'I am absolutely determined that everyone in the city will know we are marking something special with Portsmouth100'
THE skies above Southsea Common were lit up in glorious technicolour as Portsmouth’s centenary year as a city started in spectacular fashion.
A fireworks show brought to a close the first official event of the Portsmouth 100 year as families gathered on Castle Field to enjoy a feast of entertainment which will continue to be a theme running through the coming 12 months. The city council has said it will provide the framework for a programme of cultural events, exhibitions, music and art throughout the year but has pledged the celebration will be ‘for and by the whole community’.
Speaking at the launch event at Southsea Castle, council leader Steve Pitt said: ‘Portsmouth is a proud and passionate city. What we also do is we like to celebrate things. It's undeniable that the last few years have been really tough for some people. We've had to contend with the global pandemic and the cost of living crisis. And now, for many people, the world is a frightening and harsh place to be living in.
‘However, when I travel around the city every day, what I see is people who are doing their best, who are finding ways to succeed in life and striving among their communities with energy, kindness, love, and yes, pride. And that is what we want to celebrate in 2026.
‘Let's think about everything that is amazing about our city - what unites us, the journey we have been on for the last 100 years, and the journey we are going to undertake over the next 100. Let's showcase all the fantastic things that we have in our city.
‘I am absolutely determined that everyone who lives or works in the city, and the millions who come to visit us every year, will know that we are marking something special and have a chance to take part.’
It was on April 23, 1926, that then Mayor Councillor Frank J. Privett received the ‘Letters Patent’ conferring ‘the dignity of a city’ upon Portsmouth.
To mark the significance of the occasion, day one of 2026 began with a free, family-friendly open-air event at Castle Fields. It started with a rousing performance by the Batala drummers whose frantic drumming and mesmeric rhythms kept the crowds entertained and themselves warm for what was a dry but icy cold evening.
New artwork by Turner Prize-nominated artist Nathan Coley was then unveiled on the castle’s lighthouse, bringing illumination back to the iconic structure following its decommissioning in 2017. The artwork is wrapped around the lantern gallery at the top of the lighthouse and contains seven overlapping words: Outwith, Within, Inside, Sideways Somewhere, Herewith and Without.
Nathan said: “It’s been exciting to give power back to the lighthouse which has sat dormant for all these years. As the text travels around the lighthouse, it creates a sense of movement which echoes the blinking of the original light that would have been seen out to sea when the lighthouse was a working structure.”
The evening also saw the premiere of the official Portsmouth100 featuring a host of voices and iconic images from across the city.
Various events have already been lined up for 2026, with the showpiece being the Pride of Portsmouth Lion Trail Hunt which will see creatively coloured lions places around the city to form a free art trail from July 13 to September 13.
More information about Portsmouth100 and future events is available on the Portsmouth100 website.