From variety, musicals and comedy giants to Shakespeare, ballet, drama and dance, Blackpool Grand Theatre caters for every age, pocket and personality. Take a look at what’s coming up and book your tickets today!

• Blackpool Grand Theatre is BACK!
• Pantomime 2022 on sale at Blackpool Grand!
• What’s On at Blackpool Grand Theatre – in 2022 & beyond
• Theatre Heritage Tours
• Twopence to Cross the Mersey – 4 – 6 October at 7.30pm
• The Tiger Who Came to Tea – 7 – 9 October
• An Audience With Wayne Sleep – 10 October at 1.30pm
• A Celebration of Father Ted with Joe Rooney – 12 October at 7.30pm
• Milton Jones: Milton Impossible – 13 October at 7.30pm
• Beauty and the Beast Ballet – 14 October at 7pm
• Joshua (and Me) – 14/15 Oct at 7pm
• Harry Hill: Pedigree Fun! – 15 October at 7.30pm
• Vincent Simone – Tango Passion 2022 – 16 October at 3pm
• Beautiful – The Carole King Musical – 18 to 22 October at 7.30pm
• Blackpool Scout Gang Show – 26 to 29 Oct at 7.30pm
• Elkie Brooks – 30 October
• Sherlock Holmes and The Valley of Fear – 1-5 Nov at 7.30/2.30pm
• Dinosaur World Live – 8-9 Nov at 4.30/1.30pm
• Mum’s the Word – 12 Nov at 7.30pm
• The Upbeat Beatles – 13 Nov at 7.30pm
• Spike – 15-19 Nov at 7.30/2pm
• Sleeping Beauty Ballet – 20 Nov at 2.30/7.30pm
• Sleeping Beauty Panto – 2 Dec to 1 Jan
• Grand Christmas Concert – 12 Dec at 8pm
• Swan Lake – 14 Jan at 2.30 and 7.30pm
• The Nutcracker – 15 Jan at 2.30 and 5.30pm
• Spirit of the Dance – 18 Jan at 7.30pm
• Vampires Rock – Ghost Train – 21 Jan at 7.30pm
• The Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – 24 Jan at 7.30pm
• Jon Richardson: The Knitwit – 3-4 February 2023 at 7.30pm
• Sun Records The Concert – 23 April 2023 at 7.30pm
• Blackpool is the home of entertainment
• 125 Glorious Years!
• A varied programme
• Grand Returns to its Original Footprint – for the first time in more than 40 years
• Reopening The Grand
• While you’re here…

Blackpool Grand Theatre is BACK!

The Covid pandemic was an extremely difficult time for Blackpool Grand. The historic venue was closed for an unbelievable 536-days – with no live performances on its iconic stage nor local audiences in its beautiful auditorium.

But programming is returning to normal and there’s a fabulous selection of shows. The best way you can support Blackpool Grand Theatre to bounce back to full strength is to purchase a ticket and enjoy a great night out with family and friends!

Booking tickets has never been easier. Visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk. Call 01253 290 190 or pop-in to the Box Office to book.

Pantomime 2022 on sale at Blackpool Grand!

It’s never too early to book your seats for the next magical family pantomime! The spellbinding tale of Sleeping Beauty is now on sale. It’s coming to Blackpool Grand Theatre in 2022 – starring Grand panto favourite Steve Royle.

The fabulous family pantomime at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre is always a laugh-a-minute extravaganza! Enjoy stunning sets, top musical hits, fantastic costumes and exciting special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained! Grand Panto favourite Steve Royle (Britain’s Got Talent, Comic, Presenter) will return as Silly Billy.

The Blackpool Grand Theatre pantomime will burst with great songs, stunning dance routines and plenty of laughter, this is a truly magical treat for all the family you won’t want to miss! Blackpool audiences are guaranteed a year of spectacular sets, dazzling costumes and side-splitting comedy. Don’t get caught napping! Get your tickets for the greatest magical pantomime ever told!

