Councillors suggest a winter flagship event and a review of buses after midnight

A group of Brighton & Hove councillors wants the city to create a flagship winter attraction, look into a Winter Fringe or Winter Pride, and review the night buses after midnight. These are three of 27 recommendations from the council’s Visitor Economy Task & Finish Group, which go to the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee at 4pm on Tuesday 3 November.

They are proposals, not decisions. The committee is asked to note the report and refer it to the cabinet for consideration.

The group was set up in July, after full council passed a motion in December 2025 about getting more visitors to stay overnight and come in winter. The report says the city gets more than 11 million visitors a year, who spend almost £886 million. Most are day-trippers, though, and overnight stays have declined. Visitors who stay the night spend much more on rooms, food, drink and transport.

Councillor Evans chaired the group. Councillors Cattell, Miller, Thompson, Lyons, Lademacher, Earthey and Fishleigh also sat on it. Over seven meetings they heard from 23 guests, including business owners, restaurant and hotel representatives, event organisers, the bus company and other councils.

Winter came up again and again. With no ice rink this year, hoteliers and other business representatives felt there was no “hook” to bring overnight visitors in. Ian Baird, outdoors events development manager, said Christmas markets don’t work in Brighton because the Lanes and North Laine offer independent shopping all year. He shared a proposal for a “Winter Wonderland” with a funfair, food hall, curling, a festive forest, an alpine lodge and a Christmas tree maze. The report says members “were impressed with the proposal and were in support of it”.

The group also suggests a modern version of White Night, the night-time arts event that drew around 45,000 people between 2008 and 2011. It could be held in early spring.

On transport, the report says the city has nine night bus routes running hourly all night. But some hospitality workers have to leave work early to catch the last bus home, and there is a gap between the end of regular services and the start of night buses. The group wants the frequency, cost and routes after midnight reviewed. Witnesses also said the last train to London leaves too early, so the group recommends asking the Mayor to lobby for a 24-hour train service between Brighton and London. Another idea is using underused car parks to encourage overnight stays.

The report is open about its limits. The group ran from 3 August to 30 September, and some witnesses couldn’t attend over the summer. Its finance section notes that many of the ideas could bring “significant future revenue and capital costs”, and each would need a fully costed business case before approval.