seafront Firework displays took place every Saturday evening at 7.30pm from 6th October until 17th November and the Christmas Lights Switch On on the same date as its finale. This year, our brand new gold and silver lighting scheme was revealed, in addition to tree baubles and star.
Remaining the town centre's number one event, it the mostly visited of all and is highly anticipated. Feedback received this year has been incredibly positive, with many comments across social media relating to how beautiful the new lights are and how brilliant the overall event was, alongside many images shared on Instagram.
Visitors and participators alike, have commented on how much they enjoyed it, that the firework displays are the perfect accompaniment to the switch on and a welcome addition to the town. Other comments across social media thanked us for our efforts in creating Southend as a place people love to come to visit, creating a positive atmosphere in town and how much they enjoyed visiting with their families.
A number of the businesses were very busy - some were full, others had high footfall, with most commenting that they certainly noticed a difference in how busy the High Street itself throughout the day - the area remained busy at 8.30pm. One BID business even received a call from head office, congratulating them on its high takings.
Both events also received considerable local press coverage and were featured in our weekly Southend Echo column - the combined Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) for Southend Echo’s coverage of the Seafront Firework displays and Christmas Lights Switch On is circa £ 19,236.