Sleeping Beauty is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Friday 2 December 2022 to Sunday 1 January 2023. Including matinee and evening performances. Accessible performances are also available.

Please call the Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for bookings and further information.

What’s On at Blackpool Grand Theatre – in 2022 & beyond

Coffee Mornings are Back!

Thursdays 17 November 2022 and 19 January, 16 February, 16 March and 20 April 2023 from 10.30am to 1pm. Held in The Space, tickets are £5.

The Friends of The Grand at Blackpool Grand Theatre have brewed up a wonderful new series of Coffee Mornings to bring chatter and cheer once again, with the first gathering all set for Thursday 17 November.

Tickets for each coffee morning are £5 and include choice of coffee or tea and a delicious cake selection. There will also be a fascinating live speaker at each social event (names and subjects to be confirmed) and of course the famous Friends raffle with the chance to snap up some great prizes.

Theatre Heritage Tours

16 January & 9 February 2023

Fancy a peek behind the theatre curtain? Stand on the Grand’s famous raked stage and observe the cantilevered tiers or circles, boxes and pit – and the complete visibility of every seat in this atmospheric house with the much-loved Theatre Heritage Tours. Delve into the history of one of Blackpool’s iconic landmarks with a selection of our archive material on display.

See the secrets of the great stage, take in Blackpool’s hidden gem, and learn about flamboyant architect Frank Matcham. Explore the warren of staircases that lead to the stars, dressing rooms and beyond. We now offer an option of either a shorter thirty-minute tour or our more detailed seventy-five-minute tour led by one of our theatre tour guides.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Upbeat Beatles – 13 Nov at 7.30pm

There isn’t a band to touch them – 8 bars of “Twist and Shout” and you will know why! No other band can perform this song like The Upbeat Beatles! The guys have an easy, happy rapport with any crowd, giving them a reputation to be envied as the best in the business.

The Upbeat Beatles take you through the Fab Four’s long and winding road from the early Cavern days through Beatlemania, America, Sergeant Pepper to Abbey Road, with narrative and full multi-media presentation.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Spike – 15-19 Nov at 7.30/2pm

Radio sensations The Goons are back! Robert Wilfort (Gavin and Stacey, Bridgerton) will play the infamous Spike Milligan, Patrick Warner (The Crown, One Man, Two Guvnors) is Peter Sellers and Jeremy Lloyd (The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, Trial by Laughter) is Harry Secombe in the absurdly funny new play SPIKE about the life and career of the inimitable comedy genius.

It’s the booming fifties, and Britain is in the clutches of Goon mania as men, women and children across the country scramble to get their ear to a wireless for another instalment of The Goon Show. While Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers get down to the serious business of becoming overnight celebrities, fellow Goon and chief writer Spike finds himself pushing the boundaries of comedy and testing the patience of the BBC.

Will Spike’s dogged obsession with finding the funny elevate The Goons to soaring new heights, or will the whole thing come crashing down with the stroke of a potato peeler? SPIKE is an absurdly funny new play by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman (The Wipers Times, Trial By Laughter, A Bunch of Amateurs) that delves into the inner workings of one of our most unique and brilliantly irreverent comedy minds.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Sleeping Beauty Ballet – 20 Nov at 2.30/7.30pm

Every child’s favourite fairy-tale, Sleeping Beauty is the classic story of love and innocence, mystery, and magic set to Tchaikovsky’s sublime score. This ravishing production of Sleeping Beauty shimmers like an exquisite dream. It’s a ballet that all can enjoy, even the very young.

