June 26, 2023

A new look bar and grill launches at Clacton Pier this week following a £130,000 makeover.

The Boardwalk has undergone a significant transformation which includes the latest in social entertainment technology.

The upgrade, with new seating and lighting, as well as full coverage of top live daily sport on Sky Sports, BT Sport and other channels has been completed with bookings going live on Saturday (July 1).

Augmented reality darts has been installed in the bar area located at the front of the seaside attraction.

It involves an autoscoring darts system that projects all game play graphics, targets and scores directly into the board itself.

The aim is to engage players of all ages and ability, and it is designed to bring people together in a new way that traditional darts cannot achieve.

Pier Director Elliot Ball said it is the first major refurbishment of the venue since it first opened in 2009, replacing the Cockney Pride pub.

“We are looking to attract a strong following with this new concept and feel there is a need for it in Clacton,” he said.

“We have combined the warmth and nostalgia of traditional British pubs with the high energy of social darts where everyone has a chance to win.”

There will be three darts boards along with a shuffle board incorporated into the project with the system supplied by 501 Darts.

Work, which has taken around nine weeks, has mainly been carried out by the attraction’s own in-house team and a small local contractor. It includes a complete redecoration and a revamp of the flooring.

The investment follows on from the £500,000 recently spent on Jurassic Pier, a dinosaur walkthrough experience and 4D cinema, which opened at Whitsun Bank Holiday. It replaced the dismantled seaquarium.

Pier bosses are also spending more than £100,000 on refurbishing the popular Waltzer ride.

The concrete foundations have now been laid ready for the ride’s re-installation which will take place in the coming weeks.

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