Plymouth City Centre

30/10/2026

Join in with our Halloween Trail before it ends on 2nd November!

Pick up your printed map from Central Library or any of the participating businesses nearby and join in with the fun for your chance to win some spooktacular prizes 🎃

28/10/2026

Slippers - Plymouth City Market annual Christmas Jumper sale in a range of traditional styles and new. Each jumper or t-shirt sold results in +£1 raised for St Luke's Hospice Plymouth. Last year they raised over £400!

Find them within Plymouth Market - West End Plymouth

27/10/2026

Plymouth will Shine Even Brighter at this year’s City Centre Christmas Lights Switch-on

Plymouth is set to sparkle this festive season as residents and visitors gather for the city centre's annual Christmas Lights Switch-On, on Thursday 12 November on the Piazza. Featuring live entertainment and brand-new festive light displays, the event will officially launch Christmas in Plymouth!

The switch-on event is organised by Plymouth City Centre Company, where visitors can enjoy live performances from local dance, theatre and singing groups from 4pm. The countdown begins from 6.25pm, when the city centre's Christmas lights are officially switched-on.

Leading the countdown to the switch-on will be the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Councillor Kevin Sproston, alongside Santa and special guests from Theatre Royal Plymouth, including Cinderella and Prince Charming from this year's pantomime, Eve Shanu-Wilson and Michael O'Reilly.

The evening will conclude with a live performance from local favourites Land of the Giants. Renowned for their energetic blend of funk, reggae, ska and rock, the six-piece band is expected to bring the celebrations to a lively close.

This year, the city centre, including the newly transformed Armada Way and water rill, will be shining brightly with brand-new festive lighting displays. A spectacular immersive illuminated canopy will transform the Piazza, featuring elegant sweeping lighting, animated star motifs and nearly 20,000 energy-efficient LEDs, creating a magical backdrop for the Christmas Market and Switch-On celebrations.

Designed with sustainability in mind, the display uses low-energy LED technology and incorporates decorative stars made from recycled plastic, demonstrating how festive lighting can be both eye-catching and environmentally responsible.

Visitors can also enjoy a magnificent 25ft real Christmas tree in Old Town Square, provided by Plymouth City Centre Company, and proudly supported by Costa Coffee Plymouth, Plymouth Citybus and The Treasury Bar.

The beautifully illuminated tree will provide a striking festive focal point throughout the Christmas period. Old Town Square will host live music and entertainment on selected Thursdays and weekends in the run-up to Christmas.

Steve Hughes, Chief Executive of Plymouth City Centre Company, said:
"The Christmas Lights Switch-On is always a special evening for Plymouth, marking the start of the festive season and the beginning of late-night shopping in the city centre. We're delighted to be bringing even more entertainment to the event this year, alongside a spectacular real Christmas tree in Old Town Square, helping to create a fantastic atmosphere for residents and visitors alike."

Christmas Lights Switch-On Stage Programme

4.00pm - 4.15pm | Lipson Cooperative Academy
4.20pm - 4.35pm | Boringdon Primary School
4.45pm - 5.00pm | Razzamataz
5.10pm - 5.25pm | Stage Stars
5.35pm - 5.50pm | Plymkids
6.00pm - 6.20pm | Plymouth Performing Arts Academy
6.25pm - 6.35pm | Christmas Lights Switch-On
6.40pm - 7.45pm | Land of the Giants

The festivities across the city centre continue with Drake Circus and The Barcode also switching on their Christmas lights on Thursday 12 November, with plenty of entertainment to enjoy ahead of the switch-on.

The event also marks the start of Plymouth's late-night shopping period, with many city centre retailers remaining open until 9pm every Thursday from 12 November until 17 December.

Later in the season, the Plymouth Christmas Market will arrive in the city centre from 26 November to 20 December. Operated by event specialists Market Place Europe, the Christmas Market will feature over 50 international and local traders housed in charming, traditional chalets along Armada Way and New George Street.

Explore the all-new Crafter's Cove, a warm, atmospheric craft village featuring 20+ local artisans displaying handcrafted gifts, bespoke artwork, and unique creations. Also new for this year will be an integrated bar and performance area providing covered seating, so visitors can enjoy their food and drink and watch the entertainment and festive area, whatever the weather.

For more information, please visit the website: https://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/whats-on/city-centre-christmas-lights-switch-on-p1241533

27/10/2026

The new consultation hub is now open in the West End Plymouth offering everyone the chance to see the plans, ask questions and provide feedback to the Plymouth City Living Framework and Masterplan, an ambitious long-term vision that will help shape the future of Plymouth city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods over the next 20 to 30 years.

The consultation programme is one of the largest engagement exercises Plymouth City Council has delivered in recent years and includes a dedicated city centre hub, a travelling exhibition bus visiting communities across Plymouth, online engagement and a programme of stakeholder events.

The City Living Framework and Masterplan has already been informed by feedback from more than 1,500 people, and the public consultation will give residents, businesses and stakeholders the opportunity to help shape a vision for the city that could influence decision-making for decades to come.

This is a once-in-a-generation conversation about Plymouth's future and a significant opportunity for people to help shape how the city centre evolves, grows and serves communities in the years ahead.