Stunning choreography, sumptuous costumes, and wonderful sets form the fantasy world in which the Lilac Fairy struggles against the evil Carabosse. Outline based on the fairy-tale by Charles Perrault, the Sleeping Beauty tells of Princess Aurora, cursed at her christening by the evil Carabosse to prick her finger one day on a spindle and die. Thanks to the timely intervention of the Lilac Fairy, she doesn’t die, but sleeps for a hundred years. Woken by a prince, who has battled through the Enchanted Forest to reach her, they marry at a ceremony attended by nursery rhyme characters like Puss in Boots and all the other forest creatures.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Sleeping Beauty Panto – 2 Dec to 1 Jan

Wakey wakey….don’t miss the spellbinding tale of Sleeping Beauty. A beautiful Princess pricks her finger on a spindle wheel which has been cursed by the evil Carabosse at her 18th Birthday party. Can the Good Fairies magical spell break the curse? The Princess can only be awoken by true love’s kiss. Will she find her true love and live happily ever after?

A laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunning sets, musical hits, fabulous costumes and exciting special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained! Don’t be caught napping and join us for the greatest magical pantomime ever told.

The Blackpool Grand Theatre pantomime will burst with great songs, stunning dance routines and plenty of laughter, this is a truly magical treat for all the family you won’t want to miss! Blackpool audiences are guaranteed a year of spectacular sets, dazzling costumes and side-splitting comedy, produced by Martin Dodd for UK Productions in association with Blackpool Grand Theatre.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Grand Christmas Concert – 12 Dec at 8pm

Poulton-le-Fylde Band returns to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre with the heart-warming Grand Christmas Concert – a fabulous festive treat for all the family.

Poulton-le-Fylde Brass Band will celebrate the festive season in rousing style with the yearly Grand Christmas Concert. Packed with all your favourite sing-along carols and festive melodies, this family-friendly concert is the perfect start to your Christmas.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Giselle, Fri 13 Jan at 7.30pm

The most poignant of all classical ballets, Giselle is filled with dramatic passion in a chilling and heart-rending tale of love, treachery and forgiveness from beyond the grave.

Founded in 1947 and currently celebrating their 75th anniversary, the critically acclaimed Varna International Ballet comes to the UK for the very first time. Renowned for its award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, the company has been delighting audiences for decades at home and abroad with its performances of the highest quality.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Swan Lake – 14 Jan at 2.30 and 7.30pm

The greatest romantic ballet of all time: Swan Lake is brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting and unforgettable score. From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moon-lit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, it’s a compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. From Odile, the temptress in black tutu as she seduces the Prince by spinning with captivating precision to the spellbound purity of the swan queen, Odette as she flutters with emotional intensity, the dual role of Odette/Odile is one of ballet’s most unmissable technical challenges.

Founded in 1947 and currently celebrating their 75th anniversary, the critically acclaimed Varna International Ballet comes to the UK for the very first time. Renowned for its award-winning soloists and magnificent corps de ballet, the company has been delighting audiences for decades at home and abroad with its performances of the highest quality.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Nutcracker – 15 Jan at 2.30 and 5.30pm

The Nutcracker is the most famous of fantasy ballets for all the family that begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. As snowflakes fall outside, the warm glow of the open fire sends flickering shadows across the boughs of the Christmas tree and all the presents beneath. When midnight strikes we are swept away to a fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems, toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse-king and his mouse-army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins…

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Spirit of the Dance – 18 Jan at 7.30pm

Spirit of the Dance is one of the biggest dance shows in the world. The world champion dancers sound like a runaway express train and their precision and artistic showmanship sends shivers down your spine. This breathtaking show delivers the powerful rhythms of Irish Dance combined with the passionate Latino rhythms of Tango, Flamenco and Red-Hot Salsa to produce a thrilling, heart-pounding production that the International Post describes as “The World’s Greatest Irish Dance Show”.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Waterloo, Fri 20 Jan at 7.30pm

Waterloo – The Best of ABBA looks back at the sensational rise to stardom of the Swedish pop group ABBA and recreates it so impeccably that fans, old and new can still experience the thrill of a live ABBA show. Capturing the unique ABBA sound and feel with incredible attention to detail with a full live cast and band, stunning costumes and breath-taking choreography.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Vampires Rock – Ghost Train – 21 Jan at 7.30pm

From the producers of Anything For Love – The Meat Loaf Story comes Steve Steinman’s Vampires Rock Ghost Train. The classic rock musical sensation that’s been rocking the nation for 20 years. Starring Steve Steinman and an incredible cast of singers, dancers and musicians, this show will have you rocking in the aisles.

