Thas A Fact?

Cromer Pier.

What better way to kick off British Tourism Week 2011 than with a celebration of an established symbol of British holiday making – the fabulous seaside Pier? ‘Party On The Pier’ takes place on Saturday 12th March when, as well as parties and receptions to see in a week dedicated to increasing awareness of the important British Tourism Industry, swathes of events will be happening on and beside Piers across the land.

‘Party on the Pier’ will be the biggest nationwide event on Britain’s piers since ‘Year of the Pier’ in 1996. Piers have entered our collective psyche as an integral part of the authentic British seaside experience, and the recent outcry over the tragic fire at Hastings is a clear sign of the esteem in which these coastal icons are still held. To date, 34 of the 55 seaside piers still in existence have expressed an interest in getting involved, as well as a number of other piers and harbours around our coastline and on our inland waterways.

The North Norfolk coastline has only one surviving Pier. This is found in Cromer, which has seen some sort of pier or jetty since 1391. No longer entirely of wood, as those first ones were, the Pier at Cromer remains a key feature of this North Norfolk seaside town. Nowadays, Cromer Pier is home to the 510-seater Pavilion Theatre, ‘Tides’ Restaurant, a shop and a recently created theatre bar.

Cromer - "Gem Of The Norfolk Coast".

Cromer will be getting fully behind the ‘Party On The Pier’ festivities. We have it on good authority that part of the celebration will involve a World record challenge for the longest conga dance on a pier. What can we say. Utterly brilliant.

The organisers of British Tourism Week are also pleased to be working with Coast Magazine who will be launching a Pier campaign in their March 2011 issue (on sale from NOW) which will encourage readers to walk as many of Britain’s piers as they can over the summer in order to raise money for the re-building of Hastings Pier which was destroyed by fire on 5th October 2010.

Cromer Pier, deserted on a cold Winter's night.