A Brighton and Hove City Council scrutiny group has made 27 recommendations to bring more visitors to the city in winter and at night. They include a flagship winter attraction, a Winter Fringe or Winter Pride and a review of night buses after midnight. They are recommendations, not council policy.
The ideas are in the report of the Visitor Economy Task & Finish Group, which went to the Place Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 3 November 2026. The committee was asked to note the report and refer its findings to Cabinet for consideration.
What the group looked at
Full Council approved a motion in December 2025 recognising the city's visitor economy and the need to encourage more overnight stays and winter visits. In July 2026 the committee set up the task and finish group, chaired by Councillor Evans, to look at the night-time and winter economies.
The group ran from 3 August to 30 September 2026 and held seven evidence meetings with 23 guests, including council events and marketing staff, VisitBrighton, the BID, the Tourism Alliance, the bus company, hotels, restaurants and event organisers. The report says the tight timeline meant not every avenue could be explored and some witnesses could not attend over the summer.
The visitor numbers
The report says Brighton and Hove attracts more than 11 million visitors a year, spending almost £886 million. It says most of them are day trippers and that overnight stays have declined, which matters because overnight visitors are worth more to the local economy.
A flagship winter attraction
The report says hoteliers and other business representatives told the group there is no winter hook to bring in overnight visitors, particularly with no ice rink this year. ImJustBrighton has reported that there is no ice rink in Brighton this winter.
The group heard from Ian Baird, the council's Outdoors Events Development Manager, who said Christmas markets do not work in Brighton because of its independent shopping, and that the city needs an experience rather than a retail attraction. He shared a proposal for a Winter Wonderland with a funfair, food hall, curling, festive forest, alpine lodge and Christmas tree maze. The group said it was impressed and in support, and suggested asking the operator to make it more Brighton.
Events and promotion
Other recommendations on events and marketing include:
Winter events. Look into expanding popular summer events into a Winter Fringe or Winter Pride, and plan collaborative events in quieter months.
A spring festival. A collaborative art festival like White Night, potentially at the start of spring.
The sauna economy. Explore bringing the UK Sauna Association's sauna festival to Brighton.
Promotion. Promote the city as a creative and food destination, explore a food hall and bringing back the Ambassador programme, partner with Gatwick Airport and invest in AI-ready visitor information.
Safety planning. Help the sector prepare for Martyn's Law through training and information sharing between businesses, event organisers, Sussex Police and the council.
Night buses, trains and lighting
On transport, the report recommends a review of the night bus offer, particularly after midnight, covering frequency, cost and routes. It says the city has nine hourly night bus routes, but the group also heard that some hospitality workers have to leave work early to catch the last bus, and that there is a gap between the end of regular services and the start of night buses.
The group also recommends asking the Mayor to lobby for a 24-hour train service between Brighton and London and exploring the use of underused car parks to encourage overnight stays. To make the city feel safe and welcoming at night, it suggests more lighting in darker areas, including light corridors between parts of the city.
Running and measuring the visitor economy
The report calls for a reassessment of the VisitBrighton model so there is one central guide to what is on in the city, plus coordinated destination packages and cross-ticketing. It also wants a visitor economy performance dashboard with quarterly reviews, and data to justify a 24-hour economy.
It recommends the council use its influence in the Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority to seek more funding for the visitor economy and to ensure that, if a visitor levy is introduced, the money is reinvested in hospitality and events in consultation with the sector.
What it could cost
The council report says there are no immediate financial implications from noting the report, but carrying out many of the recommendations could bring significant future costs in marketing, events, staffing, transport, public realm and infrastructure. Any proposals would need fully costed business cases before approval. It also notes low staff capacity in some areas, which may affect delivery.
Next step. The committee was asked to refer the findings to Cabinet for consideration.
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