Urban Beach returns to Newport for 2025 for family fun
Come rain or shine, the beach will be open daily throughout August from 9am to 5pm, with families being encouraged to come along and 'have fun in the sand'.
(Image: Tom Ryan)
'Quiet hours' have also been designated in the first and last hours of every day so that the event is as inclusive as possible for children and families.
The urban beach first took over the popular square last year, attracting nearly 9,500 children throughout August. Organisers will be hoping for similar success this summer as the beach returns.
(Image: Tom Ryan)
The event is all part of efforts led by the team behind Newport Now BID to drive people into the city over the summer in the hope to boost footfall for local businesses and services.
Two of the 'Beach Buddies', who will be on hand throughout the month to ensure families have an enjoyable time, said that the beach's return had been met with positive feedback and 'lots of thank yous' from parents and children.
Darcey and Oliver James were two of the children making the most of the beach on its opening day on Friday (August 1). With bucket and spade in hand, the siblings spent hours building what was almost a town of sandcastles – there were certainly plenty of smiles on faces.
Darcey and Oliver James having fun (Image: Tom Ryan)
Carys James, Darcey and Oliver's mother, said: 'It's really lovely to have this in Newport. My daughter Darcey has especially enjoyed it – and it's free.'
Laura Rees was also at the beach with her family on Friday. She said: 'The beach is great, and it's nice to have something that's free and outdoors in Newport – especially for families who find getting to the seaside a faff.
Laura Rees and her family (Image: Tom Ryan)
'We've been here for two hours, and it's really convenient – it's nice for the kids, and it's clean.'
The beach joins a series of other family-friendly events in the city this summer. A giant chair trail along the riverfront and into the city centre will also run until September 10, and a monster trail – which will allow children to 'collect' monsters via the Newport Now app – will take place from August 11 to September 10.
(Image: Tom Ryan)
Kevin Ward, manager of Newport Now BID, said: 'We are really pleased to have secured funding from the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund via the council to bring even more summer fun to the city centre.
'Our Urban Beach was used by almost 9,500 children last year and we are sure that, combined with the other events, many families will be attracted into the city centre over the school holidays – increasing footfall and trading opportunities for the business we represent.'
Cllr James Clarke, Newport City Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Business Growth, also welcomed the family events, including the beach's return.
He said: 'We work closely with Newport Now on initiatives for the city centre and the summer programme is going to be a lot of fun for all the ages.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- South Wales Argus
Youngsters urged to head to Newport and hunt down all the monsters
The Newport Monster Trail, launched by Newport Now Business Improvement District, is part of its summer family fun projects in the city centre. Children taking part have to find eight monsters hidden on shop fronts across the city centre. The trail begins and ends at the Central Library in John Frost Square and includes shop fronts in the Kingsway Centre, Friars Walk, Upper Dock Street, Newport Arcade, Bridge Street, Commercial Street and Llanarth Street. There are two ways to collect the monsters - on the Newport Now app or sheets can be collected from the library to be filled in with the locations of each monster. After finding the monsters youngsters are given a free story book telling the story of how the monsters learn to be kind to each other. These can be collected from the library (Tuesday-Saturday only). The Newport Monster Trail, which runs until September 10, is the final Newport Now family fun project of the summer. The others included a pop-up picnic park by the river, the urban beach in John Frost Square, and a giant chair trail along the riverfront and Friars Walk. The beach is open until August 31. The picnic park and giant chair trail are open until September 10.
The Herald Scotland
07-08-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Brian Cox urges shake-up of 'chaotic' Edinburgh festivals
The Succession star has suggested audiences and emerging artists are losing out because of a lack of collaboration and coordination between the city's major events. Read more: Cox, who first performed in Edinburgh with the Royal Lyceum Theatre company in 1965, warned that the modern-day experience of trying to navigate the city's festivals, which are currently in their first week, was "just not good enough" because they did not "function properly." Brian Cox has been performing in Edinburgh for 60 years. The Dundee-born actor has called for the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe to work together more in future and for an end to potential ticket buyers having to use multiple box offices who are 'vying with one another.' Cox was unveiled as an official patron of the Fringe Society - which oversees the running of the event - last year after producing a play by his wife Nicole at the festival in 2022. Brian Cox is appearing with Sandy Grierson in the play Make It Happen at the Edinburgh International Festival. Picture: Mark Bremner The actor is currently starring in the James Graham play Make It Happen, one of the flagship theatre productions in this year's Edinburgh International Festival. Cox was speaking at a UK Government gathering of cultural leaders at the recently-revamped Filmhouse cinema to launch a new partnership between the Scotland Office and the Fringe Society. He suggested a shake-up of the festivals was needed "for the health of the brain." Cox said: 'I sort of find myself in a really weird position. 'Everybody's talking about art. I want to talk about practical matters, about how we coordinate everything. 'The great thing about the Fringe and even the (International) Festival is chaos. But the problem about chaos is it's chaotic. "There's a real lack of coordination between both the Festival and the Fringe. There needs to be greater coordination, just practically, in order to make things function and function properly. 'At the moment, half the charm of Edinburgh is its chaos, but that's only half the charm. The charm is in the work, how we see the work, and how people pay for the work. 'There's a lot of box offices sort of vying with one another at the moment. There needs to be coordination between them all. 'I'm asking that we think of a way of really coordinating events a bit more than we do so we can practically deal with stuff that is a little impractical at the moment. It's just not good enough, quite frankly. 'So that is my bid. I never thought I'd be in this position. I thought I'd be talking about the art. But bugger the art. I'm really worried about bringing it all together properly, without chaos or chaoticness.'
Business News Wales
05-08-2025
- Business News Wales
Newport to Host Free Four Day Open-air Cinema Festival
Newport city centre is set to play host to an open-air cinema festival. Organised by Wonder Cinema, the event is being supported by Newport City Council using UK Government funding. The 400 tickets for each performance will be free. The programme includes Mamma Mia on 9 August, Dirty Dancing on 10 August, and Wicked on 11 August – each preceded by live vocal entertainment. The event will conclude on 12 August with a screening of The Greatest Showman, featuring a fire-eating performance beforehand. The screenings will take place at the former leisure centre site near Kingsway car park. Attendees can bring their own seating and refreshments. Food and drink will also be available to purchase on-site, and chairs will be available for hire. Councillor James Clarke, Cabinet member for regeneration and business growth, said: 'The city centre is buzzing this summer with so much going on from Newport Now's urban beach to the pop-up park near The Wave where families can sit and chill for a while. 'There is also a great outdoor music festival on 9 August in High Street which has been organised by a new collaboration involving our fantastic grassroots music venues in that part of the city centre.' Find out more about the free outdoor cinema experience and book tickets at
