Tropicana Live Nation entertainment deal in doubt

A council leader has said it was unclear whether a multinational events promoter would pull out of running one of Weston-super-Mare’s most iconic venues.

It was announced earlier in the year that Live Nation was in talks to take over the Tropicana and run the former lido as a 10,000-capacity venue.

However, councillors in North Somerset have voted to cap capacity at 5,000 people because of budget constraints.

Councillor Mike Bell said he would “continue to have conversations” with Live Nation about the deal. The company has not replied to requests for a comment.

Smaller, cheaper venue

Debate about the future of the Tropicana has been ongoing ever since it closed more than two decades ago.

In May, North Somerset Council signed a “pre-agreement” with Live Nation which said it aimed to provide “a programme of world class live entertainment“ once renovations had been completed.

The company is one of the biggest global names in live entertainment, running some 20 UK music festivals including Reading and Leeds, as well as the O2 Academy venues and Ticketmaster.

Live Nation’s involvement in the project was described by Bell as a “game-changer” for the town.

But since then the council has been unable to plug a £6.6m gap in the budget for the transformation to a 10,000-capacity venue so councillors voted to proceed with a smaller, cheaper venue instead.

“While the larger-scale proposal offered significant opportunities, we have to be realistic about the reblic money,” Bell said

He said the Tropicana had been “losing money every year” and he described it as a “drain on our re

He said the revised scheme would deliver “substantial improvements to the venue, protect its heritage and provide a strong foundation for the future”.

‘Clear red line’

The budget for the project is about £14m – made up primarily of government and Arts Council grant funding.

“We’re not putting any council taxpayers’ money directly into the project,” Bell said.

But he admitted he “doesn’t know” whether Live Nation would still be interested in the venue.

“The clear red line from the council is that the capacity is going to be limited to 5,000 people,” he said.

“If that’s a dealbreaker for Live Nation then so be it. We will go out and find an alternative operator.

Bell suggested the smaller capacity might also address local concerns about transport, parking and disruption.

New designs will be submitted for planning permission in the new year, with the venue expected to open in 2028.

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