Blackpool's Rainbow Quarter
The Rainbow Quarter is Blackpool's gay village: a compact grid of streets just north of the town centre, beside Blackpool North station, with more LGBTQ+ bars, clubs, cabaret venues and gay-run hotels packed into it than almost anywhere else in Britain. It grew up on its own over forty years, and since 2024 it has had official backing from Blackpool Council under the motto Be Who You Want To Be, now simply Be You. Visit Blackpool, the town's tourism board, promotes it as the Rainbow Quarter.
This page explains what the quarter is, where its streets are, what you will find on each of them, how it became official and how to get the most from a visit.
Rainbow Quarter at a glance
- Where: Queen Street, Lord Street, Dickson Road and Talbot Road, with Cocker Street, Springfield Road, Yates Street and Banks Street in between, in the Claremont area of Blackpool, FY1.
- Size: you can walk from one end to the other in about ten minutes.
- Venues: the council counted 29 LGBTQ+ venues at the start of 2026, 15 of them opened since 2024.
- Nearest station: Blackpool North, a couple of minutes' walk from the first bars.
- Biggest weekend: Blackpool Pride, with the quarter's own street party on Lord Street.
- Run by: nobody owns it. The bars, hotels, charities and volunteers built it; the council's Be You programme now supports it.
Where it is
The heart of the scene is Queen Street, Lord Street, Dickson Road and Talbot Road, in the Claremont area just north of the town centre. The Promenade and North Pier are a few minutes' walk west, the Tower about ten minutes south. Despite what some older guides say, the gay scene is not on the South Shore: everything is here, in the north of the town centre.
Each street has its own character, so it is worth knowing which is which before you arrive.
What you will find
Bars and clubs. Drag and cabaret are the heart of Blackpool's scene, and you can see a show every day of the week, from a free mid-afternoon set to a full theatrical revue at Funny Girls. Lord Street and Dickson Road have the biggest cluster of bars; Queen Street has the big-name venues. See every one in our guide to gay bars in Blackpool and the drag shows guide.
Hotels. Blackpool's gay hotels grew up alongside the bars from the 1980s, in the terraces between the station and the sea. Most are small, gay-run guest houses within five minutes' walk of the bars, some men-only, some open to everyone. Compare them in our gay hotels guide.
Saunas. The quarter has its own saunas, listed with opening times and rules in the gay saunas guide.
Community and support. Sexual health, HIV testing, trans support, mental health and hate crime reporting services are all close by. Our LGBTQ+ support directory lists them.
How it became official
For most of its life the village had a complicated relationship with the town hall. That changed in August 2023, when Blackpool Council unveiled plans to formally recognise and celebrate the existing gay village around Queen Street and Dickson Road. A consultation of 269 people put safety first, followed by better public health services, LGBTQ+ arts and culture, and visible investment in the area.
The council's executive agreed the Be Who You Want To Be action plan on 22 January 2024, and it was launched on 8 February 2024 with events at Central Library and the Flying Handbag. Partners include the Renaissance charity, the North Shore Business Group, the BAGS hoteliers' group, Blackpool Pride and, later, United Youth Alliance and the Blackpool Rainbow Alliance. In January 2026 the programme was renamed Be You and two quality marks were approved, including the Be You Business Quality Mark for venues that pass an audit showing they are safe and welcoming. Read the full story of the Be You programme.
What has changed since 2024
By January 2026, 15 new LGBTQ+ venues had opened, creating 52 jobs, with 29 LGBTQ+ venues in total. On the streets you will see:
- rainbow zebra crossings on Dickson Road, first painted in March 2024 and now among the most photographed spots in the quarter
- Progress Pride street signs
- colourful planters on Lord Street, Queen Street, Dickson Road and Springfield Road
- more than 30 new lighting columns, and a new CCTV camera on Lord Street
- public-access defibrillators on Lord Street and Dickson Road, part-funded by the community
In June 2026 the quarter held its first Rainbow Quarter Street Party, along Lord Street from Springfield Road to Cocker Street during Pride weekend. Around 3,000 people came over two days, and a bigger party is planned for 2027.
Getting there and getting around
The Rainbow Quarter is one of the easiest gay villages in Britain to reach without a car. Blackpool North station is on Talbot Road at the edge of the quarter, with direct trains from Manchester, Manchester Airport, Liverpool, Preston and York, and some from London Euston and Birmingham. Since June 2024 trams have run from beside the station down Talbot Road to North Pier and along the Promenade. Last trains on Friday and Saturday nights leave well before the bars close, so check before your first drink. Full details are in our getting there guide, and drivers should read the parking guide.
Tips for a first visit
- Start early. Many bars have free afternoon drag, and the quarter is at its friendliest before 9pm.
- Stay in the quarter. Taxis add up, and almost every gay hotel is within five minutes' walk of the bars.
- Talk to people. Blackpool's bars are sociable, mixed and chatty, with every age and plenty of straight friends who come for the shows.
- Look for the Be You sticker in venue windows, and know where to go if something goes wrong: see staying safe.
New to it all? Our first-timer's guide walks you through a night out.
Not the Nottingham Rainbow Quarter
Nottingham opened its own Rainbow Quarter in Hockley, around Broad Street, Carlton Street and Heathcote Street, in June 2026. This site covers Blackpool's Rainbow Quarter only.