Blackpool

What you need to know before you go

    Blackpool is long-established as the UK's best-loved beach town, with an inimitable nostalgic vibe, retro amusements galore, as well as miles of soft sand to frolic on. A big draw for many is the iconic Blackpool Pleasure Beach, an enchanting seafront theme park packed with antique wooden roller coasters, state-of-the-art thrill rides and retro fairground attractions.

    The unabashed hedonism continues long after sunset, with all manner of boisterous bars and pulsing nightclubs competing for your attention. But Blackpool also has a genteel side, with beautifully preserved Victorian buildings and elegant cafes serving decadent afternoon teas.

    What to see & do in Blackpool

    Featured stories & fun stuff

    Things to do in Blackpool, a resort paradise on England's Irish Sea Coast, include indulging in a variety of amusements, live entertainment, dancing, nightlife and endless gold-sand coast. If you're on a family holiday, head for the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a traditional amusement park with vintage coasters, games, thrill rides and carnival-style eats. You can visit the circus and the glass viewing platform at Blackpool Tower or head... Read more

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    what’s around Blackpool

    Where & what to eat in Blackpool

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    Where to shop & what to buy in Blackpool

    • 10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Blackpool

      You’ll find the top local shopping spots in Blackpool inside large markets, designer outlets, on pedestrianised streets, and by the ocean. Independent retailers through to national chains sell goods ranging from designer and second-hand clothing to antiques, collectables and Edwardian china. Thanks to the diversity of its retail landscape, Blackpool is a shopping mecca in North West England. Whether...

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    Where to go & what to do at night in Blackpool

    Nightlife in Blackpool is so vibrant that the region has a reputation as the nightlife capital of the North, offering some of the hottest and liveliest venues around. If you want something more refined, you'll find plenty of ballroom dancing establishments, or you can head for venues like the Winter Gardens to take in an evening show. A standout venue is Bootleg Social, an intimate setting with renowned live acts... Read more

    Useful information

    Information about Blackpool can be found at the city's Tourist Information Centre in the Festival House on the Promenade, where you'll find out about everything that's going on. Here you can purchase discount tickets to most attractions, events and shows, find Blackpool merchandise and souvenirs and get general information about anything you need to know. Blackpool is a city that's easy to navigate. Bus service runs frequently across the city... Read more

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    More information about Blackpool

    Take a Blackpool City break in this seaside resort for English heritage with a cheeky front. Find Victorian theatres and peaceful nature reserves alongside the lively piers and Pleasure Beach. Book a Blackpool hotel to be entertained and revived in the great Lancashire outdoors.

    Five things to love about Blackpool

    • The adrenaline rush of a ride on the big dipper on Blackpool Pleasure beach
    • Peach melbas and signature sundaes from the Notarianni family’s ice cream parlour on the South Shore
    • The pier lit up with fireworks choreographed to music during the International Fireworks Championships in September
    • Traditional Victorian seaside pastimes like donkey rides and Punch and Judy on the sands
    • Rattling along the tracks of the Promenade towards the Blackpool Tower on a double-decker tram

    Family fun

    Hear the gasps and shrieks on the Pleasure Beach as the Big Dipper rollercoaster climbs and plummets in front of the sea. Or keep your feet on the ground with laps at The Arena ice skating rink, also on the Pleasure Beach. One of the greatest shows is free – a spectacular arrangement of multicoloured lights sparkle in the evenings when the seafront Illuminations are switched on in Autumn. Kids love spending rainy days at Blackpool Tower with its tropical aquarium tanks, alien circus acrobats and creatures leaping out of the 3D cinema screen.

    Natural Blackpool

    Escape the kiss-me-quick beach activities for green Blackpool. Just a mile inland from the seafront, relaxed Stanley Park has bandstand music and a boating lake. Birdwatchers spot wagtails and woodpeckers on the wetlands at Kincraig Lake Ecological Reserve in Bispham, just a mile and a half north of Blackpool. See orchids and butterflies at the Marton Mere nature reserve on the town outskirts, or scale steep climbing walls at George Bancroft Memorial Park.

    Blackpool nightlife

    Hedonistic Blackpool draws the party crowd to nightclubs off the Promenade, like the Syndicate superclub in the town centre and seventies disco Flares. Watch a musical or pantomime from the dress circle or sweeping balconies at the Grand Theatre. The Victorian ballrooms, theatres and arenas of the huge Winter Gardens venue fill up with audiences for West End shows, comedy nights and banquets.

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