Blackpool illuminations

[MozzchopsThirty]

So with Welsh school children getting 2 weeks holiday in October I was considering a trip to Blackpool

I loved it as a child, the trams, the lights, the pleasure beach

Am I just being nostalgic for the 80s or is it still fun

I went with ds a year ago, similar to you I remember fondly driving through the lights. It.was.shit! Blackpool is an utter dive, it’s so run down and it was so busy, we couldn’t get on a tram and we couldn’t really drive through it and look at the lights due to heavy traffic. It also pissed it down for 3 days straight.
I’d be surprised if the lights are still continuing to be fair. Don’t they normally put them up in august?

That's Blackpool's charm being a little run down. I haven't been for a few years but I loved driving down and seeing all the lights. I would definitely go again for the day/night but not stay over.

We went last year and I was shocked at how depressing the place was.

Plus blatant disregard for safety as people had their kids hanging out of their car sunroofs at night through the light display.

Not something I’d be paying to repeat.

Oh dear that doesn't sound good!

Was thinking of a couple of nights in the premier inn doing the illuminations and pleasure bleach

The traffic is appalling - it takes ages to drive through the lights and apart from the tableaux aren't very good any more. One year it was illuminated pies!

We go but drive to a really nice chippy on the outskirts, park on a side street near the Hilton and walk down the front a bit to go in the arcades.

We've done it since DS was little but I'm not surer how much longer we'll carry on.

It's a shit hole. A money sucking shit hole.

I took my son two years ago in October half term. We stayed in the Premier Inn and had a great time. We only had two nights and one full day.
We walked the lights, stopping off at the Piers for the arcades, fish and chips and got the tram back.
We only had time to go up the Tower, and the dungeons, both were excellant. We had a fabulous walk along the beach which is beautiful and very clean, the comedy pavement in front of the Tower is interesting
We were there on Saturday evening and encountered no feral gangs of teenagers, intoxicated stag or hen groups or people throwing up on the prom.
Coming from Liverpool we went every year and my brother told me it wouldnt be what I remembered. He was right, but we are looking at it as adults, my son now has the same happy memories as I do.

It is what it is, a bit run down off the main drag, a bit faded, full of cheap tat but tremendous fun and lots to do for the kids.

We went a couple of years ago - not during the illuminations though - and actually the seafront has been done up well.
We stayed at the Big Blue Hotel by the Pleasure Beach, which was great. The swimming pool is worth a visit and the Tower too, and the piers have rides if you didn’t want to do the Pleasure Beach.
We didn’t see too many hen/stag parties but there was a distinct lack of family friendly decent pubs to get a meal along the front. Probably on reflection we should have driven a couple of miles out.
We did also do a day trip to see the illuminations a few years earlier and it is hard to see them really on the trams, or when driving. Walking is best but tiring at the end of a long day. I think they might have a few open top trams running for the illuminations though.

The pool is called the Sandcastle and has lots of slides etc.

My DCs adore the Sandcastle and would go every day if they could (note: we are not local, it's just their ambition.)

We live about 50 mins away, avoid the weekends like the plague!
Or if you must park up and get the tram from one end to the other its the best way to see them, the Town is a bit run down but its still nice for the kids to see it, check Trip advisor for the best chippy.
Personally i dont think its worth spending more than two days there as already mentioned the Sandcastle if its open and the pleasure beach fair are good but not cheap