Preston's £45m Animate leisure complex opening date confirmed

Preston's highly anticipated cinema, restaurant and leisure complex is set to open in stages from mid-February, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). The city centre 'Animate' development was initially slated for a spring launch, but its attractions will now begin welcoming their first customers in less than six weeks.

The £45.8m project, next to the market hall, will feature an eight-screen ARC Cinema, Hollywood Bowl and six eateries: Ask Italian, world buffet Cosmo, South American-themed Las Iguanas, Mexican-inspired Taco Bell, café-bar chain Loungers and the street food vendors of the Mad Giant Food Hall. A unit reserved for a competitive games activity, such as an escape room, remains the only space in the two-storey building yet to be filled.

LDRS has learned that one of the restaurants will be the first to open during the week commencing February 10. The flagship cinema is expected to follow later in the week, coinciding with the school half-term holiday.

The Hollywood Bowl is anticipated to open either towards the end of February or early March, with the remaining restaurants serving their first meals thereafter. The exact timeline for the staggered opening remains unknown.

Construction on the Preston City Council-owned facility reached completion at the end of November, with signed-up tenants now kitting out their spaces. Mark Whittle, manager of Preston's Business Improvement District (BID), expressed optimism about the development's potential to draw crowds, reports Lancs Live.

"The city's leisure offer is about to be strengthened further, with new and popular brands choosing 'Animate', in which to locate," he said. "We're hoping that the new additions create yet more reasons for people across Lancashire to enjoy the city's award-winning hospitality offer, and experience a warm Prestonian welcome. We're on the cusp of exciting times in the city, with the arrival of Animate, the re-opening of the Harris this summer, an eclectic 2025 events programme and further large-scale developments in the pipeline."

"Hopefully, the delivery of the Animate scheme – and planned public realm improvements – will provide real confidence to investors that Preston is a strong contender when it comes to opening a new business or re-locating an existing one."

The project's origins trace back over ten years when the site was earmarked as a possible catalyst for the area's cinema-led revival.

This concept was set in stone in 2016, paving the way for Animate as part of a broader redevelopment strategy, including a new market hall and the tearing down of the old indoor market and multi-storey car park, where Animate currently sits.

The final version of the Animate proposal was given the green light in March 2022.