Blackpool facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blackpool
Town
The Illuminations The Town Hall Blackpool Tower Pleasure Beach Stanley Park St John's Church on Cedar Square Winter Gardens
Blackpool
Area	34.47 km2 (13.31 sq mi)
Population	141,000 (2021 census)
• Density	4,091/km2 (10,600/sq mi)
Demonym	Blackpudlian
Unitary authority	Blackpool
Ceremonial county	Lancashire
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BLACKPOOL
Postcode district	FY1-FY5
Dialling code	01253
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Blackpool North and Fleetwood Blackpool South
List of places UK England Lancashire 53°48′51″N 3°03′01″W / 53.81417°N 3.05028°W / 53.81417; -3.05028

Blackpool is a famous seaside town in Lancashire, England. It sits on the Irish Sea coast, about 27 miles (43 km) north of Liverpool. Blackpool is the main town in its own area, called the Borough of Blackpool. In 2021, about 141,000 people lived there.

Blackpool started as a small village. It grew in the 1700s when people believed that swimming in the sea was good for their health. Blackpool's beach was perfect for this. By 1781, several hotels had been built.

The opening of a railway station in 1846 brought many more visitors. The town kept growing throughout the 1800s. Blackpool's growth was linked to "wakes weeks." This was when cotton factories in Lancashire closed for maintenance. Many workers would then visit the seaside.

In the late 1900s, people started choosing holidays abroad more often. This affected Blackpool's popularity. But even with challenges, tourism is still very important to the town. Today, Blackpool's seafront is famous for landmarks like Blackpool Tower, the Illuminations, Pleasure Beach, and the Winter Gardens. Millions of visitors still come every year. The town is also home to Blackpool F.C., a football club that won the FA Cup in 1953.

History of Blackpool

How Blackpool Got Its Name

Blackpool gets its name from a old water channel. This channel flowed over a peat bog, making the water dark. When it reached the Irish Sea, it formed a "black pool."

Early Times

In 1970, a 13,500-year-old elk skeleton was found near Blackpool. It had man-made bone points, showing that humans lived here a very long time ago. Some of the first villages that became part of Blackpool were mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.

In the Middle Ages, Blackpool was just a few farms by the coast. The name came from "le pull," a stream that flowed into the sea. This stream ran through dark peatlands, giving the area the name "Black Poole."

Sea Bathing and Growth

In the 1700s, people started visiting the sea for health reasons. Blackpool became popular for this. By 1781, the town had hotels and places for fun like archery. By 1801, about 473 people lived there. Henry Banks helped Blackpool grow a lot. He bought land in 1819 and built the first holiday cottages.

The Arrival of Railways

A big change happened in 1846 when a railway line reached Blackpool. This made it much easier for visitors to come. The town grew quickly in the 1850s and 1860s. More hotels and attractions were built. Gas lighting came in 1852 and piped water in 1864. By 1851, Blackpool's population was over 2,500.

Electricity Comes to Town

Blackpool was a leader in using electricity from the 1870s. In 1879, it was the first town in the world to have electric street lights along its promenade. This led to the famous Blackpool Illuminations.

By the 1890s, Blackpool had 35,000 residents and could host 250,000 holidaymakers. Important buildings like the Grand Theatre (1894) and Blackpool Tower were built. The Grand Theatre was one of Britain's first all-electric theatres.

In 1885, Blackpool started one of the world's first electric tramways. It still runs today!

Blackpool Today

Between World War I and World War II, Blackpool became a very popular holiday spot. By 1920, it had about eight million visitors each year. Most came from the factory towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire. By 1951, Blackpool's population reached 147,000.

After World War II, the town kept attracting visitors, reaching a peak of 17 million per year. But in the 1960s, more people started taking package holidays abroad. The building of the M55 motorway in 1975 made Blackpool an easier day trip. Today, tourism is still the main part of Blackpool's economy.

Geography and Climate

Blackpool's Location

Blackpool is on the western edge of The Fylde, which is a flat coastal area. The seafront has a 7-mile (11 km) sandy beach. The coast is flat in the south but rises to cliffs past the North Pier. The highest point is near the Bispham Rock Gardens, about 34 meters (112 ft) high. Most of the town is built up. Because it's low-lying, Blackpool sometimes floods. A big project finished in 2017 rebuilt the seawall to help prevent this.

Weather in Blackpool

Blackpool has a mild oceanic climate. This means it has cool summers, often cloudy skies, and not huge changes in temperature.

