Why Boardmasters week is Newquay town centre’s quietest

Boardmasters brings tens of thousands of people to Newquay every August. Ask the businesses in the town centre, though, and many will tell you the same thing: festival week can be one of the slowest of the whole summer. Newquay BID wants to turn that around, and it has a name for the plan.

What Beyond Boardmasters is

Newquay BID has launched Beyond Boardmasters, a new campaign built to draw more people into the town centre during Boardmasters week.

The thinking behind it comes straight from local businesses. Despite the town being full of independent shops, award-winning restaurants, bars and beaches, Boardmasters week can be the quietest week of August. Over the years, perceptions around traffic and access have persuaded many visitors to steer clear of the town altogether.

The campaign is designed to change that, showcasing everything Newquay has to offer away from the festival site and encouraging visitors to explore the town, spend with local businesses and find out what is on across the week.

A village on the Killacourt

Three things sit at the heart of the campaign this year.

There will be a dedicated Beyond Boardmasters webpage pulling together offers, events and experiences from BID businesses. A Beyond Boardmasters Village is going up on the Killacourt to help pull footfall into the town centre. And a PR and marketing push will run alongside both, aimed at highlighting what makes Newquay worth a visit during festival week.

Newquay BID is also asking its member businesses to take part. Any BID business running an offer, event or activity during Boardmasters can complete the form here and the BID will help promote it.

A long game

Newquay BID has been clear that this is a starting point rather than a one-off. It sees Beyond Boardmasters as a long-term campaign that will grow year on year, gradually shifting perceptions and bringing more people into the centre of town at the point when businesses need them most.