Abandoned English lido that once had a theme park to reopen as new venue with multi-million pound revamp

Scottish Sun

07-05-2025

The site was formerly used for Banksy art instillations
NEW LOOK Abandoned English lido that once had a theme park to reopen as new venue with multi-million pound revamp
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A FORMER 1930s lido in Weston-super-Mare will undergo a huge revamp ahead of its reopening.
The lido has been closed since 2000 but had previously been Banksy's Dismaland theme park - and is set to become a new performance venue.
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The Tropicana venue which used to be a lido, is set to be transformed
Credit: Alamy
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The Tropicana was home to Dismaland - a temporary Banksy instillation
Credit: Alamy
Plans to transform Weston-super-Mare's Tropicana into a 5,000-seater venue could be approved next week.
The North Somerset Council received £20m from the government's Levelling Up Fund in 2022 which has partly gone towards transforming the 1930s lido.
It will become a venue for culture, arts, and entertainment.
The council's planning committee will decide on whether or not to go forward with the plans on May 14, 2025.
The Weston-super-Mare Tropicana was originally opened as an open-air lido in 1937.
In the 1980s, it became branded as "The Tropicana", although the lido closed as a swimming pool in 2000.
The Tropicana stood vacant for years until Banksy, the anonymous graffiti artist, used it as the setting a temporary art instillation.
It was called Dismaland and was a 'sinister twist on Disneyland'.
It featured artwork and installations by Banksy as well as a Ferris wheel, a carousel, and a mini golf park.
Dismaland opened in August 21, 2015 and closed on September 27, 2015.
Welcome to Dismaland
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Dismaland closed ten years ago
Credit: Alamy
Since then, it has been used as an events space for hire.
In December 2024, it was home to the UK's largest covered ice rink during the Christmas period.
Before that, it was an interactive and immersive play attraction called Little Town Adventure.
The venue will be able to host events of up to 1,000 people indoors — and a total of 5,000 people across the whole site.
It will create 15 full-time jobs, along with hundreds of part-time jobs for large events.
The new building will be lit up at certain times with decorative displays.
The final design details will be agreed later after the planning permission stage.
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