Plan to reignite New Year's Eve celebrations

A five-year plan has been launched to bring back the "electric atmosphere" to a town that used to be widely known for its New Year's Eve celebrations.

Newquay Business Improvement District (BID) said it would work with businesses to "co-ordinate enhanced New Year's Eve activities and encourage town-wide participation".

It said it was launching the Great Newquay Pub Fancy Dress Competition where bars, pubs, restaurants and venues could choose a theme and dress their teams for an all-town celebration.

Newquay BID Manager, Mark Warren said: "We're not trying to turn the clock back... this is just the beginning of a long-term plan to make Newquay the New Year's Eve capital of Cornwall once again."

Newquay BID said it was inviting residents, visitors and returning holidaymakers to embrace the tradition, dress up, celebrate safely and help restore the "unique New Year's Eve atmosphere the town has always been known for."

It added it was looking to "build momentum year-on-year to re-establish Newquay as Cornwall's New Year's Eve capital."

It was looking for venues to collaborate on joint themes, shared entertainment and town-wide creative ideas.

Newquay BID said it was working with Devon & Cornwall Police to ensure strong safety measures were in place.

These included increased police presence during peak weekends, the Newquay Rangers programme, ShopWatch and PubWatch radios and body-worn cameras being available to staff.

Looking forward Newquay BID is hoping to implement a loyalty card app to create New Year's Eve venue trails, promotions and themed experiences.

There will also be a midnight fireworks display at Newquay Harbour.

Newquay BID said Newquay was known as a great place to spend New Year's Eve with "the whole town in fancy dress, music filling the streets, family-friendly early-evening celebrations, and a vibrant nightlife that brought communities together from across the county".

It said it was looking to "bring that spirit back, stronger than ever."

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