Lord Street

The shape of the street

Lord Street runs roughly north–south, one block inland from Dickson Road and a couple of minutes' walk from Blackpool North station. The low numbers are at the southern, station end. As you walk north the numbers climb into the seventies and eighties, and side streets peel off to the west and east: Springfield Road, Banks Street, Cocker Street and, at the far end, Yates Street and Pleasant Street.

What makes Lord Street different from Queen Street is that almost everything on it is small and personal. Many of the bars are the ground floor of a guesthouse, and many of the guesthouses have a bar. You can drink in someone's front lounge, chat to the owner, and be in bed upstairs two minutes later. It is the best street in Blackpool for a relaxed, sociable night rather than a club night.

The Rainbow Quarter Street Party

Lord Street is where the quarter throws its own party. The first Rainbow Quarter Street Party ran over Pride weekend in June 2026, organised by more than twenty local businesses with the Blackpool Rainbow Alliance. It stretched along Lord Street between Springfield Road and Cocker Street, with afternoon music and evening performances, more than two dozen acts and roughly three thousand people across the weekend. Su Pollard opened it. It was free, and organisers have said they want 2027 to be bigger. The 2027 party has been announced for 4 to 6 June.

Venue by venue, heading north

Rendezvous Bar (15–17 Lord Street). A small, lively bar near the station end with entertainment most days from Thursday to Sunday. It is a favourite for afternoon and early-evening drinks and hosts drag and tribute acts. It has rooms too.

The Garnett Hotel (18 Lord Street). A ten-room guesthouse a couple of minutes from the station and Funny Girls, which describes itself as welcoming LGBTQ+ guests. Its breakfast gets good reviews. Its alcohol licence was surrendered in 2026, so don't assume the bar is open.

Q Accommodation (27 Lord Street). A boutique, adults-only, room-only guesthouse of seven suites in a renovated nineteenth-century building, run as a sister property to Mardi Gras. There are two steps to the entrance and no lift.

Mardi Gras Public Bar & Hotel (41–43 Lord Street). One of the anchors of the street: an inclusive public bar with hotel rooms upstairs, spread over three areas including a quieter lounge with a pool table. Expect cabaret, live music, hot food, low drink prices and a late licence at weekends. It does a Sunday roast from early afternoon. Upper floors are by stairs only.

Legends Hotel (45 Lord Street). An adults-only, eleven-room guesthouse with a licensed bar and a full English breakfast, a short walk from the station, Funny Girls and the Winter Gardens.

Trades Bar and Hotel (51–55 Lord Street). A men-only bar attached to the Trades Hotel, open from late morning until the early hours. It is a relaxed place for gay men to meet and talk, rather than a dance venue.

Antinous Lounge & Bistro (Trades building, Banks Street side). A relaxed lounge and bistro sharing the Trades building, serving food as well as drinks and hosting community get-togethers such as charity coffee mornings. A good daytime or early-evening stop before the bars get busy.

The Lenbrook (69 Lord Street). A venue in the middle of the strip that appears on local quarter maps. We couldn't confirm its current programme.

The Dragonfly (75 Lord Street). An adults-only, bed-and-breakfast-style hotel with its own bar and breakfast included.

Gabrielle's Hotel (77 Lord Street). A highly rated small hotel of eight or nine rooms with its own gin bar, praised for cleanliness and a generous breakfast. Historically it was known as a women-welcoming hotel.

Westfield House (78 Lord Street). A small, gay-owned and gay-run, adults-only Edwardian guesthouse with a four-star rating and discounted parking vouchers for guests.

DeLovely Hotel (82 Lord Street). A gay-owned guesthouse with individually themed rooms and a cocktail bar that is open to non-residents. It serves food in the late afternoon and early evening, does a Sunday roast if you book, and is known for cocktails served in teapots. Some rooms are reached by a steep staircase.

McGraths Irish Bar (87 Lord Street). A public bar with rooms at the northern end of the street, with resident drag queens, singers, visiting cabaret acts and themed nights. Its Halloween night is a drag takeover. It has been a performance venue during the winter Pride fundraising weekend.

Neon (15 Yates Street, on the corner of Lord Street). An intimate cocktail bar with premium spirits and a back garden, attached to Hotel Neon. It opens from Thursday to Sunday and makes a calm finish to the walk.

Landmarks and street features

• A CCTV camera and new lighting. Lord Street was one of the first places to get a new CCTV camera and better street lighting under the council's plan for the quarter.
• Planters and Progress Pride signs. Look for the planters and the rainbow-chevron street nameplates.
• The side streets. Cocker Street, Yates Street, Pleasant Street and Banks Street all have venues of their own. See our guide to the Cocker Street pocket.

Best order to walk it

Afternoon: start at Rendezvous at the station end for an early drink, then drift north to Mardi Gras for food. Finish at DeLovely for a teapot cocktail.

Evening: start at the northern end with a cocktail at Neon, step into McGraths for the cabaret, then walk south through Trades and Mardi Gras. You end up near the station, Dickson Road and Queen Street for the late venues.

Sunday: book a roast at DeLovely or turn up at Mardi Gras after lunchtime, then walk the street in the afternoon when the small bars have entertainment.

Good to know

• People live on Lord Street, and many guesthouse guests are asleep while others are out. Keep the volume down on the pavement late at night.
• Several of the guesthouses are adults only, and two venues on and around this street are men only. Check the policy before you book a room or plan a group visit.
• Most Lord Street buildings are tall, older terraces with steps and no lifts.