May is one of the better months to visit Southport. The Bank Holiday weekend has the Big Top Festival, Beer Week starts on the 20th, and the Food and Drink Festival runs at the end of the month. The weather is variable — it's the North West — but the town is properly alive in a way it isn't in January.
Big Top Festival — 2 and 3 May (This Weekend)
Circa and Gandini Juggling are in town for the Bank Holiday weekend. Free outdoor shows across the town centre, ticketed indoor performances at night. It's the kind of event that Southport doesn't usually get — proper international circus arts, not a fairground. If you're reading this before Sunday, go.
Full details on southport2026.com. Outdoor shows are free. Parking at Victoria Road (PR8 2LZ) is the best option if Marine Drive has filled.
Southport Beer Week — 20–25 May
Six days, 18 pubs, 90+ beers, free stamp card. It's the most enjoyable week on the social calendar if you like a drink. The ale trail takes you around pubs you might not normally visit, which is the point. Details at southportbid.com closer to the date.
Food and Drink Festival — 29–31 May
Bank Holiday weekend. 100+ traders across the town centre — street food, artisan producers, cocktails, and all the things you'd expect from a well-run food festival. Free entry. This is consistently one of the best weekends of the year in Southport, and it almost always gets decent weather. Almost.
Always Worth Doing in May
- →Southport beach: low tide in May gives you the full width of the beach. Go in the morning. Marine Drive car park (PR8 1RQ) is the main option.
- →The Botanic Gardens in Churchtown: properly lovely in May when things are in bloom. Free entry, good café. Worth 90 minutes of your afternoon.
- →Lord Street: end-to-end walk under the glass canopies. Wayfarers Arcade is worth going through even if you're not buying anything.
- →Ainsdale beach: quieter than Southport beach, National Trust managed, free parking early in the day. PR8 3ST.
Coming Up in June and July
Summer Solstice Festival at Victoria Park (20 June), Armed Forces Festival (27–28 June, free), and The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale (12–19 July). If you haven't sorted accommodation for The Open yet, do it now — the town is heavily booked.
Full 2026 events calendar:
All Southport Events 2026 →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk. Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
