Battersea Power Station opened its doors to the public on Friday 14^th October, alongside a new pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard, following a transformational eight-year restoration

More than 250,000 people came to visit the London landmark for the first time ever and enjoy the ‘Festival of Power’, which continues on Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd October, with free family friendly activities and performances

New brands reported stellar opening weekends, significantly exceeding their sales targets, as the public embraced experiential-led retail and dining

Battersea Power Station welcomed over a quarter of a million visitors during its opening weekend between Friday 14th – Sunday 16th October, as huge crowds came to see inside the iconic landmark for the very first time and explore the neighbourhood’s new pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard.

Nearly forty years after the lights were switched off in one of London’s most defining landmarks and following an eight-year restoration project in which the building was transformed from a derelict shell to the shining centrepiece of a new town centre for London, visitors were able to enjoy the first of its unique shops, bars, restaurants and leisure venues.

British and international brands now open at Battersea Power Station include Adidas, Nike, Mulberry, Theory, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Aesop, Space NK, Hugo Boss, Jo Malone London, Uniqlo and Mango to name a few.

A new neighbourhood bookstore, Battersea Bookshop, from specialist bookseller Stanfords, reported sales of 1,383 books during opening weekend and the Curated Makers pop-up, which hosts more than 40 local independent small businesses selling homeware, candles, clothing, artwork and more, experienced record-breaking sales on opening day.

Meanwhile, on Friday 14th October, Genesis sold their first car and the Adidas ‘Empower Station’ pop up, which featured fitness classes and challenges hosted by Olympic and Paralympic athletes, instructors and industry experts, was fully booked across the weekend.

Eateries reported similarly high results, as visitors flocked to eat and drink in the unique surroundings of the Power Station. Inception Group, London’s most experiential hospitality company, opened its exciting new bar concept, Control Room B, and sold more than 7,000 cocktails between Friday and Sunday. Meanwhile, Paris Baguette served 1,221 pieces of cake, smoothies proved to be the top seller at Clean Kitchen, Where The Pancakes Are flipped more than 2,500 pancakes and Poke House served 3,500 poke bowls throughout the weekend. Further food and drinks brands are set to open soon, including a 24,000 sq. ft Arcade Food Hall from JKS Restaurants, which will open in 2023.

Electric Boulevard, a new high street to the south of the Power Station, also opened with ZARA and ZARA Home, seeing lots of shoppers heading down to its first Central London store south of the river. A new-concept M&S Food Hall will follow shortly along with the UK’s first art’otel, a 164 room hotel with Michelin starred chef, Henrique Sá Pessoa, opening his new rooftop bar and restaurant, JOIA, here.

Also opening in the next few weeks is Lift 109, a unique glass elevator experience inside the Power Station’s north west chimney, offering stunning panoramic views of London from a height of 109m. Tickets are due to go on sale shortly.

Visitors over the course of the opening weekend enjoyed the ‘Festival of Power’, a free five-day festival celebrating the history and cultural contributions of Battersea Power Station. The event kicked off with an official countdown to the opening of the Grade II* listed Power Station, led by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, MP for Battersea, Marsha de Cordova and Battersea Power Station alumni, Rita Kelly, who worked at the Power Station in the 1950s.

Other highlights from the weekend included performances from the Battersea Power Station Community Choir, Arcadia’s Lords of Lightning and the Bright Sparks Trail – an interactive heritage trail app leading user to performances across the neighbourhood which nod to the history and cultural significance of the building. The Festival of Power continues on Saturday 22^nd – Sunday 23^rd October with performances on the Pavilion Stage in Power Station Park from 12pm – 8pm, and buskers performing from 10am – 6pm.

Simon Murphy, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), said:

“The public response to the opening of Battersea Power Station and our new pedestrianised high street, Electric Boulevard, has been truly amazing, and exceeded our expectations. Over 250,000 people from the local community, across London and from further afield, came to visit the newly restored Power Station at the very earliest opportunity, demonstrating the attachment people feel to this iconic landmark. On behalf of our shareholders, I would like to thank every single person who came down to visit, and we look forward to many more visitors over the coming months and years – this is just the beginning.”

The opening of Battersea Power Station and Electric Boulevard extends this already well-established neighbourhood, from the 20-plus shops, restaurants and bars that have been open in Circus West Village since 2017, and over 2,000 residents who live across Circus West Village, the Power Station, Gehry Partners’ Prospect Place and Foster + Partner’s Battersea Roof Gardens.

With the Northern Line extended to give this new riverside neighbourhood its very own Zone 1 London Underground station, Battersea Power Station is within 15 minutes of the West End and the City. Battersea Power Station is also easily accessible via the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus service, bike, train and on foot.

For more information, please visit www.batterseapowerstation.co.uk and follow @batterseapwrstn to keep up to date with the latest news and events.