Betty Legs Diamond and Zoe: Together Again
Two long-standing Blackpool drag names reunite for a summer-season show on Central Pier, running until 31 October 2026.
Gay Blackpool: your guide to the Rainbow Quarter
Blackpool has one of the biggest gay scenes in Britain, packed into a few streets beside Blackpool North station. This independent guide covers every gay bar, hotel, sauna and drag show in the Rainbow Quarter, with what's on, a map, Pride, support services and history.
Gay bars and clubs21 bars, with which are open now
Gay hotels and B&BsGay-run, men-only and bars with rooms
Drag showsFunny Girls, daily drag and the queens
What's on tonightEvery venue's regular nights
Gay village mapEvery venue, with directions
Gay saunasAcqua and W3
Blackpool PrideDates, parade and street party
LGBTQ+ supportHealth, groups and helplines
Coming up
Coven Queens Halloween Show
Funny Girls' Halloween drag spectacular, running Wednesday to Sunday until Sunday 1 November 2026.
Winner Takes It All with DJ Keiron
An afternoon session with DJ Keiron at Peek-a-Booze on Friday 9 October 2026.
Ben Jarman returns
Ben Jarman returns to Peek-a-Booze for a Friday night show on 9 October 2026.
The PeekaBooze Show with Tasha C
The Saturday night PeekaBooze Show with Tasha C on 10 October 2026.
Love, Loss & Living: Through an LGBTQ+ Lens
A Sunday lunchtime of music, storytelling and conversation about LGBTQ+ love, loss and community at Funny Girls.
Where to start
Funny Girls
Blackpool's best-known drag cabaret, staging big themed revues in a restored 1939 art deco cinema two minutes from Blackpool North.
The Flying Handbag
A big, purpose-built LGBTQ+ bar and club on Queen Street, open from noon every day with drag hosts, karaoke, food and a sun terrace.
Garlands
A camp, free-entry drag pub near Blackpool North where resident queens are on from mid-afternoon every single day.
Sherlock's
A stylish weekend LGBTQ+ bar on Queen Street with a balcony over the street, DJs and visiting performers.
Mardi Gras
A gay-owned public bar and hotel on Lord Street with three areas, cabaret, hot food, Sunday roasts and keen drink prices.
Pride Lodge
A gay-owned LGBTQ+ guest house on High Street with its own sauna, gym and seasonal hot tub, a minute from the bars.
About the Rainbow Quarter
Blackpool has been a gay holiday favourite since the Flamingo club opened opposite the station in 1979, and the town was long known as the gay capital of the north. In 2024 the council officially backed its gay village with the Be Who You Want To Be programme, now called Be You. Since then the quarter has gained rainbow crossings, new lighting and CCTV, and 15 new LGBTQ+ venues, taking the total to 29.
The scene sits on four clusters of streets: Queen Street for late nights, Lord Street for guest houses and bars with rooms, Dickson Road for Funny Girls and Man Bar, and Talbot Road by the station. You can walk across all of it in ten minutes. Read more about the Rainbow Quarter.
Queen StreetThe late-night strip that runs from the station end down to the Promenade by North Pier.Lord StreetThe busiest bar-and-hotel street, with Cocker Street, Yates Street, Pleasant Street and High Street off it.Dickson RoadHome of Funny Girls and the rainbow crossings, running north from Talbot Road parallel to the Promenade.Talbot Road and the town centreWhere the modern scene began, by Blackpool North station, with Garlands, W3 and Churchills nearby.
Latest news
Coming up: Halloween and beyond on the scene
Here's what is in the diary for the rest of October and into the festive season. - Saturday 17 October, 12pm to 6pm: GROWL at Acqua Sauna. An afternoon for bears, cubs,…
A week at The Flying Handbag
The Flying Handbag at 44 Queen Street is the biggest name on the strip: a purpose-built LGBTQ+ bar with a sun terrace, food all day and a late licence. Here is how a…
Drag every day: the weekly line-up at Garlands
Garlands on Talbot Road is free to get in and has drag on every single day of the week. This is the current resident line-up: | Day | Who's on | |---|---| | Monday |…
This week at Peek-a-Booze: bingo, karaoke and Sheela Vim
Peek-a-Booze on Dickson Road keeps it cheap and cheerful, with something on every night. Here is what's on from Thursday 8 to Wednesday 14 October: - Thursday 8: Karaoke…
Blackpool's Rainbow Quarter, explained
Blackpool has been a gay holiday favourite for decades, and since 2024 its village has had official backing as the Rainbow Quarter. Where it is The heart of the scene is…
Where to get a Sunday roast in the Rainbow Quarter
Sunday roasts are now a Rainbow Quarter tradition, with a run of venues serving them every week, listed from 22 September through to the end of 2027. Places on the list…
Plan your trip
Gay Blackpool for first-timersWhere the scene is, which nights are best, what to budget and where to start.Getting to the Rainbow Quarter by train, tram and carTrains to Blackpool North, the new tram stop, driving and the car parks nearest the bars.Is Blackpool safe for LGBTQ+ visitors?An honest look at safety in the quarter, late-night tips, and how to report hate crime.The best time to visit gay BlackpoolPride, the Illuminations, Christmas and quieter months, and what each is like on the scene.Men-only venues in BlackpoolThe men-only hotels, cruise club and saunas, and what to expect at each.Blackpool for lesbian, bi and queer womenMixed venues, groups and history for lesbian, bi and queer women visiting Blackpool.Bear-friendly BlackpoolGrowlr Club, GROWL sauna afternoons, bear weekends and where to stay.Late-night gay bars in BlackpoolWhich bars stay open until 3am and 4am, and the order to do them in.