Blackpool, the Las Vegas of the north

Blackpool is England's most famous popular seaside resort, the "Las Vegas of the north". On the Lancashire coast, facing the Irish Sea, it has about 140,000 inhabitants but welcomes millions of visitors every year, drawn by a tower modelled on the one in Paris, three Victorian piers, a large amusement park with record-breaking roller coasters, gilded ballrooms and miles of promenade lit up in autumn by a million bulbs. For more than a century it was the holiday destination of workers from the industrial towns of the north, who arrived by the thousands by train during the weeks when the mills closed. Kitsch, noisy and a little melancholy, Blackpool is a piece of British social history waiting to be discovered.

Trains from Manchester and Liverpool take about an hour and a quarter, and Manchester Airport is about an hour away.

Workers' holidays

Until the 19th century Blackpool was a small fishing village among the dunes. The arrival of the railway in 1846 changed everything: workers from Lancashire's cotton towns could at last reach the sea cheaply. The tradition of the Wakes Weeks was born, when the mills of each town closed in turn and whole communities left together for Blackpool. Hundreds of boarding houses sprang up to meet demand, run by landladies famous for their strict rules, along with theatres, ballrooms and ever more spectacular attractions. In 1879 Blackpool was one of the first towns in the world to have electric street lighting, and in 1885 it opened one of the first electric tramways, which still runs along the seafront today.

Blackpool Tower

Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, Blackpool Tower opened in 1894 and is 158 metres high. At the top, the Blackpool Tower Eye offers views as far as Wales and the mountains of the Lake District, with a glass floor suspended over the void. But the real treasure is at the base: the Tower Ballroom, a gilded rococo ballroom with frescoes, balconies and a Wurlitzer organ that rises from the floor, considered one of the most beautiful ballrooms in the world and host every year to major ballroom dancing competitions. The same building houses the Tower Circus, running since 1894, and an aquarium.

The Pleasure Beach

At the southern end of the promenade, Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the most visited amusement parks in the United Kingdom, founded in 1896 and still run by the same family. It mixes historic rides, such as wooden roller coasters from the 1920s and 1930s, with very modern ones: the Big One, opened in 1994, was then the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, with a drop of more than sixty metres.

The Illuminations and the piers

Every year, from late August to early January, the Blackpool Illuminations light up almost ten kilometres of seafront with more than a million bulbs, illuminated figures, art installations and decorated trams. The first edition dates from 1912, and the switch-on is a national event, often performed by a celebrity. Along the promenade three Victorian piers reach out to sea: North Pier, the oldest and most elegant, of 1863, Central Pier, with its big wheel, and South Pier, with its rides.

Other attractions

• Showtown, Blackpool's museum of fun and entertainment, opened in 2024, telling the story of the town's circus, magic, dance, comedians and lights.
• The Winter Gardens, a large Victorian complex of theatres and halls, venue for political conferences and dance competitions.
• Stanley Park, one of the finest parks in the north, with a lake, Italian gardens and an Art Deco café.
• The Grand Theatre, an elegant Victorian theatre designed by Frank Matcham.
• The Comedy Carpet, a huge walk-on artwork on the promenade with thousands of jokes and names of British comedians.

A day in Blackpool

A possible itinerary: the morning up the tower and in the Tower Ballroom, perhaps during a tea dance. Then a stroll on North Pier and along the promenade, with the heritage tram. The afternoon is for the Pleasure Beach or Showtown, the evening for a show at the Winter Gardens or the Grand Theatre and, in autumn, a trip through the Illuminations, perhaps on an illuminated tram.

Sport

Blackpool FC is linked to one of the most famous matches in English football history: the 1953 FA Cup final, the "Matthews Final", in which Blackpool came back from 1-3 to win 4-3 against Bolton thanks to Stanley Matthews' wing play. In 2010-11 the club spent a season in the Premier League.

Around Blackpool

• Lytham St Annes, an elegant seaside town with a windmill on the green and golf courses that have hosted the Open Championship.
• Fleetwood, a fishing port with a maritime museum and the ferry to Knott End.
• The Lake District, about an hour and a half away, with England's most beautiful lakes and mountains.
• The Forest of Bowland, a protected area of hills and moors, and the city of Lancaster with its castle.

Living in Blackpool

Blackpool lives on tourism but suffers from seasonal work and the decline of traditional holidays: some central neighbourhoods, full of old boarding houses turned into flats, are among the poorest in England, with serious social and health problems. In recent years the town has invested in new trams, the restoration of the promenade, Showtown and a large conference centre, and is trying to relaunch itself as a destination for events and conferences too.

Getting there and getting around

• By train: direct services to Manchester, Preston and Liverpool; from London Euston change at Preston, about three hours in total.
• By air: Manchester Airport has direct trains to Blackpool in about an hour and a quarter; Liverpool Airport is also about an hour away by car.
• In town: the tram runs along the whole seafront from Starr Gate to Fleetwood and is the best way to get around.

For travel around the rest of the country see trains and transport, and for other cities British cities.

Tips for your visit

• How long: one or two days.
• When to go: May to September for the sea and the parks; September to December for the Illuminations.
• A tip: book ahead for summer weekends and during the Illuminations, when the town fills up.

Blackpool on the map

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