Where to Find Entertainment in Southport After Location Closures

3rd February 2020

In 2019, Rightmove released its Happy at Home Index and confirmed that Southport is one of the happiest places to live in the country. Our large seaside town was 10th place in a list that also featured Hexham in Northumberland, Harrogate in Yorkshire, and Richmond upon Thames in London.

Southport Pier Pavilion 2010” Andrew Woodvine (CC BY-SA 2.0)

However, while people in Southport have many things to smile about, from the brilliant pier to a wonderful seaside, the town is changing. Southport is facing major store closures that could make it difficult for people in the town to find entertainment.

What’s Closing Down in Southport?

Debenhams, Stockport (1)” Rept0n1x (CC BY-SA 3.0)

There are several store closures that affect us in Southport. The biggest of these is the announced closure of the Lord Street Debenhams. The store had several departments such as men and womenswear but with its cafe, it also made for a great shopping day out. You could buy a new outfit and have a meal with friends, but as the brand just isn’t making money, less successful locations such as the Lord Street store have shut.

Mezzanine, a wine bar in the centre of town, has also closed down. In a post on social media, the owners of the wine bar said that Southport isn’t busy enough, suggesting that the town centre location just isn’t making money.

What Can You Do for Fun in Southport?

Some Southport locations may have closed down, but there’s nothing stopping you from finding entertainment online. Switch wine bars like Mezzanine for a cocktail party at home and switch the Debenhams cafe for a baking afternoon with friends. You could also switch a night out with a night in, playing at an online casino like SkyCity. This online gaming provider features classics such as baccarat and blackjack, as well as live dealer games with real dealers, so you won’t need to start looking for a Southport croupier to deal you in.

The Southport Theatre and Convention Centre has some great shows, but there are also services that allow you to watch these online. Digital Theatre, Broadway HD, and On the Boards TV are some of the services you can sign up to, so if there’s nothing you want to watch on at the theatre, you’ll be able to look through a larger list online.

How is Money Being Spent in Southport?

Money is being spent on Southport. Sefton Council and Southport BID have managed to get hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend on the town, to work on things such as the development of the pier and getting new businesses to invest after other store closures. They would also like to work on the popular King’s Gardens, buildings on Lord Street, and the area between the town centre and the seafront.

Developments such as these can take a huge amount of time, and people in Southport may not see the effects of this funding for a while. What’s important though is that there are several ways to have fun in the town while we wait for new forms of entertainment to move in.