Pre-Christmas events in Wolverhampton bring in 60,000 visitors, boosting economy by almost £2 million
Events held in Wolverhampton in the run-up to Christmas brought in almost 60,000 visitors, boosting the economy by nearly £2 million.
Christmas lights switch-ons in the city centre, Bilston, Wednesfield and Tettenhall drew crowds of more than 35,000 people, says Wolverhampton Council, while the Christmas craft market in Victoria Street brought in an additional 10,000.
Visitor numbers to the city were also boosted by almost 6,500 people at the Lights in the Night, Lantern Parade, Fringe Festival and Christmas at Bantock events.
And the Grand Slam of Darts, held over eight days in November, brought in more than 20,000, an increase of more than 1,500 on the previous year. The event was also shown to millions of television viewers around the world, bringing the total impact on the city economy to an estimated £3.7 million.
Councillor Chris Burden, the council’s cabinet member for city development, said the visitor economy was an important part of the economic mix for Wolverhampton, and its continued growth was critical to providing job opportunities for residents.
“Through our events strategy we aim to provide a rich cultural and social offering to our residents, while at the same time supporting local businesses and our other fantastic assets and venues in Wolverhampton.
"These figures for our latest events are hugely encouraging and, working with partners, we aim to help grow the city’s visitor economy further.”
The latest figures follow data compiled for West Midlands Growth Company last year, which showed that Wolverhampton’s visitor economy grew by 10 per cent in 2024.
The city attracted more than 10.4 million visitors, bringing in a total of £506 million, supporting 4,772 jobs.
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