Blackpool Pride 2027: dates, tickets, parade and history

Blackpool Pride is Lancashire's longest-running and largest Pride, and the biggest weekend of the year in the Rainbow Quarter. It is run by a volunteer committee under the Blackpool Pride Festival charity, working with the council, the quarter's businesses and United Youth Alliance, which runs Youth Pride.

Pride 2027 dates

Dates for Pride 2027 have not been announced yet. The festival is usually held over a Friday to Sunday in early June (2025 ran 6 to 8 June and 2026 ran 5 to 7 June), so keep that weekend in mind and book rooms as soon as dates are confirmed. The Rainbow Quarter Street Party is planned to return from 4 to 6 June 2027. We will update this page when the festival announces its plans.

How the weekend works

Where: the Tower Festival Headland on the Promenade, by the Comedy Carpet below Blackpool Tower.
Friday: a ticketed dance-anthems night (2026 was "90s vs 00s").
Saturday: the Pride Parade at 11am, starting near South Pier and heading north along the Promenade to North Pier, followed by the ticketed main-stage party. The Promenade closes to traffic for the morning.
Sunday: a free community day.
Around it: community stalls, Youth Pride with free events for under-18s, drag from local venues, fringe events and, since 2026, the free Rainbow Quarter Street Party on Lord Street.

In 2026, weekend tickets were £35 and day tickets £20, with under-18s free on the Saturday.

2026: the 20th anniversary

The 20th Pride, on 5 to 7 June 2026, took the community-chosen theme "One Love, One Pride". Heather Small was the biggest headline booking in the festival's history, 911 marked their own 30th anniversary, and the Cheeky Girls returned 20 years after headlining the first Pride. The parade filled the Promenade despite grey skies, a couple won a wedding on the Sunday stage, and the first Rainbow Quarter Street Party drew about 3,000 people over two days, opened by Su Pollard. Read our Pride 2026 coverage.

Rainbow Weekend

Each February the free Rainbow Weekend fills the quarter's bars with shows that raise money for the festival. 2027 dates have not been announced.

How to take part

Volunteer: volunteers must be over 18, and Youth Pride roles need a DBS check. Roles include collecting donations and marshalling the parade.
Join the parade: walking groups of fewer than six can turn up on the day. Larger groups and vehicles apply in advance.
Run a stall: places go first come, first served, and stallholders need their own gazebo, tables and power, public liability insurance and a risk assessment.
Sponsor, fundraise or enter the shop-window competition.

Details are on the official Blackpool Pride website.

A short history

2006: the first Pride, in May, with a parade led by the Lord and Lady Mayoress, the Cheeky Girls and Hazell Dean on stage, and a mass blessing on the Sunday.
Early years: a seafront parade then a festival in the Winter Gardens.
2018: Pride left the Winter Gardens in protest after the venue booked an anti-LGBT American preacher, and was held on Princess Parade instead.
2019: the move to the Tower Festival Headland.
2020 and 2021: Covid cancelled the summer festival, and celebrations moved online.
2022: the outdoor festival returned.
2026: the 20th anniversary and the first Rainbow Quarter Street Party.