A former popular lido site in the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset is set for a major revamp ahead of its reopening, hoping to regain its former glory. Known as Weston-super-Mare Tropicana, it was once home to an outdoor swimming pool and originally opened as an open-air lido, becoming popular among visitors when it opened in 1937.
Found on the Bristol Channel coast on the southern section of the seafront, the lido shut its doors in 2000. But it will now reopen as a new performance venue with 5,000 seats. In fact, plans to transform Weston-super-Mare Tropicana could be approved as early as next week after its original design was altered following criticism from locals.
Under its new plans, the venue is set to create a total of 15 full-time jobs including many other part-time jobs during its larger events.
It’s also set to host events of up to 5,000 people across the whole site, including roughly 1,000 people indoors.
According to Somerset Live, a total of £20 million was given to North Somerset Council from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund in 2022.
This fund looked to overhaul a host of schemes, including that of turning around the region’s beloved 1930s former lido.
The overhaul and new reopening of this iconic spot is also said to be a “nationally significant” step for arts, culture, and entertainment, which is expected to generate £40 million in economic benefits over the next 10 years.
The former lido was known as “The Tropicana” in the 1980s, despite having the lido closed, and largely stood vacant for a number of years.
Plans to revive it took the shape of a temporary, pop-up art exhibition called Banksy’s Dismaland theme park in 2015, with Banksy, the infamous yet anonymous graffiti artist, using the site as an art installation.
The dystopian theme park was described as a “family theme park unsuitable for children.” It had a staggering 150,000 visitors and featured work from 58 artists, including the legendary Banksy himself.
It also boasted a Ferris wheel, carousel, and a mini golf park.
Later, the park was renamed Dismaland, becoming a “sinister twist on Disneyland” before being used as a hired event space.
The park saw a few other changes over the years, and included an immersive and interactive play attraction known as Little Town Adventure.
It was also the setting for the UK’s largest covered ice rink in December 2024, which attracted many people during the Christmas period.