Vampires Rock has a tongue-in-cheek and laugh out loud storyline combined with an incredible stage set, lighting and sound, and is a show like no other. Featuring over 30 of the greatest classic rock anthems of all time, including Queen, AC/DC, Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, Bon Jovi, Journey, Guns N’ Roses and many more.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – 24 Jan at 7.30pm

The Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is a spectacular high-pitched celebration of timeless music from one of the biggest selling groups of all time. This nostalgic musical journey pays tribute to the life and career of those four boys from Jersey, who started singing under a street lamp but soon went on to become one of the most recognised groups in history.

Featuring all your favourite songs including Sherry, My Eyes Adored You, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Walk Like A Man, and many more. Gareth Gates joins cast members from the smash-hit Tony award winning musical ‘Jersey Boys’ and other hit West End shows. Supported by an exceptional live band, ‘Oh, What A Night!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Wizard of Oz, 27-29 Jan at 7 & 2pm

Blackpool & Fylde Children’s Pantomime is back with their production of the much loved The Wizard of Oz.

Full of bellyaching gags, incredible high-energy routines and over 150 talented children, this pantomime promises to deliver a great show.

See the multi award-winning performers on the most gravity-defying adventure of all time as we celebrate the company’s 113th year and embrace a truly unique and special part of Blackpool’s heritage.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Come What May, 1 Feb at 7.30pm

Come What May is the Ultimate Tribute to Moulin Rouge and other hit movie musicals. It’s an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza as you enter the secret world of one of the greatest movie-musicals of all time.

Bursting at the seams with timeless classics including Come What May, Your Song, Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, Roxanne and Lady Marmalade plus hit songs from The Greatest Showman and other iconic movie musicals. The children of the revolution take you on a thrilling non-stop journey into the sexy, disreputable and glamorous underworld of Paris, in a ‘Spectacular, Spectacular’ evening of unforgettable dancing, dreams, adventure and above all – love!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

La Boheme, Thurs 2 Feb at 7.30pm

Senbla presents Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent Production , La Boheme featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv, with international soloists, a highly-praised chorus and a full orchestra. Directed by Ellen Kent, this brand new production is traditionally staged and features stunning sets and costumes.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Jon Richardson: The Knitwit – 3-4 February 2023 at 7.30pm

Will the recycling be put out on the right day? Who is going to smooth over the top of the margarine? How many lights are on upstairs when everybody is downstairs? Watch Jon Richardson pretend that these aren’t his foremost concerns as he leaves home on his first tour since the last one.

Best known as a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Cats Countdown (Channel 4), host of Dave’s Ultimate Worrier, and upcoming sitcom Meet the Richardsons. As well as Would I Lie To You (BBC One), Have I Got News For You (BBC One), Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (BBC One), and Taskmaster (Dave).

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Sing-a-long-a-Encanto, Sun 5 Feb at 1pm

Gather la Familia! It’s time to celebrate something truly Magical.

From the producers of Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music and Sing-a-Long-a Frozen, the brand new smash hit film musical of 2021 about the Family Madigral with lyrics on screen that everyone can’t stop singing. Please note this is a screening of the movie, not a live stage show.

Cheer on Mirabel as she tries to save the magic surrounding the Encanto. Sing your heart out with our live host, who will teach you some dance moves, help you create some magic and show you how to use your free props bag. Fancy dress is strongly encouraged and full audience participation essential. You the audience are the stars!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Tap Factory, Tues 7 Feb at 7.30pm

TAP FACTORY is an explosive high octane show that merges: PERCUSSIONS, ACROBATICS, HIP HOP, MUSIC, URBAN TAP DANCE & COMEDY.

