The updated FAQ requested for the Butlins Memories website. I have revised some of the answers to reflect more current information and fill in missing gaps, in the hope that this will assist with your research.
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Until the late 1960s, full board was the only option. At some of the larger camps, as many as 10,000 people could be staying on site at once, and every one of them needed three meals a day. Each camp had at least two vast dining halls, with two sittings for every meal, generally an hour apart. Campers were assigned a time and table for either the first or second sitting. The menu was not especially varied, but the staff managed to feed everyone within an hour and clear the hall for the next hungry group. This was all the more remarkable given that some dining halls could seat 1,000 people—and certain camps had four such halls.
The largest camps could serve well over 200,000 meals a week, all prepared on site and delivered by teams of waiters and waitresses. This was a major undertaking, and Butlins became highly skilled at running its enormous catering operation smoothly and efficiently. Large teams of chefs, kitchen staff, and waiters worked tirelessly to keep food on the tables. They were supported by heated food trolleys and heavy-duty machinery, including mechanical potato peelers and dishwashers capable of handling 8,000 plates an hour. It is little wonder that the Army asked Billy Butlin to help feed troops during the Second World War.
Here is an extract from Butlins’ shopping list for a typical year in the early 1960s:
3.5 million eggs,
100 tons of sausages (enough to stretch for 217 miles),
120,000 gallons of soup (enough for 4 million portions),
1,570 tons of potatoes (the equivalent of 216 acres of crops),
34 tons of tea (enough for more than 20 million cups),240 tons of pork chops.
In 2026, Butlins would change how guests could get some food.
Self Catering - This is where you can eat from the chalet or get a takeaway if you wish
Premium buffet dining plan: This option allowed you to help yourself to your preferred choice of food, which included live cooking stations for specific menu items. This includes both breakfast and dinner during the break
Food court buffet dining plan: This option allowed you to help yourself to your preferred choice of food, which includes both breakfast and dinner during the break
Dinearound plan: This option allows the customer to have their breakfast or dinner from alternative restaurants, for example, the Beachcomber Inn.
Hotel dining plan: Very similar to the premium buffet dining plan but in the hotel at Butlins Bognor Regis.
Full board option known as "Lunch package": This option allows you to have breakfast, lunch and dinner during your stay. The lunch add-on could be used at the Diner, Beachcomber Inn, Firehouse Grill, Chopstix, Papa John's and the fish and chips shop.
To promote friendly rivalry, a number of Redcoats were allocated to each dining hall, or House, under the leadership of a Redcoat House Captain. The Captain’s responsibility was to motivate campers to participate in the wide range of competitions. Points were awarded to first- and second-place finishers in every weekly event, and the House with the highest score at the end of the week took home the Inter-House Trophy. Competition between campers and Redcoats was always keen.
In the same way, a Redcoat House Chairman—typically an older Redcoat—recruited volunteers from each dining hall for the weekly Campers Committee. The Committee met periodically throughout the week to raise campers’ complaints and suggestions. Its members were also invaluable in judging the many competitions.
Billy Butlin had always opposed the idea, arguing that people went on holiday to avoid the chores of cooking and cleaning. However, after retiring and witnessing the success of the conversions made by Pontins, Bobby Butlin decided to expand self-catering on a large scale. From the late 1960s, entire rows of adjoining chalets were enlarged by combining at least four separate units. The resulting accommodation included a kitchen and dining area, a bathroom and toilet, a lounge with a TV, and one or two bedrooms. If needed, the lounge settee could be converted into an extra bed. The company also built several new self-catering blocks. Many half-board rooms remained available, giving campers a choice.
Some former dining halls were repurposed, including as self-service restaurants where self-catering guests could decide when and where to eat. Every camp also had a supermarket where visitors could purchase supplies on site. As self-catering grew in popularity, fewer guests chose the full-board option. This allowed the company to introduce single meal sittings and focus more on quality than quantity. Overall, self-catering proved highly successful and continues to account for a significant share of today's visitors.
Each camp offered a broad range of bars and entertainment venues, all with distinctive atmospheres. Among the best known were the Beachcomber Bars, introduced at camps from the early 1960s. Designed around a Hawaiian beach setting, they featured waterfalls, bridges, and a “volcano” that erupted every hour. Other popular venues included the Crazy Horse Saloon, decorated with Wild West memorabilia; the Pig & Whistle, famed for its revolving bar; the Regency; and the French. At Filey, the French Bar’s counter once held the record as the UK’s longest, stretching almost 200 feet and requiring as many as 70 staff to operate. For many years, these figures featured prominently in the Guinness Book of Records.
These were simply rooms where guests could go for a quiet read or a chat. Some walls displayed paintings that Billy Butlin had purchased over the years, usually at knockdown prices. The collection gradually grew in value and was eventually worth several million pounds! There were also TV lounges: one for the BBC and another for ITV. Since chalets did not have their own televisions at the time, guests would flock to their favourite room to catch up on the latest news and entertainment. None of these facilities remains at the last three Butlin’s resorts.
Each camp had one or two theatres, as well as smaller venues for children’s shows, film screenings and talent competitions. Some of the main theatres were enormous, with seating for 2,000 or more and excellent facilities in the style of London’s West End. In fact, the Gaiety Theatre at Filey, built around 1960, was Europe’s largest theatre, with 3,000 seats on a single floor. Many productions were highly professional, and numerous performers who later became stars of television and the stage first experienced fame there. Shows ran throughout the day, though the main events were always held in the evening. “Sunday Night Showtime” became a major attraction, featuring well-known stars brought in to entertain guests. Other offerings included performances by the resident repertory company, Redcoat shows, talent contests, and even more refined entertainment from visiting opera and ballet companies.
All of the traditional old Butlin theatres have now disappeared, replaced by huge cabaret-style venues equipped with professional lighting and sound systems and seating for up to 2,000 people.
