Footfall Data - Discover Dorchester

Dorchester Town Council installed a footfall counter on South Street outside Goulds Fashion Store in August 2024. This data is published for businesses in Dorchester and businesses interested in opening in Dorchester to use.

Dynamic Dorchester (including the footfall counter, seasonal awards and business testimonials) is set up and delivered by Dorchester Town Council through the Town Centre Action Group. This working is been carried out to support existing high street retail sector and also help attract new businesses to either relocate or start-up in Dorchester. Funding for this work has come from Dorchester Town Council, Dorchester BID and Dorset Council.

Last updated: 03.02.2026

Table showing average daily footfall month by month.

Month	2024	2025	2026
January		7,650	7,830
February		8,244	8,549
March		8,589
April		10,119
May		10,110
June		9,854
July		10,717
August		11,555
September	10,335	10,388
October	10,574	10,037
November	10,314	9,694
December	11,872	11,937

Table showing which days of the week had the highest average daily footfall between 1st March 2025 and 1st March 2026.

Rank	Day of the week
1	Saturday
2	Wednesday
3	Friday
4	Tuesday
5	Monday
6	Thursday
7	Sunday

Highest footfall days on south street

Rank	Day of the week	Date	Footfall recorded	What was happening on this day?
1	Sunday	14-Dec-25	23,510	Christmas Cracker, FREE PARKING
2	Sunday	15-Dec-24	19,960	Christmas Cracker
3	Saturday	20-Dec-25	18,538	Breakfast w/h singing Santa @ Shire Hall,
4	Monday	23-Dec-24	18,444	Christmas Eve Eve
5	Saturday	14-Dec-24	18,383	Christmas shopping
6	Tuesday	23-Dec-25	18,132	Christmas Eve Eve, Breakfast w/h singing Santa @ Shire Hall,
7	Wednesday	24-Dec-25	17,706	Christmas Eve
8	Monday	22-Dec-25	17,660	Breakfast w/h singing Santa @ Shire Hall,
9	Friday	19-Dec-25	17,549	What the Phunk @ Tom Browns, Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir @ Dorchester Arts, Chris Davies @ The Kings Arms
10	Saturday	21-Dec-24	17,428	Christmas shopping
11	Saturday	13-Dec-25	17,048	Seasonal Sparkle @ Dorset Museum, Christmas Bauble Painting @ Creative Image Studios
12	Saturday	30-Nov-24	16,872	Free Parking
13	Saturday	26-Oct-24	16,542	William Barnes Study Day, Yoga and Brunch at The King’s Arms
14	Tuesday	24-Dec-24	16,541	Christmas Eve
15	Saturday	09-Nov-24	15,712	Free Parking
16	Saturday	15-Nov-25	15,620	FREE PARKING, Shire Hall Christmas Market, The Boothill All Stars @ Tom Browns, Arts & Crafts Workshops @ Creative Image Studios & Tom Browns
17	Saturday	04-Oct-25	15,301	Hardy & Religion Walk & Talk, Knightmare Live @ The Corn Exchange, David Beardsley talk @ Dorset History Centre,
18	Saturday	29-Nov-25	15,258	Brewery Square Christmas Lights Switch On,
19	Saturday	14-Jun-25	15,104	Taylor Swift Tribute act at Brewery Square, band at Tom Browns, Stampede By The Sea Farewell event at Dorcheste Arts, Jane Austen exhibtion opening
20	Saturday	05-Oct-24	15,021	Jungle Book at Dorchester Arts