Gunwharf Quays: No fireworks planned but promises that Christmas magic will be heading to the Portsmouth shopping and leisure centre

Recent years have seen Gunwharf’s Christmas village form the centre piece of its festive offerings as well as its impressive Christmas tree and lights display, whilst previous years have also included an open air ice rink. This year’s plans are still closely under wraps, but the leisure destination has confirmed that once again its plans for the rest of the year will not include a fireworks display which previously took place in November as a precursor to its festive shopping plans.

Gunwharf Quays last held its once-annual November fireworks display in 2018, as in 2019 its firework supplies were used as part of the D-Day 75 anniversary events. The 2020 display was cancelled due to Covid restrictions and has not returned since.

Yvonne Clay, centre director at Gunwharf Quays said: “We’re always excited for the start of each festive season, and look for ways to bring some Christmas magic to Gunwharf Quays. We hope to be able to share more details about our plans for Christmas 2023 soon, so watch this space.”

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Meanwhile Gunwharf Quays has announced that it is set to host its popular three-day VIP Discounts event this week, allowing guests to unlock extra savings on top of the usual discounted outlet prices, across over 60 brands.

The much-anticipated VIP Discounts event will be taking place from Friday, September 29 – Sunday, October 1 with guests enjoying extra discounts– from big name brands including All Saints, Coach, Kate Spade, Lacoste and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Over the weekend, customers will be able to enjoy a variety of discounts, including but not limited to*:

To access these exclusive extra VIP discounts, guests need to sign up via the Gunwharf Quays website - https://gunwharf-quays.com/september-vip. A VIP Pass will be emailed to their inbox and simply showing the Pass at participating brands over the VIP Discount Weekend will unlock the extra savings.

The centre director at said: “Our VIP Discount events are a great way for our guests to enjoy even greater savings on outlet prices. Whether our guests are looking to refresh their wardrobes and homes for Autumn, start their Christmas shopping, or simply treat themselves, our VIP event is the perfect occasion.

“With so many of our brands involved in the event it’s the ideal time for our guests to enjoy a great day out and make the most of the extra savings. It’s completely free to register and attend the event, so we’d encourage our guests to sign up now to make sure they don’t miss out on this exciting event.”

Earlier this year the owner of Gunwharf Quays has unveiled multi-million pound plans to revamp the shopping centre and adds to recently-approved plans to install hundreds of solar panels on roofs across the site.

Landsec said the £45m investment, which includes new flooring, lighting and decor upgrades, would ‘improve the guest experience’ and have a ‘more positive impact’ on the surrounding area.