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Blackpool

£11.5 million project to provide a new outdoor events space in the heart of Black-pool that will form a beacon for the resort’s regeneration.

View from the North Pier showing the new sea wall

View from the North Pier showing the new sea wall. Copyright Gareth Gardner

The resort, billed as ‘the world’s first working class seaside holiday destination’, has seen accelerating deprivation over recent years. It faces social and economic problems, accentuated by the seasonal nature of holiday resorts and rapidly declining visitor numbers.

Regeneration company ReBlackpool is working on a raft of major projects within the central area. A new sea wall has been constructed between the North and South piers, and the ‘Tower Festival Headland’ is to be created on top of this new wall, directly in front of the famous Blackpool Tower.

The 20,000-capacity space will host major events that presently can’t be presented in Blackpool. The flexible-use Headland is also expected to become an attraction in its own right, with an expansive floor installation covered in famous comedy catchphrases.

Also key to this project is the programming of events and performances to help deliver a space with year-round use, helping to build Blackpool’s economy during the out-of-season period while attracting a new demographic of visitors to the resort.

Find out more about the resort background, regeneration context, project description and delivery.

What we love about this project

  • demonstrates how important outdoor events and activities can be in seaside resorts
  • flexible outdoor spaces are great for supporting a wide range of uses. But Tower Festival Headland also shows that programming is a vital consideration to deliver bigger and wider audiences throughout the year
  • art and popular culture will come together with a ‘floorscape’ of famous catchphrases, aimed at becoming an attraction in its own right
  • recognises that highly visible schemes can boost morale among local residents and businesses
  • tackles a clearly identified missing link in Blackpool’s current performance space offer.

What people are saying

“Sea Change has compelled us to think more deeply about our culture, to look at how the positives can inform the actions we take and the changes we promote.”
Reg Haslam, Director of Development, ReBlackpool