Portsmouth named one of UK’s outdoor culture capitals for 2023

 

Portsmouth named one of UK’s outdoor culture capitals for 2023

With summer fast approaching, enjoying outdoor culture is what lots of Brits are looking forward to across the UK. From Blackpool to Bristol, numerous UK locations offer a wide range of outdoor activities, from dining to sports and trending cultural events.

Looking at six core data factors including:

  • Which locations have the highest number of Google searches for outdoor events

  • The number of restaurants and pubs with outdoor seating

  • Number of blue cultural heritage plaques in each area thrown

  • Average rainfall per location

  • Average amount of sunshine hours

  • Average temperatures (vital to us Brits).

A new study by Power EPOS has revealed the top outdoor culture capitals of the UK, with Portsmouth coming fourth!

Portsmouth ranked fourth in UK’s outdoor culture capitals for 2023

Coming in at fourth place, Portsmouth ranked highly due to its higher than average temperature (11 degrees celsius), higher than average sunshine hours, high demand for outdoor events (over 1300 searches a month) and a good ratio of alfresco dining and drinking options in relation to population.

With better weather in comparison to most the UK, popular spots such as Portsmouth Brewery and Hub Box are great choices for alfresco dining and drinking when the sun is out. Locals and visitors to Portsmouth also are seeking outdoor activities. With over 1300 searches for outdoor events and activities in the city a month, it beat out other locations such as Southampton and Liverpool.

Some of the UK’s best waterside locations came out in the top five outdoor culture capitals. Brighton & Hove came second, Bristol came third and Norwich fifth. Each of these cities boasts a unique blend of urban amenities and easy access to outdoor spaces, making them perfect for travellers who want the best of both worlds.

Bristol has a high percentage of alfresco dining and drinking options, as well as hundreds of cultural spots of significance, comparable with London who came first in the study. Great weather was also on Bristol’s side, with Bristol having higher than average sunshine hours than the majority of the UK. Meaning lots more time to enjoy Bristol’s outdoor culture without bringing an umbrella!

London has most historical spots, outdoor dining and demand for outdoor events

The UK’s capital dominated as an outdoor cultural hotspot, with double the amount of outdoor restaurants & bars and historical points of significance compared to the second city in the ranking (Brighton & Hove).

Every month in the UK, over 3600 people are searching for outdoor events in the capital – hunting for things to do whilst soaking up those striking views of the city and the Thames. Whilst London’s weather certainly isn’t the best in the UK, demand for outdoor events and the historical sights and outdoor hospitality venues made this the UK’s outdoor culture capital for 2023.

Ranked: The top 30 outdoor culture capitals of the UK

Rank

City

No. of restaurants, pubs & bars with outdoor seating

No. of historical blue plaques

Searches for outdoor events (monthly)

Average temperature (Celsius)

Average rainfall (mm)

Average sunshine hours

Average Index Score (out of 100)

1

London

2927

3621

3660

10.8

557

1559

93.00

2

Brighton and Hove

310

141

3130

10.9

801

1892

81.10

3

Bristol

252

237

820

10.4

802

1658

70.00

4

Portsmouth

134

46

1340

11

727

1772

69.50

5

Norwich

120

262

290

10.5

674

1611

67.60

6

Bournemouth

105

40

2300

11.4

813

1699

66.60

7

Southampton

225

56

420

11.1

779

1706

66.60

8

Birmingham

176

347

1110

9.7

695

1501

66.30

9

Newcastle upon Tyne

123

195

1080

9.3

597

1551

64.50

10

Oxford

36

156

1560

10.3

660

1615

64.20

11

Liverpool

215

297

940

10.2

837

1573

64.10

12

Plymouth

101

61

1700

10.9

1007

1732

62.90

13

York

161

192

480

9.5

626

1557

62.00

14

Coventry

78

148

1620

10

700

1507

61.90

15

Cambridge

105

48

380

10.6

568

1523

61.80

16

Gillingham

87

1

1610

10.3

649

1570

59.30

17

Poole

75

10

1570

11.4

798

1665

58.90

18

Bath

134

103

1730

10.2

814

1420

57.10

19

Edinburgh

278

415

410

8.3

704

1449

56.00

20

Leicester

137

46

690

9.9

675

1452

55.00

21

Nottingham

161

91

560

9.8

709

1487

54.40

22

Northampton

92

6

1210

10.1

634

1478

52.60

23

Blackpool

68

66

1890

10.3

885

1530

52.20

24

Manchester

361

241

1290

9.4

867

1265

52.10

25

Swindon

66

9

1400

10.2

766

1630

49.10

26

Cardiff

164

53

360

10.4

1152

1573

48.30

27

Sheffield

198

89

1040

9.2

835

1485

47.70

28

Milton Keynes

99

3

640

10.2

708

1509

47.30

29

Mansfield

41

13

1240

9.5

421

1499

46.60

30

Leeds

325

213

800

9.4

1024

1384

46.10

Richard Goodall, hospitality expert and MD of hospitality brand PowerEpos, shares his insights on the top findings from the study.

“It’s exciting to see a mix of destinations in the top 10 outdoor culture capitals of the UK, especially with some fantastic northern cities like Newcastle coming in at 9th place. All of these destinations have something unique to offer visitors this year. There are so many smaller cities and towns that offer a different perspective outside of London and have also become big foodie spaces, such as Liverpool, over the last few years.

You can find out more on 2023’s Outdoor Culture Capitals in the full study by PowerEPOS here: https://powerepos.com/blog/outdoor-culture-capitals-of-the-uk/

END

Notes to Editor

Methodology

To give perimeters for the study, we looked at the 50 most populous towns and cities in the UK as the base for the campaign. Once these were established, we collated six unique data points (from the data sources provided). Once each data point was collated for each location, the six data sets were ranked and given an index score out of 50.

Two of the data sets (number of restaurants, bars and pubs with outdoor seating and lowest average rainfall) were given a higher weighting of 20% whilst the other metrics were given 15%, to recognise the importance of the locations needing decent amenities and the opportunity to host events outdoors. The indexes were then weighted accordingly and a final index score given so we can see the outdoor culture capitals ranked

Data Sources

  • No.restaurants/bars/pubs with outdoor seating – Tripadvisor (outdoor seating filter per city)

  • Average no sunshine hours (annual) per city – Weather & Climate

  • Average no annual rainfall (mm) per city – Weather & Climate

  • Average annual temperature – Climate Data

  • Search volume for “outdoor events in *” – Keywordtool.io

  • Population data – ONS

  • Average sunshine hours in each city – Met Office

  • No. of blue heritage placques in each location – Open Plaques

About PowerEPOS

Power EPOS is a leading provider of POS and Back Office technology solutions for the hospitality industry. Founded in 1987, we have over 30 years of experience in delivering world-class solutions that help our customers save time and money.