The coldest temperature ever recorded was -15.1°C (4.8°F) in December 1981. The hottest was 37.2°C (99.0°F) during a heatwave in 2022. On average, the warmest summer day reaches about 28.5°C (83.3°F).

Blackpool gets about 900 mm (35 inches) of rain each year. It rains more than 1 mm on about 147 days a year.

Blackpool's Economy

Blackpool's economy is mostly about tourism. In 2020, the town's total economic output was about £3.2 billion. This is 0.2% of England's economy.

Many jobs in Blackpool are in health and social work (25%). Also, 10.9% of jobs are in hotels and restaurants, showing how important tourism is.

Blackpool is a major center for the wider Fylde Coast economy. This area includes other coastal towns and some industries. Companies like Victrex (polymers) and Beaverbrooks (jewellery) are based nearby. Blackpool also has links to aerospace, engineering, energy, and food manufacturing.

Conferences and Exhibitions

For many years, Blackpool was a top place for big meetings and conferences. Political parties and other groups held events at the Winter Gardens.

After 2007, fewer big conferences came to Blackpool. But after major improvements to the Winter Gardens, the Conservative Party held their spring event there in 2022.

Blackpool's Future: Regeneration

Like many UK seaside towns, Blackpool faced challenges from the 1960s onwards. People started going on holidays abroad more. The town also needed more investment.

Big plans to improve the town center were made in 1965, but not much happened. By 1993, many homes didn't have central heating. A new plan in 2003 aimed to fix these problems and protect the coast.

Blackpool hoped to get a "supercasino" like those in Las Vegas. This would have brought huge investment. But Manchester won the bid in 2007. The government later decided not to allow any supercasinos.

After losing the casino bid, the government increased funding for Blackpool. A group called ReBlackpool helped manage this. They led a £73 million project to rebuild the promenade and seawalls. This project finished in 2010. ReBlackpool also started the Talbot Gateway project. This plan aims to create new offices, shops, and hotels near Blackpool North Station.

In 2010, Blackpool Council bought famous landmarks like Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens. This allowed them to invest in fixing them up. The Tower's stained glass windows were beautifully restored. The Winter Gardens conference center was also refurbished and hosted a big political conference in 2022.

Blackpool Council is also working on the Blackpool Airport Development Zone. This area offers benefits to businesses that set up there. There are plans for new hangars and a "Silicon Sands" area for digital companies.

In 2018, plans for the Blackpool Central development were announced. This project will build a new public square, hotels, restaurants, and a car park on the site of the old Blackpool Central railway station.

Talbot Gateway Project

The first part of Talbot Gateway finished in 2014. It included new council offices and a supermarket.

The second part, with a new Holiday Inn and a tram stop for the extended tramway, opened in May 2024.

New government offices are being built as part of phase three. About 3,000 staff from the Department for Work and Pensions will move there by March 2025.

In 2023, Blackpool received £40 million for a new education campus. This will be a new, eco-friendly home for Blackpool and The Fylde College.

Blackpool Central Development

Plans for the Blackpool Central car park and Heritage Quarter were approved in 2021. Construction of the car park started in 2022. The project was delayed because money was needed to move the courts from the site. In November 2022, the government gave £40 million to help with this.

Heritage Action Zone

The Blackpool Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) helps bring new life to the town center. It restores old buildings and supports creative activities. Blackpool is one of over 60 such zones in the UK.

Buildings on Topping Street, Edward Street, and Deansgate are being restored. The Church Street side of the Winter Gardens is also part of this. A building on Edward Street will become live/work spaces for artists.

Abingdon Street Market partly reopened in May 2023 after being closed for repairs. The market now has a food hall and space for live entertainment. The retail part will open later in 2023.

Tourism in Blackpool

Blackpool became a tourist town in the 1700s when sea bathing became popular. By 1788, there were about 50 houses for visitors. By the early 1800s, small hotels served middle-class visitors. But many working-class people also started coming. The railway's arrival in 1846 began mass tourism. In 1911, Blackpool's Central Station was the busiest in the world.

The North Pier opened in 1863. It was designed for "better classes" and remained a quieter place. The next 50 years saw two more piers built: Central Pier (1868) and South Pier (1893). The Winter Gardens (1878), Blackpool Tower (1894), and early rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach (1896) also opened.

Blackpool's Royal Palace Gardens at Raikes Hall was a famous place for shows and music in the mid-1800s. It had an opera house, a skating rink, gardens, and a racing track. Over 40,000 visitors came in its opening week in 1872.

