Evening Economy

Vibrant, night-time economies do not happen by accident. Innovation, curation, planning and partnership are all key elements to creating a destination that can delight users after dark.

Purple Flag is an international accreditation programme that aims to reward those who achieve this in their destinations after dark. Purple Flag strives to help create safe and thriving locations at night for all users.

It is recognised across the UK and Ireland as the ‘gold standard’ for town centre management which supports local working partnerships to achieve excellence for their area and is widely sought after.

The award is not just about safety, but also the vibrancy and diversity of the evening and night-time offer.

Purple Flag is:

• An accreditation process similar to Green Flag Award for parks and Blue Flag for beaches. It leads to Purple Flag status for town centres that meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy.
• A comprehensive set of standards, management processes and good practice examples designed to help transform town and city centres at night.
• A research, training and development programme, to help towns and cities improve their evening and night-time economy.
• A positive initiative that indicates an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out.

Armagh City Centre is one of  only six Purple Flag destinations in Northern Ireland, along  Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, Enniskillen, Newry City and Omagh. Enniskillen and Derry/Londonderry are the longest areas to have held Purple Flag status and were initially accredited in November 2011 with Armagh following in 2015.  Purple Flag currently has over 65 locations, including one in New Zealand.

To secure Purple Flag status, Armagh was recognised as a vibrant, well-managed, welcoming and diverse city to visit during the evening, with a good mix of venues and attractions which are appealing to visitors.