High-energy dance, explosive percussion and awe-inspiring acrobatics collide in dazzling fusion of live music and choreography, as the company give new life to the most ordinary of objects in a show guaranteed to rattle the senses and set your toes tapping.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular, Wed 8 Feb at 7.30pm

The music that filled the dance halls during the Big Band era is brought to life again by The Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK in The Glenn Miller and Big Band Spectacular. The hardest swinging big band in the UK recreates the million sellers of the 40’s and 50’s. It’s a 2 hour show which will take you down Memory Lane and start your feet tapping.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Buffy Revamped – Sat 11 Feb at 7.30pm

In this fast-paced new production, Buffy Revamped we bring you the entire 144 episodes of the hit 90s TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as told through the eyes of the one person who knows it inside out… Spike. Funny, satirical and bursting with 90s pop-culture references, it’s the perfect parody for Buffy aficionados and those who never enrolled at Sunnydale High alike.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

One Night in Texas, Sun 12 Feb at 7.30pm

Yee-Haw! – It’s going to be a sea of stetsons, boots and spurs when ‘One Night In Texas – The Big Country Music Show’, the UK’s biggest live country and western music show, rides on into Blackpool Grand.

Never mind Nashville, Everything is BIGGER in Texas! – With its huge live band, three award-winning singers and amazing stage set, this show has been wowing audiences and receiving outstanding reviews all over the UK. It’s a two hour extravaganza of country music, filled with hand-clapping, foot-stomping, boot-scootin’ singalong classics.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Rocky Horror Show, 13-18 Feb at 8 & 5.30pm

Ready to thrill you with fun and naughty moments, Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical, The Rocky Horror Show comes to BLACKPOOL as part of its sellout tour, having been seen by over 30 million theatregoers.

The Rocky Horror Show is the story of two squeaky clean college kids – Brad and his fiancée Janet. When by a twist of fate, their car breaks down outside a creepy mansion whilst on their way to visit their former college professor, they meet the charismatic Dr Frank’n’Furter. It is an adventure they’ll never forget, filled with fun, frolics, frocks, and frivolity.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Chicago Blues Brothers, Sun 19 Feb at 7.30pm

The Chicago Blues Brothers have put the band back together and are ‘Cruisin for a Bluesin’ taking you to the music capitals of the USA for one night of spectacular live music.

Bringing you the very best in Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Country and Motown with a few surprises and lots of lunacy thrown for good measure. All performed in the hard-hitting, show-stopping style that has made the Chicago Blues Brothers the biggest and most loved Blues Brothers show in The World.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

The Sound of Springsteen, Sun 26 Feb at 7.30pm

The Sound of Springsteen are back for 2023! With a passion for the work of “The Boss”, the 8 piece tribute “The Sound Of Springsteen” brings their years of live performances and recording to rock you with Bruce Springsteen’s greatest hits and deep cuts.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Around the World in 80 Days, 28 Feb – 4 Mar, various times

Join our raggle-taggle band of travelling circus performers as they embark on their most daring feat yet: to recreate the adventures of Phileas Fogg as he sets off on his race Around the World in 80 Days!

Sit back and enjoy as our skilled performers traverse every country, embrace each character and navigate each mode of transport as fact clashes with fiction in this madcap adventure around the globe.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Sun Records The Concert – 23 April 2023 at 7.30pm

The legendary record label that brought you Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Rufus Thomas, and scores more rockin’ pioneers, comes to life live on stage.

Revisit the blessed recording studio where the distinctive sound we know and love today was crafted from gospel, blues, hillbilly, country, boogie, and western swing by musical visionary Sam Phillips. His trailblazing Memphis studio brought us That’s Alright Mama, Great Balls of Fire, I Walk the Line, Whole Lotta Shakin’, Bear Cat, Blue Suede Shoes, Good Rockin’ Tonight… hundreds of hits that would influence the world of music for generations to come.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS – Call the Box Office on 01253 290 190 (please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!)  or visit the website

Blackpool is the home of entertainment

Presiding over it is the ‘Grand’ Old Lady. From opera, ballet and Shakespeare to variety, musicals and comedy giants. The Grand Theatre caters for every age, pocket and personality.

