Bournemouth keeps its Purple Flag for a 16th year
Bournemouth's evening and night-time economy has kept its Purple Flag for a 16th year, with evening transport, capped fares and safety among the strengths.
Bournemouth's evening and night-time economy has retained its Purple Flag accreditation for the 16th year in a row, Dorset View reported on 23 September.
The award, run by the Association of Town and City Management, assesses a town centre against standards covering safety, wellbeing, movement, entertainment, dining, culture and partnership working. Among the strengths highlighted this year were improvements to evening public transport, including capped fares and specialist staff who guide passengers arriving in the town centre.
What it means if you are visiting
Purple Flag is not a marketing badge a town can buy. It is reassessed, and losing it is news. For a visitor, the practical points are these:
- Getting home is easier than it looks. The assessment noted the evening bus improvements specifically. If you are staying on the West Cliff, most of the town centre is a ten to fifteen minute walk anyway, and the taxi ranks by the Square and by Bournemouth station work late. Our guide to where to stay in Bournemouth sets out which neighbourhoods put you within walking distance of the bars.
- The town centre is managed as a night-time destination. That means marshalled taxi ranks, street pastors and a police presence on busy nights, rather than a place that simply empties at 11pm.
- Dining counts as much as drinking. The assessors look at food as well as bars, and the town's evening food offer is better than its reputation. Our picks are in the best restaurants in Bournemouth and the best pubs.
The bigger picture
Sixteen consecutive years puts Bournemouth among the longest continuous holders of the accreditation in the country. It matters commercially: conference organisers at the BIC, football supporters on European nights at the Vitality, and the students who arrive every September all spend their evenings in the same few streets, and a safe, well-run centre is part of why they come back.
If you are planning an evening out, the Bournemouth entertainment guide covers the theatres, the comedy nights and the live music, and the events calendar has what is on this week.
Frequently asked questions
Purple Flag is an accreditation for town and city centres that manage their evening and night-time economy well, run by the Association of Town and City Management. Assessors score a destination on safety, wellbeing, movement, entertainment, dining, culture and how well the council, police, venues and transport operators work together.
The town centre is a short walk from the West Cliff hotels, and taxi ranks sit by the Square and by the station. The assessment praised evening public transport, including capped fares and staff who help passengers arriving in the town centre, so buses are a fair option later than most visitors expect.
