To spot the Empress Ballroom, look for a grand and ornate building ahead, decorated with large arched windows and an entrance beneath the elegant façade of the Winter Gardens-believe me, it’s not shy about its size!
Now, as you stand a few steps away from those famous doors, let me whisk you into the dazzling, mysterious, and sometimes rowdy story of the Empress Ballroom! Imagine stepping inside in the late Victorian era-the year is 1896, and this cavernous room is one of the largest ballrooms in the entire world, shaped like a regal treasure chest with a golden barrel-vaulted ceiling, delicately patterned panels, and twelve glittering glass chandeliers that twinkle even on a rainy Blackpool day. You’d better watch your step, because the dance floor beneath your feet is famous for its bounce, filled with 10,000 pieces of oak, mahogany, walnut, and greenwood, resting on a whopping 1,320 springs..
It’s a place built for excitement-concerts, conferences, glitzy shows, and more, with political deals and dazzling dance-offs taking place right where you’re standing. The air sometimes still hums with the sounds of the greatest British dance bands, from Ted Heath to Joe Loss, filling summer evenings with music while flappers, gents, and would-be dance champions spun dreams under those big, bright chandeliers. Oh, and let’s not forget the legendary Rolling Stones incident-a show in 1964 ended in such a wild uproar, there were more injuries than at a conga line gone horribly wrong! Imagine the roar of fifty fans and two policemen ending up in hospital… perhaps too much Satisfaction in the air that night? The town banned the Stones for 44 years after that riot-talk about holding a grudge!
Here’s a twist you might not expect: during World War I, the Admiralty swooped in and commandeered the ballroom, using this splendid hall to assemble gas envelopes for the R.33 airship. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the bustle of wartime industry where waltzes used to play. When peace returned, they handed it back over to the dancers-moving from military to marvellous in just a year.
In 1934, the entire floor was replaced, and a brand-new stage was built, with enough space to hide a grand Wurlitzer organ console on a magic lift. The organist, Horace Finch, held court from '35 to '62, making those pipes sing as couples glided across the sprung dancefloor. Sadly, the grand organ left the Empress in 1969-off to Manchester for radio shows and eventually into the hands of collectors. I like to think it’s out there somewhere, still dreaming of Blackpool.
The Empress isn’t just about stately, traditional events-oh no. Over the years, it’s dabbled in cabaret, dining, and, more recently, riotous fun like the British Beard & Moustache Championships (yes, you heard that right). If you come at the right time, you might spot punk rockers, trade unionists swapping stories, TV cameras filming the World Matchplay Darts tournament or even see dancefloor legends battling it out at the Blackpool Dance Festival.
As if all that isn’t enough, the Empress Ballroom has been home to the first headlining concert of Queen’s UK tour in 1974, watched over by those chandeliers that have seen it all-from moustache wax to sequined jackets. Even WWE’s best have slammed and grappled here, with the roar of the crowd almost shaking that legendary floor. Today, it stands just as splendid, part of a Grade II* listed building, running on the energy of more than a century’s worth of stars, upsets, and celebrations.
So, while you gaze at those majestic windows and imagine the echo of music and laughter through the years-know that you’re standing in the footsteps of legends and dreamers alike. Just mind the bounce in your step, or you’ll find yourself doing a surprise waltz!
