Southend-on-Sea City Council in Essex has released travel advice for families and day trippers planning to visit the coast between Friday 27 March and Monday 13 April 2026. The guidance aims to help visitors reach the city more easily during the busy school holiday period when high numbers of people are expected at the beaches and seafront.
The guidance provides detailed driving instructions for those travelling to popular destinations including Shoebury East Beach, Thorpe Bay Beach, and City Beach, which is home to Adventure Island and the 1.5-mile-long Southend Pier. Drivers are also being given specific routes to reach Chalkwell Beach and the Leigh-on-Sea station area to help spread traffic across the coastline.
Council officials are strongly recommending that visitors use public transport on Easter Monday, 6 April 2026, due to the Ace Cafe Southend Shakedown. This free motorcycle event will see thousands of bikes arrive at the seafront, resulting in the closure of Marine Parade between Genting Casino and The Kursaal from 9am to 5pm.
Frequent rail services are available through c2c and Greater Anglia, with stations at Southend Central, Southend Victoria, and along the coast providing direct access to the attractions. These travel arrangements are also designed to help residents and visitors navigate around ongoing road changes caused by the £575 million Better Queensway improvement project in the city centre.
Alongside travel tips, the council has promoted a programme of activities for the break, such as exploring a new local Monopoly edition and events at the Cliffs Pavilion. Councillor Daniel Cowan stated that the council wants to support local businesses while making sure it is as simple as possible for people to enjoy the city during the holiday.
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