£2.7m cultural funding secured for the Tropicana
North Somerset Council has been successful in its bid for £2.7m for further improvements to the Tropicana from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), delivered by Arts Council England, within the highly competitive Cultural Development Fund fourth round.

This funding – part of a UK government pot totalling £16.2m – will enable the council to carry out additional work within its project to transform the iconic building on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare.
The funding will be used to:
- improve and fit out interior spaces for culture and entertainment, increasing accessibility, and enabling greater flexibility of use through the ability to hold events and activities of a greater range of sizes
- install equipment such as for lighting and sound to accelerate a future venue operator’s delivery
- deliver a cultural programme in a partnership between the council, the venue operator and local cultural organisations boomsatsuma and Super Culture.
North Somerset Council is working on the procurement of an experienced operator to run the venue for at least 20 years. Decisions on exactly how the funding will be spent will be discussed and agreed once the venue operator has been appointed, due to be announced this summer.
Part of North Somerset Council’s ambitious placemaking vision for Weston, plans for the Tropicana aim to enhance existing facilities, boost capacity and restore the venue’s status as a nationally renowned, multi-use entertainment space. This has been made possible thanks to this funding from the UK government’s Cultural Development Fund and money previously secured from the UK government’s former Levelling Up Fund. This funding is provided specifically for this project and can’t be used by the council for any other purpose such as adult social care, children’s services or highway maintenance.
The Tropicana, which is currently run in-house by the council, must temporarily close to allow construction and refurbishment to take place. While the venue closed earlier this month (January 2025), the Bay Café and the Makers Market concessions at the front of the promenade building will remain open until after the Easter school holidays.
Subject to planning approval, work is due to complete by March 2026. The appointed venue operator would then complete their fit out and reopen the Tropicana shortly afterwards.
To find out more about the project, visit the council’s website at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/tropicana.