On The Decks returned to the end of Southend Pier on Saturday for its second year, turning an unused space into an open-air disco with DJs, live music, dancing and cocktails as visitors looked out across the Thames Estuary. The event started at noon and was due to run until 7pm, with the bar open all afternoon and another session scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday from 1pm until 7pm.
Matt Dent said the event was one of the highlights of last summer on the Pier and said he was delighted to bring it back for a second year. Southend Council said it had drawn on input from cultural voices across Southend to tap into the potential of the space, reviving a party atmosphere the pier was once famous for in years gone by.
That pitch seemed to land with the people who came. David Joseph travelled from Gidea Park to Southend Pier with his family, saying the atmosphere was fantastic with the live music and bar and that the train ride along the pier was a real highlight for them all. Sally and Carmel came from Chelmsford and said the afternoon had delivered exactly what they hoped for: soul music, deckchairs, drinks and a dance.
Southend Pier, known as the world’s longest pleasure pier, has long been part of the town’s identity, and the event is being used to show a side of it that is as much about staying and lingering as it is about arriving. The council’s bet is that an empty stretch at the end of the pier can become a destination in its own right, not just a place people pass through on the way to the sea.
That is where On The Decks differs from a standard seasonal attraction. It is not just adding music to a landmark; it is trying to restore the pier as a place for crowds, dancing and late-afternoon drinkers, while making the most of the estuary views that come with it. For families like Joseph’s and visitors like Sally and Carmel, the event has already made a case for itself, and the question now is how much of that summer momentum Southend can keep when the bank holiday crowd fades.
For anyone planning a broader day by the coast, there are quieter options nearby too, including Chalkwell, which offers a calmer family day out, while the pier itself continues to draw the bigger crowds and the louder soundtrack.