Working-class tourists loved the heart of the resort. Whole towns would close for "wakes weeks," and communities would travel to Blackpool together. Blackpool also served a "significant middle-class market" in spring and autumn, especially in North Shore.

Blackpool started the UK's first electric public tramway in 1884. It officially opened in 1885. Blackpool was also one of the first towns to decorate trams with lights for special events, like Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897.

Electric lighting came to Blackpool in 1879. 100,000 people watched the promenade light up on September 19. By 1925, the Blackpool Illuminations stretched almost six miles. They now use over one million bulbs and run for many months. A celebrity switches them on every year.

In 1897, Blackpool banned street sellers from the sands. They moved to Central Promenade, setting up stalls in front gardens. This area became known as the Golden Mile. It was famous for its sideshows until the 1960s.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Blackpool was Britain's most popular resort. It hosted over 10 million visitors a year. Its entertainment venues could seat over 60,000 people.

Blackpool stayed popular through much of the 1900s. It even grew during World War II, staying open while other resorts closed. It became known as the "Las Vegas of the North."

Today, Blackpool is still a thriving visitor destination. Tourism supports 25,000 full-time jobs. In 2023, it was named the UK's best-value holiday spot. In 2022, it attracted over 20 million visitors, bringing in £1.7 billion to the local economy.

Main Tourist Attractions

Attraction	Opened	Picture
North Pier	1863
Blackpool's first pier, designed by Eugenius Birch. It's a quieter, more peaceful place. Today it has a theatre, bars, and a Venetian carousel.
Central Pier	1868
Designed for a more popular crowd. It used to have outdoor dancing and roller skating. Now it has shops, bars, games, and rides, including a big wheel.
South Pier	1893
Known as Victoria Pier until 1930. It used to be for more upscale visitors. Today it has bars, food, amusements, and rides, including a 38m bungee jump.
Winter Gardens	1878
Originally had a glass-roofed Floral Hall and skating rinks. Over time, the Empress Ballroom (1896), Olympia (1930), and the Opera House (1939) were added. A new Conference & Exhibition Centre opened in 2022.
Blackpool Tower	1894
Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, it was the tallest man-made building in the British Empire when built. It's 518 feet (158 meters) tall. It includes the Tower Circus, Tower Ballroom, and the Tower Eye for amazing views.
Grand Theatre	1894
Called 'Matcham's masterpiece' for its beautiful design. It closed in 1972 but reopened in 1981. Today it hosts many popular shows, including ballet.
Pleasure Beach	1896
An amusement park founded by W G Bean. Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine from 1904 still runs. When it opened in 1994, The Big One was the world's tallest roller coaster. Nickelodeon Land opened in 2011.
Madame Tussauds	1900
Opened by Louis Tussaud, great-grandson of Marie Tussaud. It closed in 2010 and reopened as Madame Tussauds in 2011, with wax figures of famous people.
Illuminations	1912
Started to celebrate a new promenade section. Today, they stretch 6.2 miles (10 km) and use over a million bulbs. A celebrity switches them on every year.
Ripley's Believe it or Not	1973
An 'odditorium' based on Robert Ripley's collection of strange and amazing things. It includes animal oddities and the world's smallest production car.
Blackpool Zoo	1976
Opened in 1972 on the site of an old airport. It houses over 1,000 animals, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and gorillas. In 2023, it welcomed its first critically endangered Bornean orangutan baby in over two decades.
Sandcastle Waterpark	1986
Built on the site of an old open-air swimming pool. It claims to be the UK's biggest indoor waterpark with 18 slides and a constant warm temperature.
Sea Life	1990
An aquarium on Central Promenade with 2,500 aquatic creatures in 50 displays. It has a transparent viewing tunnel.
Peter Rabbit: Explore and Play	2022
An interactive attraction based on Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit stories. It has themed zones like Mr McGregor's Garden and Jeremy Fisher's Sensory Pond.
Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse	2023
Features play zones inspired by popular children's stories by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, including The Gruffalo and Zog.
Showtown	2024
Blackpool's new museum of entertainment, opening in March 2024. It will show off Blackpool's history in circus, magic, shows, and dance.

