Rainbow Quarter set to launch
Blackpool Council agrees the action plan for the area in Claremont now called the Rainbow Quarter, celebrating the town's LGBTQ+ heritage and inclusion for all.
Archived news: January 2024.
Blackpool's quarter, now the Rainbow Quarter, was set to launch officially in early 2024 under the motto Be Who You Want To Be. It celebrates the town's long-standing LGBTQ+ heritage and builds on the existing area in Claremont, supporting equality and inclusion while celebrating the diversity of the whole town.
Who drew up the plan
Blackpool Council worked with its partners:
- the Blackpool North Shore Business Group
- the Renaissance charity
- LGBT+ Facebook Friends
- the guest-house group BAGS
- Blackpool Pride Festival
Together they wrote an action plan, which they hoped would help regenerate the area and build an inclusive culture across the wider town. The plan followed a survey and focus groups held in October 2023.
Agreed on 22 January 2024
The council's executive agreed the action plan, setting out how the area, now the Rainbow Quarter, could be developed, on Monday 22 January 2024.
Why it matters
For the council, the development is about making sure the neighbourhood is safe for everyone to be who they want to be: to socialise and to celebrate inclusion, difference and diversity without the risk of homophobic or any other discriminatory abuse. It is open to all, residents and visitors alike, rather than an exclusive zone.
What came next
The plan was launched in February 2024. Within weeks rainbow crossings appeared on Dickson Road, followed by new lighting, CCTV, Progress Pride street signs and planters. In 2026 the programme was renamed Be You, and the area, known locally as the Rainbow Quarter, held its third street party, after earlier ones in 2024 and 2025. See the Be You programme and the Rainbow Quarter.