Go into the Victorian auditorium of the Blackpool Grand Theatre and you’ll understand what ‘the glorious Grand’ means. This Frank Matcham designed masterpiece offers ornate, gilded plasterwork, baroque ceiling and cavorting cherubs. The cantilevered balconies give every seat a clear view of the stage.

125 Glorious Years!

The Grade II* listed Grand Theatre celebrated its 125th Birthday in 2019. The doors opened on 23 July 1894 – now one of the few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham.

The Grand Theatre has hosted a multitude of stars since its opening. From Lily Langtree to Michael Macintyre, Gracie Fields to Ken Dodd, Arthur Askey to Lee Evans…and the list goes on!

Photo: Sean Conboy

It attracts the very best in award-winning touring companies. Including The National Theatre, English Touring Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Opera and Ballet International and the Russian State Ballet.

A varied programme

It’s a programme of quality drama, comedy, dance and children’s theatre at The Grand Theatre. They also play host to the outstanding talents of local performers from groups across Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde.

By the early 1960s theatres across Britain were closing due to loss of audience to television. In July 1972 the then owners, the Tower Company, applied for permission to demolish it. In its place they proposed to build a department store. By then, the theatre is listed as a Grade II* building. So there had to be a full public enquiry.

Early in 1973 the Friends of the Grand Theatre was formed. After legal and financial wrangling, together with EMI and the local council, put together a deal. It involved leasing the theatre for £10,000 per annum and final purchase for £250,000.

• Find out more about the history of this amazing building here

Grand Returns to its Original Footprint – for the first time in more than 40 years

The Friends of The Grand, after thirty-five years of fundraising, have, at last, achieved their long-held ambition to return the Grand Theatre to its original architectural footprint.

When Frank Matcham, the famous Victorian theatre designer, was commissioned to create the Grand Theatre in 1893 its owner, Thomas Sergenson, briefed him to incorporate a number of small shops on Church Street into the design.

However, back in 1981, when the Friends purchased the Grade II* listed building from the then owners, EMI, these units were not included in the sale. Ever since, the Friends have been saving in a special fund for the day when it might be possible to buy them.

Well, that day has come and John Buck, Chairman of the Friends of the Grand said “it’s like a dream come true. We’ve been saving for this day for years; selling raffle tickets, lapel badges, holding coffee mornings and, even as recently as April we received a bequest from our long-serving Treasurer, Alan Sears, who sadly died earlier this year. It came with the specific instruction that it should only be spent of the purchase of the shops. Alan will be smiling down on us this day”.

Reopening The Grand

John, who is now in his seventies, was one of the original group who raised the money to save the theatre from demolition in 1973.  He, along with other passionate and dedicated Friends, cleaned, repaired and painted in their spare time to get the building back on its feet ready for its reopening and dedication from HRH The Prince of Wales in 1981.

“We were invited to buy the shops back in the 1990’s” remembers John, “but, back then, the owners wanted more than a million pounds for them and we thought we’d never be able to raise that much. And we were right! Obviously, times have changed, and, thankfully, we’ve been able raise enough to buy them for less than half that price”.

When the purchase is complete, the deeds of the properties will be donated to the Grand Theatre Trust, the heritage conservation charity which owns and cares for this beautiful historic building.

Roger Lloyd Jones, Chairman of the Trust said “there are many, many people who have made this wonderful purchase possible and I would like to thank everyone who has helped. The theatre is now 122 years old and, as you can imagine, needs constant care and attention. We hope the shops will prove an asset to the theatre, providing a small but much-needed rental income to be re-invested in the upkeep of this precious architectural gem”.

The Friends of the Grand is a registered Charity.

The Friends of the Grand now volunteer their services as Front of House staff, envelope-stuffers and runners of the theatre’s coffee stall. Last year, they provided 13,174 hours of voluntary service for the theatre at a value of £88,000.

While you’re here…

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