The UK riverside city, which film directors liken to Hollywood, is expected to go big in 2024.
A riverside town in northern England has been likened to “Hollywood” because of its thriving film and television industry.
At the end of last year, Hull was chosen as one of the best places to visit in 2024 by Time Out magazine.
Bristol took first place thanks to its buzzing nightlife and cultural attractions, while Hull came in second place.
Hull has long been a magnet for British tourists, thanks to its architecture and thriving arts scene – but it has also been the butt of a number of punchlines and jokes.
More than twenty years ago, Hull was named the “worst city” in a controversial book that ranked the 50 worst places to live in the UK.
But it is enjoying something of a renaissance with tourist participation thanks to the thriving film industry.
The riverside city earned the nickname “Hollywood” thanks to a thriving film and television industry.
According to Helen Thackeray, Hull’s director of film and location, the city deserves the title as it has been used as the backdrop for Netflix productions such as The Crown and Enola Holmes 2.
Helen told Sun Online Travel: “It’s one of those things where people are looking for titles.
“Some of the locals were saying we were turning into Hollywood and a bit of a way of promoting ourselves.
“Some directors came in and started calling us ‘Hollywood’. It’s been used a lot as a term, so it really worked out for all of us.”
In an effort to celebrate the city’s new nickname, the “Hollywood” walking trail was created.
The new trail helps locals and visitors walk in the footsteps of stars like Henry Cavill and Millie Bobby Brownand Peter Capaldi and Dev Patel who were all seen filming in the city.
It Must Be Hollywood is a free walking itinerary that can be downloaded via the Visit Hull website here.
Two-hour walking trail Features 11 productions were filmed throughout the city, including six downtown locations.
Helen added: “What we did was give people key points of reference so that they could stand there and know that they were standing in the doorway of a curiosities shop from the personal history of David Copperfield.
“And they could be standing in the same spot where Enola Holmes (played by Millie Bobby Brown) jumped from the roof in the movie.
“It’s so people can see themselves in the movie scene.”
Some locals have been saying we’ve turned into Hollywood
Acclaimed film director Steve McQueen is no stranger to Hull, having chosen to use the city as the backdrop for his new film Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Stephen Graham.
Actress Caroline Quentin, known for her roles in Men Behaving Badly and Jonathan Creek, is just another one of Hal’s fans.
According to Helen, the British actress visited Hull with family and friends for the weekend.
As well as the new must-have Hollywood walking trail, there are plenty of other things to do in Hull.
Later this year, the city will be used as a backdrop for a Bollywood production.
Things to do in Hull
One of these is the Deep, described as one of the best aquariums in the country.
Housed in a dramatic building overlooking the Humber Estuary, this award-winning landmark is listed as a top thing to do in Hull on TripAdvisor.
Inside the aquarium, visitors will be able to see sharks, turtles, penguins and the UK’s only green sawfish.
But The Deep isn’t the only famous landmark in the city – there’s also the Humber Bridge, which holds the record as the longest single-span walkable or bikeable suspension bridge in the world.
Other local attractions include the Streetlife Museum of Transport, a free exhibition that transports visitors back to the 1940s, and the Hull and East Riding Museum of Archaeology.
And Hull is not the only location in the UK that has been compared to an American holiday destination.
Skegness
The traditional seaside town of Skegness has been likened to Las Vegas for its arcades, nightlife and sandy beaches.
The town of Skegness in Lincolnshire, called “Skeg Vegas” by locals, has slot machines and a busy nightlife with cabaret shows.
In honor of the city’s address, a local business owner spent £36,000 installing a replica of a Las Vegas sign that reads: “Welcome to the great city of Skeg Vegas, not Nevada.”
Seven Sedan Beach has been compared to the California coast.
Meanwhile, in Portugal, a number of sandy beaches have been dubbed the “California of Europe.”
