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Blackpool’s “Season”

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FreakOut

TS Member
So after returning from Blackpool, which I class as one of the UKs best seaside towns! (sorry soft spot!)

I’ve become to question the actual aspect of “The Season” now I’ve visited many times in 2018 and saw the place packed out with near enough all bars open, all attractions open and hotels as far as the eye can see serving B&B, but after visiting a few days ago the place was a ghost town.

Coral Island is one of the major arcades as some of you will may know and this was open however there wasn’t a soul in there. The main bars and restaurants were closed until “March 2019” and was only a canteen style food option available.

Of course the Tower was open but as you can imagine now a single soul around, pretty much like a Zombie Apocalypse they’d of been loosing a high percentage of money on running costs compared to taking physical money.

Bars and Nightclubs were open in the area from 5 in the afternoon and only around 3-5 locals in there, again how can they justify running costs on such cheap drinks deals and no entry fee.

The conclusion is, does the seaside town physically base there “season” around Pleasure Beach as I know this is the main draw but I just find it bizarre that a seaside town can be ram packed from March - November then literally become a ghost town. Surely that isn’t good for the hundreds of local business that have to survive of Pleasure Beach’s guests for the year and hope to make ends meet from November to March to do it all again for the next season.
 
Blackpool traditionally closes the second week in November, all the landladies clear off en masse to sunny Spain, often for a month.
It has always been the same, the town goes dead, apart from the shops round Christmas, until Easter, then dead again until spring bank.
The Beach have tried opening early season every day for a few years, but the experiment has failed, the park was dead, and remained dead, on low season weekdays, so they have reduced them...sadly for me!
Everything walk on all day was very nice, but doesn't last forever, parks either shut on the quiet days, or end up shutting for good!
 
I did a trip to Blackpool in February last year, It was so strange seeing the town deserted for the first time, Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Tower were closed but Dungeons, Tussuads’ and Sea Life still open.

It felt very surreal to be one of the few visitors to Blackpool when you’ve ever known the town to be heaving with tourists.
 
The answer to pretty much all your questions is yes. Blackpool is a resort town. It pretty much closes in the off season. Pleasure Beach is the single biggest draw to the town and hence the relationship the Council has with the park - it’s in the Council’s interests to see the park survive and thrive because it brings in so many visitors.

A large proportion of businesses depend entirely on a successful summer season to see them through the rest of the year, as like many other tourist towns. Some businesses willl close from November to Easter, whilst others will have limited opening times, like the Piers and many of the pubs.

So yes, Blackpool despite being a large town, remains predominantly a tourist town, reliant on the income that brings and subject to the eb and flow of that market. It’s perhaps one of , if not the largest tourist town of this nature in the UK.
 
There's a weird charm to visiting Blackpool out of season. Almost like you shouldn't be there.

Obviously the off season and horrendous weather they can get is why the council are going for that chariot of the gods indoor thing to try and get more people visiting throughout the year.
 
I think it would be interesting to know how many actual hotels and shops close down per season due to lack of funds or bad summer.

Earlier this year a hotel was going for £5 inc Breakfast. Give it that the hotel may have been awful but there is now way the hotel was making any money what so ever!

I also struggle to see how bars make any money considering the amount there are and the offers they chuck at you!

I did notice that the piers were closed when we went, however it was snowing but Coral island managed to stay open. Don’t know why though!
 
The piers open (or at least used to) 10 til 4 in winter.
The biggest owner of hotel accomodation in Blackpool is the official receiver, has been for years apparently.
Most of the small hotels close for the winter, not all of them reopen, I think it runs at about 10% either close or change hands each closed season.
If you want half an hours amusement, go read the tripe advisor reports for the Norbreck Castle Hotel...and it had been run on the same lines for decades.
We have had a closed b&b on the seafront open up just for our family group of 4 rooms for one weekend, then closed again until lights switch on.
 
I not been to Blackpool since 2010 but we always use to go for the WOW weekends £10 wristbands,Stay overnight in a B&B at £20 each and go Wetherspoons for dinner and cheap drinks.
Watching 4 in a bed Blackpool B&B’s have been turning themselves into Hostals so if your happy to sleeping in bunkbeds then you can get a nights stay for £5 to £10 each.
 
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Themeparksandy1981 said:
Watching 4 in a bed Blackpool B&B’s have been turning themselves into Hostals so if your happy to sleeping in bunkbeds then you can get a nights stay for £5 to £10 each.
Click to expand...

Got to be more of a luxury comfort stay compared to Altons stargazing shed thingy for a fraction of the price o_O
 
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