The new owner of the i360 has set the date for reopening the seafront viewing tower and announced a big cut in the price for people living in Brighton and Hove.
Hospitality group Nightcap said: “The wait is almost over! The iconic seafront attraction Brighton i360 is set to open its doors to everyone in a phased launch from 11.30am Saturday 8 March.”
The cost of a ticket will be £5 for local residents and £2.50 for children after the new operator said that it had listened carefully to the feedback about pricing.
Chief executive Sarah Willingham said: “The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. The tower is now commissioned and ready to operate and we want to start getting her up and running as soon as we can.
“It is the tallest moving viewing platform in Europe. The experience is great. The views are sensational. I’ll never tire of it.
“It’s so sad to hear how few locals have actually been up in the pod and we want to change that.
“It’s here, it’s iconic and we should all take the opportunity to enjoy it along with the hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.
“We’ve listened carefully to feedback about pricing and want to put this behind us so today we’re thrilled to announce an exclusive price for locals of just £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.
“This is our way of saying thank you to the community for coming with us on this exciting journey and ensuring that everyone can experience the magic of this unique location. Please come, enjoy it and say hi.”
Nightcap said: “The phased opening will begin with our iconic tower, the bar, the gift shop and soon to be a lovely beach front café.
“It’s all before we’ve started our proper refurbishment but will offer our guests the chance to soak up the coastal views while enjoying delicious, locally sourced coffee and treats.
“This is just the beginning. Soon we’ll start transforming these spaces – the terraces, the coffee shops, the lounges.
“We will reopen the substantial space for weddings and corporate events and later this year, we’ll unveil a stunning rooftop, home to one of the most beautiful terraces on the seafront, boasting uninterrupted panoramic views of the ocean with a delicious food and drink offering.
“And as we get into the summer, we’ll take things to the next level with the grand opening of our beach bar, the newest social spot for both the local community and visitors to Brighton alike. Bear with us as we progress.
“There’s a limit to what we can achieve in such a short period of time but, as the summer arrives, we will see the improvements set in week by week.
“The i360 is a place for our community to come together, for families to celebrate and make memories and for everyone to experience the beauty of the coastline with top-notch hospitality like never before.
“Pre-book is advised although we will also welcome walk-ins. Postcodes where price for locals apply are BN1, BN2, BN3 and BN41.”
Suitable ID includes a driving licence or utility bill.
I would like tickets for i360 I live in BN1 7GS postcode
The last paragraph says you can just turn up as long as you have proof you live in Brighton.
Never thought the day would come, but I just booked tickets for the i360, and on relaunch day no less! I sincerely hope that this is the start of a road to success for the attraction. Let’s make the most of the situation 🙂
Wil it finally have a toilet?
Why would it? If you can’t manage bodily functions appropriately for a period of 25 minutes, or are incapable of ensuring your children visit the loo prior to the ride, perhaps its not for you.
…and yes I’m well aware that some people genuinely can’t for medical reasons, however my comment still stands….
So inconsiderate.
For starters there isn’t an ocean to view. It’s a sea. And few locals went on it because few locals wanted this monstrosity in the first place when so much of the city’s iconic locations have gone to rack and ruin. Now a minted Dragon off the telly is trying to convince us locals to cough up a small bit of cash to make her richer whilst the city goes down the tubes thanks to the £50 million the council have wiped from their future budget due to this whole Green/Tory debacle. Jog on.
This all actually sounds good news
Good luck to them.
Great start , look forward to seeing it back in action.
They can cut the prices as they aren’t burdened with the debt unlike us ratepayers. We are stuck with this white elephant at £2m a year extra on the council budget forever! What a waste of money and the West Pier sits there forlornly having been torched to stop it being rebuilt yet another own goal by the council.
I give it a year before they realise that this will never be profitable.
Any failure to redevelop the West Pier is down to the West Pier Trust.
They have owned it since 1983 (the council never owned it).
As you say the new owners won’t have such a heavy debt to service so they’ll likely be able to make a profit even with reduced entry fees and other activities.
The West Pier Trust is the one that should be investigated in rspect of its complete and utter failure to do anything with the West Pier despite a grant of £14.5m from the Lottery…………
“This is our way of saying thank you to the community for coming with us on this exciting journey and ensuring that everyone can experience the magic of this unique location. Please come, enjoy it and say hi.”
I do not recall being recruited to join ‘this exciting journey’ but I do recognise PR fluff intended to blow smoke over this shabby – if not criminal – extraction of public money without any meaningful legal resolution. An old word for this was ‘Danegeld’ – bribing a nascent enemy. More pertinently, if a ride priced at 15 quid was insufficient to make the thing economically viable then how will a fiver – locals being key to all attractions during the off season and in poor weather – produce enough operating capital to ensure the lift’s longevity?
Why would you want to go up in it if you live in Brighton? Theres nothing special to see . Half the view is the sea and the other half is a grotty old town. Go up to the downs for free its a nicer view.
There’s no ocean to see from Brighton:)
If you’re going to be anally retentive, the English Channel is classified as an arm of the Atlantic Ocean.
Are they employing the old staff