Blackpool Council has secured £4 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the development of the Blackpool Museum Project. This is this final piece in a £13 million funding jigsaw that will see the project become a reality.
The successful HLF bid was supported with evidence from Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM), which conducted concept testing with potential audiences and provided a detailed market appraisal for the project.
MHM carried out much of the research on the Blackpool sea front in a converted ‘rocket’ van. The research was framed around seaside-themed tasks, such as ‘pin the Post-it on the donkey’ to maintain a sense of fun for those taking part.
The Blackpool Museum Project will celebrate Blackpool as the UK’s most popular seaside destination and its role in the development of British popular culture. Located in the Sands Building on the Promenade, it will be a hybrid between museum and visitor attraction, capturing the spirit of the town.
Visitors will be able to discover more about Blackpool’s links with dance, comedy, live variety, illumination, circus and sideshows.
The year-round visitor attraction will be a fully-immersive, family-friendly experience, filled with memorabilia, film, music and live performance, and giving visitors an opportunity to look behind the scenes as what it took to make Blackpool special.
In partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) London, and private owners, it will display, collect, research and celebrate collections related to popular entertainment.
The museum is expected to open in 2023.
