‘Events, Events, Events’: That’s the mantra for Newport city centre

Those of us of a certain age will remember Tony Blair’s campaign mantra of ‘education, education, education’ in the run-up to his first General Election victory in 1997.

Almost 30 years later, and it is ‘events, events, events’ driving the agenda in Newport city centre.

The results of creating a calendar featuring at least one major event per month have been startling, as the city centre has bucked Welsh and UK footfall trends.

Since 2023, footfall in the BID area has been ahead of 2019 figures (the last full year before Covid restrictions decimated visitor numbers across the UK) and has increased steadily every month and year since then.

In 2024, for instance, footfall in Newport city centre increased by 2.6% compared to the previous year. Across Wales, footfall was down 3.7% and fell by 0.7% across the UK as a whole.

The uptick can be attributed almost entirely to events including the BID-organised Christmas lights switch-on, which last year brought an extra 12,000 people into Newport compared to a usual Saturday, and summer Urban Beach, which was used by almost 9,500 during August.

Other events that pulled in the visitors to the city centre last year, most of which were sponsored by the BID, included the Newport Wales Marathon Festival, the Big Splash street theatre festival, Winter Wonderland, the annual food festival, and Pride in the Port.

This year has seen the positive trend continue, with footfall in Newport city centre for the first quarter of 2025 up by 5.3% compared to the same period last year. In Wales for the same period, footfall was up by just 0.5% and across the UK up by 0.7%.

Newport city centre faces the same problems as the vast majority of traditional high streets up and down the UK.

Changes in shopping habits thanks to the rise of both the internet and out-of-town retail parks have seen many big chains disappear forever from the nation’s high streets in a relatively short space of time.

Who would have thought at the turn of the century that household names like British Home Stores, Debenhams, Woolworths and WH Smith would be gone forever within a quarter of a century.

Like many other places, Newport has issues with anti-social behaviour that cannot be ignored but are nowhere near as bad as the perception created by social media.

Solutions have to be found to the problems facing our town and city centres and most experts agree that high streets have to become destination venues to thrive both now and into the future.

The days of people popping into the city centre just to do a bit of shopping have gone. Harping on about the past with dewy-eyed nostalgia will not change that fact.

The vast majority of shops in Newport city centre are now independents. Some are struggling but many, particularly those who have identified gaps in the market or who offer niche products and services, are thriving.

The revitalised Newport Market, with its hugely-popular food hall packed with street food vendors serving everything from Japanese fusion and traditional Greek cuisine to burgers and pizzas, is a prime example of the city centre reinventing itself for the future.

That spirit of independence, forged in Newport’s history of Chartist rebellion, can be seen right across the city centre at Newport Arcade, the Kingsway Centre, and the Corn Exchange to name but a few.

Retail still has an important role to play on the high street but only if it is part of a mix of events, housing, hospitality and leisure.

Increased footfall doesn’t necessarily mean everyone visiting Newport city centre is walking around with full shopping bags – but it represents a huge opportunity for businesses. Grabbing that opportunity will be the key to success as we head further into the 21st century.

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