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Something for everyone...

What’s On In Blackpool This Summer

 

After two years of pandemic restrictions, the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool is gearing up for its first full summer season since 2019, and what a summer it has in store for everyone!

 

From the Easter opening of the Pleasure Beach’s new Icon ride, a double launch rollercoaster, and the first of its kind in the UK, to the annual Blackpool Illuminations in September, the town is packed full of events, shows, cabaret, musicals, and live music, with enough variety to suit everyone!

 

Let’s have a look at what you can find in Blackpool this summer.

 

Musicals

 

A variety of fabulous touring musicals will be coming to Blackpool this summer, presenting a spectacle of theatre, dancing, and songs to entertain everyone.

 

The Winter Gardens and Opera House kicks off the summer season in June (28 June - 2 July) with Chicago, the story of Roxie Hart, murder, greed, and ‘All That Jazz’, staring The Only Way Is Essex’s Gemma Collins as Matron ‘Mama’ Morton.

 

Following that is the award-winning musical Bat Out Of Hell (5 - 9 July), which uses the legendary music of Jim Steinman and the late, great Meat Loaf to tell the tale of Strat, the leader of a rebellious gang, and his love affair with the daughter of his rival.

 

A sensational new production of Joseph and The Technicolour Dreamcoat (25 - 30 July) comes to the Opera House next. The Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical has long been a family favourite and stars Jason Donovan, who was in the London Palladium production.

 

Seen by 27 million people worldwide, and the recipient of over 60 awards, Jersey Boys (16 -27 August) comes to Blackpool for the first time. This amazing Olivier Award-winning musical tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, four boys from Jersey who became a huge success. Oh, what a night!

 

Making a welcome return to Blackpool is Six The Musical (30 August - 3 September), where the six wives of Henry VIII transform from Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, remixing 500 years of history into 21st-century girl power pop for 80-minutes of entertainment!

 

Theatre

 

If you’re looking for drama and suspense, then head to The Blackpool Grand in May.

 

Dead Lies (17 -21 May) is a hard-hitting political thriller from the best selling crime novelist Hilary Bonner, about a frantic and fierce election campaign where politician Peter George, considered a refreshing change to the sleaze and corruption in Westminster has to hide from the dark secrets of his past.

 

Private Peaceful (2 - 7 May) is the award-winning production about two brothers, Tommo and Charlie Peaceful, from the author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo. They are fiercely loyal to each other, from their rural childhood where they face the loss of their father and financial hardship until they both fall for the same girl, and then The Great War arrives.

 

Musical Tributes

 

We all wish we could have seen some of our favourite rock and pop icons in their heyday, but Blackpool has some of the best international tribute acts to provide the very best next thing!

 

If there’s one icon whom many people wish they could have seen, it has to be The King himself, Elvis Presley. Blackpool has not only the biggest and best Elvis tribute show in the world returning to the Lancashire seaside, but it is also hosting a celebration of all things Elvis in July.

 

The Elvis Tribute Artist World Tour (6 May) at The Winter Gardens brings the biggest and best Elvis tribute show from the US to the UK and features three of the finest ‘Ultimate Elvis Tribute’ World Champions, which includes Shawn Kush, winner of the BBC’s ‘The World’s Greatest Elvis’.

 

Later in the summer, Elvis Celebration 2022 (1 - 3 July) returns to Blackpool after being postponed due to the pandemic. The festival of all things The King features tribute acts, traders selling memorabilia, and much more!

 

Few female stars have made such an impact over a six-decade career as Cher, and The Cher Show (31 May - 4 June) presents Millie O’Connell, Danielle Steers, and Debbie Kurup as the Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe superstar, as they sing through the story of Cher’s rise to stardom. Expect 35 incredible hits and some incredible costumes!

 

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac (26 June) have been called the world’s finest Fleetwood Mac tribute act, and you can see them performing the very best of the legendary band at The Winter Gardens, and there is also a special blues set that pays homage to the band’s original member and founder Peter Green.

 

With hits such as We Will Rock You, Don’t Stop Me Now, and Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio GAGA (14 July) will bring you a night of all of Queen’s greatest hits and more. The show celebrates the magic and showmanship of Freddie Mercury and Queen, and is sure to help you break free!

 

And Finally… Phil Collins (30 September) has been called the greatest Phil Collins tribute act and brings you the songs of the former Genesis frontman, such as In The Air Tonight, Sussudio, and Another Day In Paradise, and a few of Genesis’ biggest hits too.

 

Comedy

 

The UK’s brightest and funniest comedians take to the stage this summer in Blackpool and are sure to leave you breathless with laughter with their comedy routines and witty views on modern life.

 

One of the UK's greatest comedy character actors, Steve Coogan brings his most notorious creation to The Winter Gardens with Alan Partridge: Stratagem (17 May). With a multi-decade broadcasting career, Alan is touring the country to bring a show that promises to ‘inform, educate, and entertain in approximately equal measure’.

 

Russel Brand: 33 (23 May) has the comedian and actor talk about the last two years in a show that’s part comedy, part meditation, and a message of hope. Brand discusses the highs and lows of the pandemic, from Tiger King to PE lessons with Joe Wicks and, of course, his trademark diatribe into politics.

 

Whether it’s describing a ‘surprisingly funny smear test’, the horror of a flotation tank, or throwing poo over a wall, Sarah Millican: Bobby Dazzler (28 May) is sure to have audiences in stitches. It is Sarah’s sixth international tour, after spending two years ‘growing her backside and writing jokes’.

 

The Jason Manford Like Me Tour (29 September) brings the Salfordian comedian up the M6 to The Winter Gardens for his latest tour with his expert observational comedy, fresh from appearances on a variety of TV shows such as QI, Live at The Apollo, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and many more.

 

Dance

 

Blackpool has long been a Mecca for dancers, and this summer sees a variety of dance and performances from some of the UK’s favourite Strictly Come Dancing stars’ shows, such as Oti Mabuse: I Am Here (21 May), Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals (25 - 26 May), and Burn The Floor: The Reunion (21 July), which features a host of Strictly stars.

 

Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance premiered 25 years ago, and the show has toured over 1,000 venues and been seen by over 60 million people. The show now returns to Blackpool with Lord of the Dance: 25 Years of Standing Ovations (11 - 13 July), wowing audiences with its high-energy Irish dancing, music and storytelling.

 

Cabaret

 

It wouldn’t be Blackpool without cabaret! Whether it’s one of the many comedy and variety nights such as the Crazy Comedy Company Family Teatime Show at Viva throughout the season, or the burlesque and drag shows at Funny Girls, there’s entertainment for all audiences.

 

Eurovision fans may love to see Viva Voulez Vous! A celebration of the music of ABBA, which runs all through the summer, or The Fizz! Cheryl, Mike & Jay of Bucks Fizz! (May 27), both of which will be at Viva.

 

One show that is sure to be a hit for fans of all things drag and cabaret must be RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: The Official Series 3 Tour (14 September), which will feature all 12 of the queens from Series 3 of the hit show, werking their way across the stage at The Opera House in a drag extravaganza.

 

Are you planning to visit Blackpool this summer? There’s entertainment for everyone and even more than listed here. Why not end the season with a visit to Blackpool Illuminations (3 Sept 2022 - 3 January 2023), and enjoy fish and chips on the promenade!