Other Fun Places to Visit

Attraction	Opened in	Picture
Golden Mile	1897
The famous stretch of Promenade between the North and South piers. It's about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long. It's full of main attractions, amusements, and souvenir shops.
The Casino	1940
Built in 1913, this building was never actually a casino. It had a restaurant, bar, and theatre. Today it hosts magic shows and other variety acts.
Brooks Collectables	1947
A family-run shop with a free museum upstairs. It has vintage toys and Blackpool souvenirs.
Princess Parade Crazy Golf Course	1957
A mini golf course near North Pier. It was restored by volunteers and reopened in 2021.
Model Village	1972
Miniature buildings showing scenes of rural life, set in 2.5 acres of gardens near Stanley Park.
Coral Island	1978
The biggest amusement arcade in town, covering two acres. It's built on the site of the old Blackpool Central railway station.
Funny Girls	1994
A famous cabaret drag bar. It started on Queen Street and is now in the old Odeon cinema.
Pasaje Del Terror	1998
An interactive horror attraction with scare actors, located in the basement of the Pleasure Beach Casino building.
Spitfire Visitor Centre	2009
Based at Hangar 42 at Blackpool Airport. It has Spitfire replicas and a Hawker Hurricane. You can sit in a cockpit or use a flight simulator.
Comedy Carpet	2011
A large granite and concrete artwork opposite Blackpool Tower. It features jokes and catchphrases from hundreds of comedians.
Viva Blackpool	2012
A cabaret showbar that hosts many acts and shows all year round.
Tramtown	2015
This center offers tours of the tram sheds and engineering workshops. You can also take heritage tram journeys, including illuminated tours and ghost tours.
Hole in Wand	2022
A wizard-themed mini golf course on Blackpool Promenade. It's owned by the Potions Cauldron.
Arcade Club	2022
A retro arcade on Bloomfield Road with over 200 games. It has classics like Pac-Man and Space Invaders, plus modern games and sports.

Nature and Parks

Attraction	Opened in	Picture
Beaches	N/a
Blackpool has "seven miles of golden sands." In 2016, they were named the second best shoreline in the world and the best in the UK. Blackpool South beach was even awarded Blue Flag status.
Stanley Park	1926
A large 260-acre park with a boating lake, an Art Deco café, and a bandstand. It has sports facilities and a golf course. The park is a Grade II* listed site. In 2022, a new skate park opened. The park has been voted the UK's favorite three times.

Culture in Blackpool

Art Scene

Blackpool has a growing art scene. The Blackpool Art Society started in 1884. The Grundy Art Gallery opened in 1911 and still hosts exhibitions today.

The Old Rock Factory, opened in 2011, has studios for artists. It was started by Robin Ross, who also created the Sand, Sea and Spray street art festival. This festival featured live street art by international artists on walls around Blackpool.

Abingdon Studios, opened in 2014, is a space for modern visual art. It supports working-class and queer artists. In 2021, they created We're Still Here, a collection of LGBTQIA+ history in Blackpool.

HIVEArts is a gallery and arts group that hosts regular exhibitions. Tea Amantes is a tearoom and gallery that shows monthly art by local artists.

Public Artworks

Name of artwork	Dates	Picture
Medici Lions	Created in: 1790 (originals) 2013 (replicas)
Two lion statues stand in Stanley Park. They are copies of the Medici lions in Rome. The park also has other nature-inspired sculptures.
Ballet Dancers	Installed in the 1990s
Two bronze ballet dancers stand on stainless steel bases at Clifton Street. They were designed by Phil Bew and Diane Gorvin.
Great Promenade Show	Commissioned from 2001 to 2005	They Shoot Horses, Don't They
A collection of 10 artworks along 2 km of the New South Promenade. One famous piece is They Shoot Horses, Don't They, a giant mirror ball that was once the world's largest.
The Wave	Installed in 2009
A 10.5m tall stainless steel wave structure in St John's Square. It has internal lights and a figure inside.
Soldier Sculpture (and Salisbury Woodlands)	Installed in 2009
A soldier figure carved from stone in Salisbury Woodlands. It sits on a WWII pillbox. The woodlands also have other wooden sculptures.
Sand Sea & Spray
Large graffiti artworks found around town, created during the Sand, Sea & Spray street art festival.
The 999 statue	Installed in 2013
A 2.5m monument at Jubilee Gardens. It honors police officers and a member of the public who died trying to save someone in the sea in 1983.
Lightpool	Started in 2016
An annual light festival held in October. It features artistic light installations throughout the town center.
Fancie Benches	Installed in: 2020 (1st bench) 2022 (2nd)
Colorful, abstract benches designed by Tina Dempsey. They are part of a project to improve the look of key streets.
Tram Benches	Installed in: 2020
Two stainless steel benches shaped like trams in Talbot Square. They show heritage trams from the 1930s.
The Call of the Sea	Installed in 2021
A life-sized bronze sculpture in Talbot Square. It was designed with local students and modeled after a local girl.
Blackpool Stands Between Us and Revolution	Installed in 2022
A temporary illuminated artwork on the Grundy Art Gallery roof. It's based on a quote about Blackpool's importance to working-class people.

