The best pier in Britain has been crowned for 2026

Looking back at all the things the Victorians got right, a pleasure seaside pier is surely among their greatest inventions. We mean, who doesn’t love arcade game, waterside ’coasters and sticks of candyfloss?

Each year, the National Piers Society runs a competition to find the finest boardwalk in all the land, asking its members to vote on their fave. In 2025 a north Wales town took top spot – now, Pier of the Year 2026 has been crowned. 

This year’s top prize goes to Great Yarmouth’s Britannia Pier, which beat 62 other seaside promenades from around the UK to claim the top title.

The current owners of the Norfolk attraction have certainly put their blood, sweat and tears into making the Britannia Pier one of the country’s greats. Having purchased it in 2022, they’re pumping £2.2 million into an ongoing investment programme with the hopes of restoring it to its former glory.

Great Yarmouth’s pier certainly has a storied past. Built in 1858, it was one of the first Victorian timber-frame promenades in the country. In the generations since, it has been demolished, rebuilt, destroyed by a fire and finally reconstructed in 1958, remaining a Yarmouth must-visit ever since.

Its expensive revamp (find out more about it on Time Out here) has already paid for upgrades to the amusement arcade, which is now triple its former size, and dolled-up its entrance facade. New food stalls and rides have also been introduced. The Britannia boardwalk is home to one of only five surviving pier theatres in the country, which also got a fresh lick of paint, as did its onsite pub. Ok, we’re starting to see why it was a firm favourite this year.

The next stage of the refurb will complete the remodelling of the Britannia’s downstairs. 

As for the other podium toppers at this year's Pier of the Year contest, Herne Bay Pier in Kent took second place, while Dorset’s Swanage Pier came in third.

Did you see that the best campsite in Britain has been crowned for 2026 – with hot tubs, fire pits and oak woodland?

Plus: the 20 British beaches you should NOT visit this summer.