What is it like to dance at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom?

Dancing at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom wasn’t something I had ever thought about doing. As a modern jive dancer, it wasn’t something that felt like a priority to me. But having finally got started watching Strictly in 2023 and getting quite excited about it, I booked a break in Blackpool for my partner’s birthday, and booked afternoon tea at the Tower, with the thought that we would have a dance there as well.

We’ve been learning ballroom dancing since 2022, and so I thought it would be something to tick off our list. And while it was wonderful, there are a few things I thought I’d share – because I didn’t know before we went.

The Blackpool Tower Ballroom is spectacular

The Ballroom... Well. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere that has impressed me more in terms of the grandeur of the place. I walked in and could barely close my mouth for five minutes! The decor is Stunning. Gold is everywhere, the intricacies of the designs are impeccable, and it is just unbelievable. Words simply do not, and cannot do it justice.

We sat and watched for some time – there were several couples who were near professionals dancing, which made us near-beginner ballroom dancers pretty apprehensive! However, it was wonderful to watch and to admire.

The music playing was a mix between the organ and the Wurlitzer. They would announce the dance they would play next, and the dances were a mix of ballroom dances and sequence dances. Because of this, we ended up only having a couple of dances on the dancefloor – but we managed a waltz, and a simple rumba.

But the floor. Oh my word, the floor. While I couldn’t appreciate it as a fully-fledged ballroom dancer just yet, I could certainly appreciate it as a dancer. It is wonderful. We are lucky to have a great floor at our local modern jive venue, but the Blackpool Tower Ballroom is a hundred levels above that. We watched one of the near professional couples dance a quickstep, and you could actually see the floor bounce as they did. If you have any doubts as a dancer who might want to try dancing here, I would definitely recommend it.

The one negative thing I’d say about the Tower Ballroom? Our afternoon tea left a lot to be desired. The scones were at best from the day before, but I would say maybe older. However, that wasn’t the main reason we were there, and so it wasn’t the end of the world – but considering that they’re marketing it as a selling point, one that I think they should sort out.

Is Blackpool a nice place to go?

Yes, and no. Blackpool is far from its heyday. It is what it is, and you have to make the most of the time you have there in the best way you can. The tourist industry clearly suffered here through the pandemic, and it needs a lot of investment to bring it back to the glorious Great British seaside resort it once was. There are a lot of hotels and B&Bs that are closed, boarded up, or just in terrible condition.

We actually stayed in a quirky little B&B that was to the north of the town centre, which meant we did plenty of walking. Because of that, we walked the prom several times through the weekend, and the smell of very strong weed was pervasive – you couldn’t get away from it, especially near the amusements and the main touristy bit.

Other things to know about Blackpool

• The beach is beautiful. We didn’t go in the sea, but the sands were extensive and were lovely to walk along.

  
  

• The tram service isn’t bad, and isn’t expensive, but given that it was the middle of July when we stayed, I was expecting them to run much more regularly than they did. You can stay on the trams for quite a while as they go from one end of the route to the other, which could be good on a rainy day!

  
  

• The homeless population is large here, and there were several people using public toilet facilities on the prom for washing. It did seem rather unfair that there wasn’t somewhere more dignified for people to go.

Is it worth going to dance at Blackpool Tower?

Would I go again? Most definitely. However, my plan before going again is to make sure we know some more of the popular sequence dances, and to get some more confidence in our ballroom dances. This would make sure we could enjoy more time on the floor, and would mean we could really enjoy it, rather than being hesitant and nervous.

I’d also seriously consider where I would want to stay. I booked the Blackpool weekend as a birthday surprise, and booked the B&B based on Hotels.com ratings. Next time I think I might be more inclined to stay further out of town for a nicer hotel and just travel to Blackpool itself for the day – a day there would almost certainly be enough for me a second time around.