Southend City Day

Saturday 7 March | 11am - 10:30pm After a successful first year, Southend City Day is returning on 7 March 2026. This year’s theme is pride in our city, bringing together residents, businesses, and visitors for a day filled with community spirit, entertainment, and local talent. The event will honour Southend’s unique heritage and cultural diversity, with celebrations taking place across the city from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness. Keep an eye on this page for the latest information about events in your area.

Southend City Stage

Join us at the top of Southend High Street where the Southend City Stage will be buzzing with live performances from local talent throughout the day. Hosted by Radio Essex’s Ross, John and Lauren.

The action starts from 11am

Check out list of performers below:
Leigh Starlites Majorettes
Waterside Choir
Buskerteers Choir
Funky Voices
All In Music at Southend YMCA
Lokoj Bangla-UK – Youth Band & Dance
The Song School
Taylor del Mundo
The Ondines
Darren Jones & The World Music Band

The Victoria Centre

Make sure you stop by The Victoria Centre, where a vibrant mix of local community groups and businesses will be showcasing what they do through fun, hands‑on activities and interactive displays. You’ll also find a special taster area where visitors can try out musical instruments and get a feel for something new.

The Forum

Visit the Forum area for practical advice along with health and wellbeing information and activities throughout the day. Watch this space for details.

The Royals Shopping Centre

The Royals Shopping Centre will be buzzing with community groups and local businesses offering a range of hands‑on activities for all ages. You can also enjoy live musical performances and keep an eye out for a special appearance from Captain Jack Sparrow….

Roaming performances

As you make your way along the High Street, you’ll be greeted by roaming performers bringing bursts of energy and entertainment. You might even find yourself swept up in a surprise flash mob.

All this and more

Southend City Day is shaping up to be an incredible celebration filled with live music, hands‑on activities, big moments of excitement and plenty of brilliant photo opportunities. We’ve got some much‑loved favourites returning, along with exciting new additions that we can’t wait to share. Keep an eye out for more announcements… this year’s event is really going to shine.

City Day Portrait Competition

7 March 2026

As part of this year’s celebrations, Southend-on-Sea City Council is inviting budding young artists to take part in the exciting City Day Portrait Competition at The Royals Shopping Centre. The creative contest is open to young people in Years 7 to 11 from Southend schools and colleges, as well as children who are home-schooled.

More info