Gay Blackpool
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blackpool, Lancashire, England is often described as the gay capital of the north (with Brighton equally often being described as the gay capital of the south). Here is a list of gay bars, pubs and nightclubs in Blackpool.
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[edit] The Flamingo Club
The Flamingo is one of the oldest of its kind in the country, having operated from the same site since the beginning of the 1980s until 2006. The original building in which it was housed, overlooking Blackpool North Railway Station on Talbot Road, was bought by Blackpool Borough Council and is scheduled for demolition, which would see the redevelopment of large sections of the town. It relocated to a new, larger premises on the 27 January, 2006. The new club is located in the old Odeon cinema building on Dickson Road, not far from the original site, alongside a newly-built Flying Handbag pub and the now well established Bar B and world-famous drag cabaret venue Funny Girls.
[edit] Flying Handbag
The Flying Handbag originally formed part of the old Flamingo complex on Talbot Road, opposite Blackpool North Railway Station. Internal doors linked the two venues, the pub continuing to serve alcohol to clubgoers after its own doors had closed, and serving as a quiet "chill-out" area.
It moved to new, purpose-built premises on January 20, 2006, occupying a former open-air car park on the corner of Queen Street and Lord Street, not far from the original site. The transfer of the Flamingo to the old Odeon building next door a week later saw the completion of local gay entrepreneur Basil Newby's "gay village" project, with four large venues on one block.
[edit] Funny Girls
Funny Girls is a world-famous drag cabaret. It was formerly located on the corner of Queen Street and The Strand, a site now occupied by the Australian-themed Walkabout bar. In the early 2000s it relocated to the old Odeon cinema building on Dixon Road, which had recently been bought by local gay entrepreneur Basil Newby. It was the first of four venues to open on that block. The other establishments, Bar B, The Flying Handbag pub, and finally the Flamingo nightclub, all cater primarily for lesbian, gay and bisexual customers, whereas the clientele of Funny Girls is mainly heterosexual. It was also a featured location in the BBC-miniseries Blackpool.
[edit] Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is located below ground level in the bus station/Prudential complex on Talbot Road. It has been established for many years, for a long time one of only two gay venues in the town not owned by Basil Newby's "In the Pink Leisure" group (the other being "Lucy's Bar", later "Lucy's Two"). It features regular cabaret and male strippers, hosted by veteran drag artiste Stella Artois.