Steve Hughes, chief executive of the Plymouth City Centre Company, said:

“This is an exciting opportunity for us and our businesses to have a say in the future development of the city centre.

“The transformation of Armada Way has been a huge success and has led to a huge influx of further investment which will be good news for all our businesses.

“Now, we have the opportunity for more city living, new uses for empty units and increased footfall from the conversion of the former House of Fraser building into an iconic office HQ for Babcock Engineering and the development of the Civic Centre as a City College Plymouth skills hub with more than 140 apartments on the upper floors.

“Now we need business input to help make the most of these opportunities and decide the future look and feel of our city centre.”

Have your say online as part of the public consultation https://www.citycentrebid.co.uk/news/public-consultation-plymouth-city-living-framework-and-masterplan

And/Or pop into the hub located City Living Consultation Hub, 101-103 New George Street, Plymouth (next door to Burger King)

27/10/2026

📅🌿City Centre businesses are invited to come along to the Plymouth Net Zero Expo.

Following a fantastic first Expo, the event returns on 12 November 2026 at Plymouth Argyle Football Club for a bigger day of networking, inspiration and practical climate action.

Whether you're a business leader, sustainability professional, facilities manager, fleet manager or simply interested in how organisations are responding to the net zero challenge, the Expo is your opportunity to:

🤝 Connect with businesses and organisations from across the region
💡 Discover innovative low-carbon solutions
🎤 Hear from expert speakers and local success stories
⚡ Explore practical tools, funding opportunities and resources
🌱 Learn how organisations are turning climate ambition into action

Don't miss Plymouth's dedicated business event focused on accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future.

✅ Free places: tinyurl.com/PlymouthNetZeroExpo26

26/10/2026

Public Consultation – Plymouth City Living Framework and Masterplan

Plymouth City Council is launching one of the most extensive consultation programmes undertaken by the authority in recent years, inviting residents, businesses and stakeholders to help shape a long-term vision for the future of the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods.

The six-week public consultation, launching on 26 October, focuses on the draft Plymouth City Living Framework and Masterplan, a blueprint for how the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods could evolve over the next 20 to 30 years.

Developed in partnership with WSP and award-winning master planners from Howells and Mae, the draft Framework sets out an ambitious vision to create the best urban community on the coast.

The draft has been shaped by one of the city’s largest engagement programmes of its kind, with more than 1,500 people so far contributing their ideas through workshops, library events, community pop-ups, online activities, stakeholder sessions and public conversations.

Plymouth City Council and WSP have combined this feedback with technical analysis and placemaking expertise to create a vision that reflects the aspirations of the people who live, work and spend time in Plymouth. For example, the need for greener and safer public spaces, better walking and cycling connections, more affordable and inclusive homes, stronger cultural activity, good jobs, improved public transport and a plan that reflects Plymouth’s unique identity.

The draft Framework responds to those priorities through ideas for homes, jobs, public spaces, transport, culture, infrastructure and community facilities across a number of opportunity areas, including the City Core, Railway Station, Union Street, Exeter Street, Millbay, Richmond Walk and Sutton Harbour and Cattedown.

The consultation is not about a finalised plan. The draft Framework and Masterplan is a long-term vision and planning framework for the future of the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods. It is not a planning application, does not allocate planning permission and does not approve any specific development proposals. Any future development proposals would still be subject to their own planning processes, including consultation where required.

To make it as easy as possible for people to get involved, the programme will include a city centre consultation hub, a travelling exhibition bus visiting 20 communities right across Plymouth, an online consultation event and a dedicated online consultation website where people can find out more and have their say.

From 26 October until 7 December, people will be able to:

> Read the draft Framework and Masterplan and give their views online.
> isit a dedicated city centre consultation-hub (former Cash Converters shop, 101-103 New George Street in the West End) open on set days throughout the consultation period (see the website)
> Speak to project representatives at a travelling exhibition bus which will visit every ward in Plymouth, from Stoke and Devonport to Plympton, Plymstock, Southway, Honicknowle, Efford, Mutley and beyond.
> Attend a live online consultation event via Zoom on Thursday 26 November from 7pm to 8pm.

To see the dates and times for the consultation hub, the dates of the pop-up bus tour, or online event, please go to the Plymouth City Living Framework website.

More Details: https://www.citycentrebid.co.uk/news/public-consultation-plymouth-city-living-framework-and-masterplan

25/10/2026

Our Halloween Trail is here! 🎃

🐈‍⬛ Explore the city centre, find all the posters in shop windows and submit your answers online for a chance to win a spooktacular prize!

Find out more: https://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/whats-on/major-events/the-halloween-trail

22/10/2026

22/10/2026

Korean street food favourite Bunsik UK in Armada Way is celebrating scare season with the limited-edition BOO Dog (£7.90), available for just two days on 30–31 October.

A monstrous makeover of BUNSIK's iconic Korean corn dog, the Boo Dog features crispy chicken coated in sweetcorn, butternut squash, potato cubes, crunchy panko breadcrumbs and black tortilla, finished with wasabi mayo, black ketchup, purple sweet potato crumbles and, of course, edible eyes.

Just 50 Boo Dogs will be available per day. Expected to disappear! 👻