Southend is set to celebrate its "pier of the year" award with a special event.

Earlier this year the National Piers Society (NPS) voted Southend Pier as their "pier of the year" for 2023, with other famous piers such as Cromer Pier and Brighton Palace Pier coming in second and third.

As well as the official presentation of the award on Friday (June 2), featuring the mayor, councillors, representatives from the NPS and invited guests, the day includes plenty of entertainment for visitors.

Families are set to enjoy Punch and Judy shows at the pier head at 12.30pm and 3pm, face painting and sandcastle competitions.

Crazy golf will be reduced for the day to just £3 per player and £10 for a group of four, with every child completing the golf course set to get a free prize.

The Hoy Shanty Crew will be singing their renditions of traditional shanties at the "dry end" of the pier by the train station entrance between 11am and 12.30pm.

The pier museum will also be offering free entry for everyone on the day and visitors can discover the history of the pier with exhibits from its beginnings in 1830 right through to the current day.

Visitors can also step onboard the spectacular El Galeon, a 17th century replica Spanish tall ship and floating museum which is open to the public until Sunday (June 4).

Derek Jarvis, councillor responsible for arts, culture, heritage and leisure, said: “We are delighted that Southend Pier has been awarded the Pier of the Year award by The National Piers society. It is our city’s most treasured and historical icon, and we are extremely proud of this achievement.

“The pier is more popular than ever having welcomed 412,300 visitors last year and 2023 is on course to continue this success. Last week’s bank holiday weekend was one of our busiest ever with over 5,500 visitors just on Saturday!

“We are continuing to see the results of ongoing investment and maintenance into Southend Pier which includes the two new electric trains.

“There’s also more to do on Southend Pier than ever before with a rich calendar of events alongside visiting ships and trips by Jetstream Tours, and we will continue to invest in the pier’s future successes.”