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.
Gay bars and clubs in Blackpool
Blackpool has one of the biggest concentrations of LGBTQ+ bars in the UK, almost all within a few minutes' walk of Blackpool North station. The council counted 29 LGBTQ+ venues in the quarter at the start of 2026, 15 of them opened since 2024.
Below is every bar and club we list, grouped by street. Each card shows whether it is open right now (on UK time) where the venue publishes its hours. Tap through for opening times, what's on, access notes and directions.
Queen Street
Sherlock's
A stylish weekend LGBTQ+ bar on Queen Street with a balcony over the street, DJs and visiting performers.
Kaos
A Queen Street bar and late club, reopened in July 2026 after a full refit and open until 4am at weekends.
Lord Street
Mardi Gras
A gay-owned public bar and hotel on Lord Street with three areas, cabaret, hot food, Sunday roasts and keen drink prices.
Trades Hotel and Bar
A men-only members' hotel and late bar for gay and bi men, spread across several joined townhouses on Lord Street.
Neon Bar and Hotel Neon
An intimate cocktail bar with a garden, attached to the modern, adults-only Hotel Neon on the corner of Lord Street.
Rendezvous Bar and Rooms
A small, friendly bar with rooms at the station end of Lord Street, with something on most afternoons from Thursday to Sunday.
McGraths Bar and Hotel
An adults-only guest house with a lively public bar at the seaward end of Lord Street, known for resident drag and singers.
Evanescent Bar and Rooms
A small, laid-back bar with budget adults-only rooms on Cocker Street, popular as a pre-party stop.
The Dame Lane
A B&B with its own bar on Pleasant Street, on the northern edge of the quarter, with bingo afternoons, DJs and singers.
De-Lovely Hotel
A gay-owned guest house on Lord Street with quirky themed rooms, a highly rated breakfast and a cocktail bar open to all.
Antinous Lounge & Bistro
A relaxed lounge and bistro on the Lord Street side of the quarter, serving food as well as drinks and hosting community events.
Dickson Road
Funny Girls
Blackpool's best-known drag cabaret, staging big themed revues in a restored 1939 art deco cinema two minutes from Blackpool North.
Oscars
The late lounge bar in the Funny Girls building, where the after-show party carries on with karaoke and live music.
Peek-a-Booze
A friendly Dickson Road cabaret bar with budget adults-only rooms upstairs, cheap drinks and something on most nights.
Man Bar and Growlr Club
A no-frills gay bar with a pool table on Dickson Road, with the men-only Growlr cruise club upstairs.
Gin & Bear It
A cosy weekend gin lounge in the Man Bar complex, with a long gin list and a calmer feel than the club next door.
Pinkies
A small, no-frills LGBTQ+ bar at the town end of Dickson Road with karaoke, DJs, cheap drinks and a family feel.
Lu-Lu's Cabaret Lounge
A friendly, budget LGBTQ+ cabaret bar on Dickson Road with two bars side by side and about 26 en-suite rooms.
The Duke
A gay-friendly pub on Dickson Road with food all day, nightly karaoke and a Saturday comedy drag show.
Talbot Road and the town centre
Garlands
A camp, free-entry drag pub near Blackpool North where resident queens are on from mid-afternoon every single day.
Churchills
A traditional town-centre pub with cask ales, karaoke, bingo and poker nights, popular with a mixed, gay-friendly crowd.
Closed bars and clubs
These venues have shut. They are listed so you don't make a wasted trip, as some sites still show them as open.
The Flamingo
Permanently closedBlackpool's first openly gay nightclub, opened in 1979. It is now permanently closed.
Sapphires
Permanently closedA gay cabaret bar and nightclub off Talbot Road. It closed around the end of 2022.
Bar 137
Permanently closedA cocktail and house-music bar on Church Street in the town centre. It has closed.
The Flamingo (Talbot Road)
Permanently closedThe top-floor club opposite North station where Blackpool's modern gay scene began.
Basil's on the Strand and Bar B
Permanently closedTwo lounge bars from the 2000s, one on The Strand and one upstairs at Funny Girls.
Faye's, Roxy's and the Whippet Inn
Permanently closedThree names, one much-loved Queen Street building, now home to Sherlock's.
The Flying Handbag (Talbot Road) and King's Arms
Permanently closedThe ground-floor pub beneath the Flamingo that became the scene's best-loved bar.
Funny Girls (original Queen Street bar)
Permanently closedThe little corner bar at the Promenade end of Queen Street where Blackpool's most famous drag show began.
Lucy's Bar and Lucy's Two
Permanently closedOne of Blackpool's oldest gay bars, and for years a home for the town's women.
Mardi Gras 2 and the Northern Star
Permanently closedA gay hotel with its own bar at the seaward end of Lord Street, under two names.
Mardi Gras (Talbot Road)
Permanently closedA basement cabaret bar on Talbot Road from the 2000s, outside the big Queen Street group.
The Wilcot piano bar
Permanently closedA gay-friendly Lord Street hotel with a little piano bar, now closed.
Trades Bar (Queen Street)
Permanently closedThe Queen Street bar whose building became Kaos.
How to choose
- For drag: Funny Girls for a full theatrical show, Garlands for free drag every day, and Peek-a-Booze, Lu-Lu's and McGraths for pub cabaret. See drag shows in Blackpool.
- For a late night: the Flying Handbag and Kaos run until 4am at weekends. See late-night bars.
- For a quiet drink: Neon for cocktails, Gin & Bear It for gin, and Mardi Gras's lounge.
- Men only: Growlr Club and Trades. See men-only venues.
- On a budget: see free and cheap nights out.
Most venues are 18+ and some ask for ID. Hours change through the year and many bars cut back in winter, so check with the venue before you travel.