Blackpool is a ‘kiss me quick’ dump, but I’ll defend it to the end

Blackpool’s charm may have faded, but 20 million visitors still flock there every year (Picture: Getty Images)

In the second installment of Metro Travel Hot Takes, Jessica Hamilton makes the case for Blackpool, a town described as grotty, tacky, and the ‘land that time forgot’.

——————————————————————————————————————–

Suggesting a trip to Blackpool to people who have never visited is usually met with smug laughter, mild disgust, or just a flat-out ‘No’. 

As UK seaside towns go, it doesn’t have the greatest reputation. It was, after all, named after a drain. But even so, it wasn’t always that way. 

In its prime, during the 1920s to 1960s, Blackpool was Britain’s most popular coastal destination.

Known as the holiday jewel of the North West, it attracted visitors from up and down the country. It was so iconic that the novelist JB Priestley called it ‘the great, roaring, spangled beast’. 

However, in recent years, its charm has faded. Blackpool has been variously branded a ‘dump’ and ‘disgusting’. It repeatedly stars in rankings of the UK’s worst seaside towns. 

Local crime statistics certainly don’t help its case. Blackpool has one of the highest crime rates in the country, and the region is one of the most socially deprived in the UK.

Yet, despite it all, Blackpool still attracts more than 20 million visitors a year. So, maybe this so-called ‘dump’ deserves more credit than it gets.

Childhood memories

Growing up just 50 minutes away, Blackpool was my nearest seaside destination.

It might not have the obvious draw of Cornwall’s white-sand beaches or Whitby’s historic charm. But, for me, visiting is filled with nostalgia. 

It’s not exactly a glamorous getaway (Picture: Jessica Hamilton)

My grandma used to go dancing in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. My parents took me on rainy day trips to the beach, where I’d eat soggy fish and chips and ride donkeys on the sand. And, as a teenager, my friends and I would find any excuse to go to Pleasure Beach or drive through the famous lights. 

It’s not for everyone. The moment you step onto the promenade, your senses are overwhelmed with the smell of deep-fried doughnuts, the ringing of amusement arcades and large crowds jostling for 2p slot machines. 

Fortune teller shops are wedged between chippies and rock confectionary stalls, which proudly display celebrity headshots on their windows. Not to mention the drag queens, pantomimes, karaoke bars and rowdy hen and stag parties in garish fancy dress. 

It’s cheap. It’s tacky. It’s loud. But it’s certainly not boring.

Salt of the earth

Dubbed the ‘world’s first working-class holiday resort’, Blackpool has long been a place for affordable fun, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

It’s even been named the friendliest town in the UK.

All three of its piers are still free to enter, and it has remained reasonably priced to visit – something that can’t be said for southern seaside destinations, such as Margate and Brighton, which are becoming so costly and gentrified, they’re practically London-by-sea. 

And while tickets for Pleasure Beach (one of the UK’s best theme parks) haven’t escaped inflation, it’s still full every summer. 

Blackpool’s donkey rides cost £2.50 per person (Picture: Getty Images)

As the local tourism board puts it: ‘Blackpool is a true British icon, the only urban seaside resort with 150 years of heritage, the first working-class holiday resort in the world with an unshakeable vitality.’

Yes, it might be rough around the edges. But it’s hard not to admire Blackpool’s kitschy charm and determination to stay alive.

True grit

The rise of cheap package holidays in the 60s and 70s inevitably lured Brits to the balmy beaches of the Mediterranean. But this town is yet to surrender to its competition.

The council has pumped millions into revitalising tourism over the past decade, from improving local transport links to investing in free, family-friendly attractions.

In 2023, the iconic illumination switch-on returned to the Promenade for the first time in three years, with Sophie Ellis-Bextor flicking the switch.

That same year saw the long-awaited comeback of the beloved Valhalla ride at the Pleasure Beach and the opening of a £1.5million big cat facility at Blackpool Zoo.

In 2024, a £34 million four-star Holiday Inn opened its doors – a welcome addition to a seafront dotted with dated B&Bs.

Blackpool’s Illuminations is an annual draw for tourists (Picture: Getty Images)

And Blackpool’s efforts seem to be paying off.

Figures from the annual STEAM report show that the town welcomed 21.5 million visitors in 2023 – a 6% rise on the previous year. 

The value of the town’s tourism industry remains a steady £1.98 billion, accounting for nearly a third of Lancashire’s total visitor economy. 

Data from Blackpool council also showed a spike in footfall along the promenade last summer, and coachloads of tourists continue to pour in, year after year. 

The verdict

It might not be a glamorous getaway, and few will admit to loving it – but Blackpool is a guilty pleasure (or my not-so-guilty pleasure). 

If you give it a chance, you’re more than likely to have a good time.

Frankly, anyone I’ve ever dragged there has. 

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].