Performing Arts

Theatre

In the 1930s, Blackpool's many theatres and cinemas could seat over 60,000 people.

The Indian Pavilion on North Pier hosted concerts from 1874. After fires, it was replaced by the Pavilion Theatre in 1939. It still hosts shows today.

Her Majesty's Opera House, part of the Winter Gardens, opened in 1889. The current Opera House opened in 1938. It seats 3,000 people and was the largest theatre in the country then. It still stages touring musicals.

The Grand Theatre was built in 1894. It hosts many types of performances and an annual pantomime. It also has a youth theatre company.

The Old Electric is Blackpool's newest theatre, opening in 2021. It's a community theatre and arts space.

Dance

Dance has been a big part of Blackpool's culture for 150 years. The Tower Ballroom opened in 1894, followed by the Empress Ballroom and the Alhambra.

The Empress Ballroom, built in 1896, was much grander. It had a special dance floor with 10,000 strips of wood on 1,320 springs.

The first Blackpool Dance Festival was held in the Empress Ballroom in 1920. It's now considered 'the world's first and foremost festival of dancing'.

The current Tower Ballroom, designed by Frank Matcham, opened in 1899. Its dance floor has 30,602 separate blocks of wood. The BBC show Come Dancing and later Strictly Come Dancing have broadcast from here. The Tower Ballroom is still a popular place for dancing.

In 2020, a local dance company created a new social dance called The Blackpool Way.

House of Wingz is a dance company that teaches hip hop and supports local artists. They have won awards at the UDO World Street Dance Championships.

Amateur Dramatics

Blackpool has many amateur theatre groups. Junction Four Productions (started 1904) and Blackpool & Fylde Light Opera Company (started 1950) are some of the oldest.

Michael Hall Theatre School is a small theatre and school. It's run by Michael Hall, who also runs an opera company.

TramShed is a theatre company that includes children and adults with special needs.

Music Scene

Blackpool's Musical History

Blackpool has a rich music history. The first place for musical entertainment was Uncle Tom’s Cabin in the 1860s.

The Wurlitzer organ at Blackpool Tower Ballroom was played by Reginald Dixon for 40 years. His performances were broadcast live on the BBC.

Blackpool was important for big bands playing jazz and swing in the 1930s-1950s. After World War II, it was a center for live entertainment outside London. Many famous musicians performed there.

The 1960s were a golden era for live music in Blackpool. All the top British beat groups played there. The Winter Gardens Empress Ballroom has hosted rock and indie bands like Queen and Blur.

Smaller venues like The Galleon bar and Mama & Papa Jenks attracted new acts. John Lennon lived in Blackpool for a short time as a child. The Beatles played several dates in Blackpool.

A Rolling Stones concert in 1964 caused a riot. The venue was badly damaged, and the band was banned from playing in Blackpool for 44 years.

Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd both played at the Odeon and Opera House in 1967.

Music Inspired by Blackpool

Many musicians are from Blackpool, including Chris Lowe (Pet Shop Boys) and Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills & Nash).

Blackpool has been mentioned in popular songs for almost a century. Stanley Holloway's 1932 song The Lion and Albert is a funny story about a child and a lion at Blackpool Zoo. George Formby sang songs like Blackpool Prom.

Later songs like Blur’s This Is a Low and Soft Cell's Say Hello, Wave Goodbye mention Blackpool. Rae Morris, a singer from Blackpool, has an album called Rachel@Fairyland that talks about her hometown.

Many songs about Blackpool show it as a popular holiday spot for working-class people. They often talk about the fun side and the real side of the town.

Music Scenes

Blackpool has been important in music styles like northern soul, punk, rave, and grime.

The Locarno Mecca was a famous northern soul venue in the 1970s. It later became the Rhythm Dome, important for the 1990s house and rave scene. Blackpool still has strong links to northern soul today.

Blackpool's punk scene in the 1970s was strong. The town has hosted the annual Rebellion Festival since 1996. It's the largest independent punk music festival in the world.

