Bognor Regis Mayor's Briefing: Getting out and about this festive period

There’s plenty going on in Bognor Regis over the festive period should you want to get out and about, including the Ice Skating in the Park, located in the London Road Coach and Lorry Park.

Whether you’re a beginner or skating ‘pro’, this is sure to be a fun day out for all the family, or for meeting up with friends, where you can also enjoy a variety of Christmas stalls, food and drinks and plenty of festive ambience. It’s sure to be very busy, so do make sure you book online before going. Ice Skating in the Park will be open until Sunday 4th January 2026.

If you’re missing the presence of live shows with the Alexandra Theatre currently closed as it undergoes its extensive makeover, you may be pleased to hear that Panto is back, this time at ‘Venue 24’ on Bognor Regis Pier! Tickets are available for ‘Cinderella’ which is being performed everyday (excluding Christmas Day), between 24th December and 1st January. As well as enjoying all the usual elements of a traditional pantomime, you’ll also get to go to the ball, on the only light-up dance floor in Town! This is sure to be a ticket you don’t want to miss, so make sure you book yours now,.

For any keen walkers, or those who just want to enjoy some fresh winter’s air in amongst the festivities, why not enjoy a stroll along the beach or one of the Town’s beautiful parks. With plenty of cosy cafés, pubs and restaurants throughout the town, a stroll and some refreshments could prove the perfect recipe to blow away the cobwebs!

West Sussex County Council will once again be running their Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) winter programme, working with a range of providers across the county to deliver fun and exciting opportunities, free of charge, for children accessing benefit related free school meals. Up to four sessions can be booked for each eligible child over the Christmas holidays, and every session will include a free nutritious meal.

Activities on offer include forest school, multi sports, football, cheerleading, basketball, arts and crafts, computing and coding, dance, drama and many more. All bookings need to be made using their online booking system, which can be accessed through the County Council’s website, and you will need your child’s HAF code, which can be found on their Free School Meal eligibility letter or by emailing: [email protected].

Remember, the Christmas period brings a few changes to normal bin collections by the District Council, which may be useful to note.

Collections on Monday 22 nd , Tuesday 23 rd and Wednesday 24th December will be as normal, but if your bin collection is usually on Thursday (25th ) or Friday (26th ), collections will be a day later, including recycling bins. This also applies for the following week on Thursday (1st January) and Friday (2nd January), where collections will take place a day later than usual. The Green Waste Club does not collect for two weeks over the festive period.

The last Christmas collection was on Friday 19th December, and the service will resume on Monday 5th January 2026.

Bognor Regis Town Council offices will be closed from midday on Wednesday 24th December 2025 until 9am on Friday 2nd January 2026. If you need to report an urgent problem, for example, regarding the Christmas lights during this period, you can call our usual office number from which further instructions will be given. Our office phone number is: 01243 867744.

Sending all our readers best wishes for a Merry Christmas!