Brits visited palaces and piers in their millions over the Bank Holiday according to new anonymised crowd movement data based on connections to the O2 mobile phone network across Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June. Anonymised, aggregated data captured by O2 Motion - which looks at connections to O2 mobile masts to gain a picture of crowd movement trends around the UK - was collected from several UK hotspots including Buckingham Palace, Newquay Beach, Windsor Castle and Brighton Beach.
Unsurprisingly, the data revealed Buckingham Palace as the most popular destination, with visitors peaking at 195,000 at 1 PM on Thursday, in line with the Queen’s balcony appearance and the flypast. Visitors at Windsor Castle peaked at 11,100 on the same day, up 96% compared to the same time the previous week.
Visits to castles and palaces were not limited to the capital though, with Sandringham Castle and Blenheim Palace also benefiting from visitor increases. Sandringham Castle visitors peaked at 5,400, up 155% from the previous week, as crowds gathered for an outdoor music concert. Meanwhile, at Blenheim Palace, crowds reached 6,800, 142% higher than the previous week, as the nation came together to celebrate all things Royal.
Brits also turned out in high numbers to beaches across the country, showing the continued love of a ‘staycation’. Newquay beach alone peaked at 13,800 visitors, up 224% on the same time the previous week. Meanwhile, in Brighton, 10,000 visitors hit the beach in the afternoon, up 86% from the previous week, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach visitors peaked at 7,000, up 284% from the week before.
Gareth Turpin, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “Whether people celebrated at a Palace or by a pier, it’s great to see the nation coming together in UK hotspots to commemorate the Jubilee. With street parties, parades and events happening across the country, we’re proud of the role Virgin Media O2’s network has played in continuing to keep people connected.”
Virgin Media O2 has heavily invested in its network to boost connectivity and ensure it can cope with sudden increases in demand driven by large scale events such as the Jubilee. Since June 2021, it has provided a 4G upgrade to more than 390,000 postcodes, with a focus on rural and tourist hotspots, and delivered 5G to more than 450 towns and cities.