In the mid-2010s, young MCs from Blackpool became famous on YouTube channels like Blackpool Grime Media (BGMedia). Artists like Afghan Dan and Millie B became well-known.

Blackpool has two independent music venues: Bootleg Social and The Waterloo Music Bar. They host many local and touring bands.

Film and TV

Blackpool has been featured in many films and TV shows. The 1934 film Sing as We Go starred Gracie Fields. Other films include Funny Bones (1995) and The Parole Officer (2001).

The Japanese film Shall We Dance? (1996) ends with a scene at the World Ballroom Dancing Championships in Blackpool.

Blackpool is the setting for Bhaji on the Beach (1993) and partly filmed in Like It Is (1998). The TV series Funland (2005) and Blackpool (2004) are also set there.

The 2016 Tim Burton film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children also features Blackpool Tower.

Religion

Blackpool has many Christian churches, including 18 Anglican and 10 Catholic churches. There are also Baptist, Christian Centre, and other churches.

Blackpool used to have two synagogues for its Jewish population, but now only one remains.

There is a Buddhist Centre in North Shore. There are also two mosques for the Muslim population.

Blackpool has small communities of Bahaʼis, Hindus, Jains, Mormons, and Sikhs. The Blackpool Faith Forum helps different faith groups talk to each other and promotes a multifaith community.

Education

Blackpool has 29 state primary schools and eight state secondary schools. There are also many activities for children and young people run by Blackpool Young People Services.

Transport

Air Travel

Blackpool Airport used to have regular flights around the UK and Europe. It's one of the oldest airports in the UK, with flying meetings held there in 1909. The airport closed temporarily in 2014 but reopened for small aircraft.

Now, to fly to Blackpool, you usually use Liverpool John Lennon Airport or Manchester Airport. Both are about 40 miles (64 km) away.

An older airfield, Stanley Park Aerodrome, opened in 1929. It was used for flights to the Isle of Man. During World War II, it was an RAF training station. The land is now home to Blackpool Zoo and a hotel.

Buses and Coaches

• Blackpool Transport runs most local bus services.
• Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire operates regional bus services.
• National Express runs long-distance coach services.

Blackpool has several bus and coach stations. The main town center bus station is now a gym. Buses use Market Street and Corporation Street instead.

Train Travel

Train companies serving Blackpool are Avanti West Coast and Northern Trains.

Blackpool once had two large train stations with over 30 platforms. They were mostly used by holidaymakers in the summer. Blackpool Central closed in 1964. Blackpool North was rebuilt as a smaller station.

Trams

The Blackpool Tramway runs from Starr Gate in Blackpool to Fleetwood. It's the only original tramway still running in the UK. It started in 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. Blackpool Transport, owned by Blackpool Council, runs it. The tramway is 11 miles (18 km) long and carries 6.5 million passengers each year.

In 2008, the government agreed to fund a major upgrade of the tramway. The track was improved, and sixteen new trams were added. The tramway reopened in April 2012. You can still ride older heritage trams on weekends and holidays.

An extension to Blackpool North railway station opened in May 2024.

Sport in Blackpool

Blackpool has boxing fight nights at the Tower Circus Arena and the Winter Gardens. Many professional boxers are from Blackpool.

Blackpool Cricket Club plays in the Northern Premier Cricket League. It's the most successful team in the competition. Their home ground is in Stanley Park.

The annual Blackpool Marathon takes place on the Promenade every April.

Football and Rugby

The town's professional football club is Blackpool F.C.. They have played 31 seasons in the top division and won the FA Cup in 1953. Famous former players include Sir Stanley Matthews.

Blackpool also has amateur rugby league clubs. The town hosts the annual 'Summer Bash' rugby league tournament at Bloomfield Road. Blackpool also has a rugby union club.

Golf

There are three golf clubs in Blackpool: Blackpool North Shore Golf Club, Blackpool Park Golf Club (in Stanley Park), and Herons' Reach Golf Resort. An older club, Blackpool Golf Club, closed during World War II.

Professional Wrestling

The Pleasure Beach's Horseshoe Show Bar used to host professional wrestling events. Wrestlers would challenge people from the public for cash prizes. Famous wrestlers like William Regal worked there.

The Tower Circus also hosted wrestling shows. The tradition was brought back by All Star Wrestling. In 2017, WWE held a tournament at the Empress Ballroom to crown their first UK Champion.

Images for kids

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  The Golden Mile

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  The Casino

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  A heritage tram

See also

In Spanish: Blackpool para niños