Britannia Pier Makeover 2025
Anyone visiting Great Yarmouth this summer shall be in for a real treat. Over the course of the last 8 months the team on the Britannia Pier has worked tirelessly to completely revamp and redesign the pier so that it now offers a much larger indoor space and pedestrian walkways, making it easier and more fun to explore (come rain or shine).
Not only have the internal areas been vastly upgraded to provide even more floorspace, also the entire road facing frontage of the pier has been given a complete makeover with large traditional arches being added like beacons that draw the eye from right across the promenade and whist approaching from Regent Street.
As visitors approach the Britannia Pier, they can immediately see the large arches at either side, which are similar to other piers on the East coast of England such as Felixstowe Pier or Clacton Pier.
Lower Ground
The entry area is still the same and stairs still lead down to the lower amusement arcade, which is relatively the same as it was before. The only real difference being that they have removed some of the machines from the adult casino slots area and are currently renovating it. While the exact plans for this area remain uncertain, we suspect it will likely feature more family-oriented games, with the new adult cash casino zone set to become a standout feature of the upper arcade.
New Boardwalk Area
As patrons walkdown the main walkway there are still many fun food kiosks serving things like fast food burgers and doughnuts, with the fish and chips restaurant still being on the left hand-side.
Just past the food kiosks is where the fun really starts to begin! What was once an open-air board walk is now a wide internal walkway with high ceilings. Along one side of this new walkway is a huge range of brand-new modern Asian style claw machines, Find a key and other new ticket redemption machines.
There are also high set windows all along this area that let in natural light and also a large view point window set at an angle for a gorgeous framing of the Great Yarmouth beach. Anyone visiting can see that this window has been intelligently placed here to blend the indoor with the outdoor and the design is aesthetically pleasing.
New Giant Upper Arcade Area
Just passed the viewing window is the real jewel in the crown as the walkway opens up into a huge amusement arcade space with great high ceilings. In this area there is now a large adult casinos gaming section, which is much larger than the slots area that was here before.
There are rows and rows of brand new ticket redemption style machines and most of these are very impressive with examples such as a giant high striker and hybrid coin pusher machines.
As patrons explore this new area, it seamlessly joins into what used to be the main upper arcade and anyone familiar with the old layout should be able to tell with the rows of coin pushers near the windows and also the prize redemption shop at the rear.
There are several entrances to the outside here that take visitors out onto the boardwalk which still covers the rear of the pier taking patrons to the rides at the back or the theatre and bar for shows. The stairs to the beach and coastal path also still remain.
Amusement Arcades are back!
Since covid, families have sought more out of home entertainment experiences and this fact, coupled with the advances in modern arcade technologies and the creative innovation of modern ticket redemption has catapulted seaside towns in the UK back into their rightful place of glory.
With this huge level of investment at the Britannia Pier it now rivals the quality and scope of the Wellington Pier. This is a huge positive for Great Yarmouth as they now have two high quality amusement arcade attractions, one at each end of the Golden Mile. Many other venues that have had upgrades for the 2025 season include Wellington Pier, Joyland, The Mint, Caesars Palace and the Great Yarmouth Pleasurebeach. Claremont Pier in Lowestoft has also had some arcade machine upgrades.
It's not just the amusement arcades, there are many other new rejuvenation projects taking place in the Great Yarmouth town and also work will start soon on the Winter Gardens so check back soon for more updates!
