Winter Gardens Blackpool announce record-breaking year for both tickets and attendances

Impressive gains

A developing partnership with ticketing service EVENTIM marked the first time in over 15 years that the venue had launched a new ticketing operation and box office system, resulting in ticket sales being 91% highter than 2021 with tickets being sold to every region in the UK.

The new Winter Gardens website racked up 2.1 million visitors since it was launched in June 2022 – up 1.3million from 2021.

Spectactular shows

The summer of 2022 saw the first £500k show in Opera House History, as SIX set the new record for the highest grossing musical over a single week in the theatre’s history. The £500k threshold was achieved again as audiences at the end of the year enjoyed the festive favourite Elf – A Christmas Spectacular.

2023 got off to an amazing start as Mamma Mia! the musical returned as part of its UK tour, following its debut in 2014, which marked the return of an official summer season to the Winter Gardens Blackpool. It smashed records seeing a 64% audience growth versus 2014 and became the highest grossing show in the 2022 – 23 financial year.

Internal achievements

As well as reaching out to new external audiences, the Winter Gardens remained focused on its internal teams and the enhancement of skills and ideas. Employee engagement through Working Groups including the employee voice group, and the Green Gardens, which has been tackling the venue’s environmental impact, has contributed to staff development and driving business growth.

A total of £250,000 was raised through the restoration levy in 2022-23 which is ringfenced for the restoration and ongoing protection of the venue. A major restoration project is now underway including the re-development of the food and drink offering.

Top events

The Winter Gardens say the report also documents the “triumphant return” of the Blackpool Dance Festival for the first time in three years which reunited dancers from around the world.

August saw the return of Rebellion, the largest independent Punk festival in the UK and in autumn the inaugural Word Fest, the first literary celebration of its kind in the north for many years.

The opening of the Blackpool Conference and Exhibition Centre in March 2022 firmly positioned the resort as a major conference destination. The Centre which houses advanced technology and flexible spaces has attracted 55,000 additional delegates over the year and is spearheading economic growth for the resort.

Community outreach

According to the Winter Gardens, the launch of a new volunteer programme is creating a legacy for the future as the venue and its team actively engages with the community to support its vision for the future.

What does the theatre say?

Anthony Williams, Head of Marketing, Winter Gardens Blackpool: “Our ability to attract world-class talent and deliver unforgettable events has been testament to the expertise, passion and dedication of our team.

“The year 2022-23 financial year marked a significant turning point for Winter Gardens Blackpool with exciting new partnerships and developments which have helped us to continue to grow our visitor numbers and our rich and diverse offering.”

The full report can be viewed at Annual Review 2022/23.