Blackpool is hotting up for the big bank holiday weekend

With temperatures set to top 20C over Sunday and Monday with little or no cloud, numbers of visitors are expected to be high.

Claire Smith from hoteliers’ association Stay Blackpool said everyone was looking forward to this first almost restriction-free bank holiday since lockdown.

She said: “We are all absolutely excited for this weekend. People have been reporting loads of bookings, some have been turning people away and everyone is busy getting ready to greet their guests.

“The weather looks like it will be wonderful which is the icing on the cake. We all really needed it to be sunny after everything we have all been through.

“We were excited about reopening on May 17 but I cannot tell you just how excited we are about this weekend.

“Although we are all so looking forward to a great bank holiday, we still absolutely need to continue taking all the necessary precautions and following the pandemic guidelines so that we can continue to stay open and stick with the Government road map to recovery.”

Robert Wynne, who has the Brew Room, the West Coast Rock Cafe and the Rose and Crown, said the town was buzzing with plenty of cars passing through and people on the streets as businesses in the resort hope that the restrictions could be fully lifted on June 21.

He said: “We have been doing well over that past few weeks but the weather has been disappointing. With a sunny weekend it should be brilliant. There are already more people in town.

It’s really buzzing. Everyone is so excited. It is hard work for staff under the current restrictions, having to do all the extra checks and table service, They are working so hard.”

Coun Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors for what will effectively be the first bank holiday with a full tourism offer in place since

August last year.

“Our attractions, venues and hotels have been working incredibly hard to prepare, with what looks to be a great weather forecast for the week ahead, we are looking forward to seeing people coming back to enjoy all that Blackpool has to offer.”

A Pleasure Beach spokesman added: “We’re really looking forward to the bank holiday weekend. The weather forecast looks promising too, which is what everyone wants. Let's hope this is the start of a successful season, in what is our 125th anniversary, and everyone is able to continue to out and enjoy the tourism and hospitality industry."

Carole Pilling, senior manager for accommodation & The SPA Hotel at Ribby Hall Village said they were expecting a busy weekend with bookings a plenty .

She said: "It has been absolutely fantastic for our guests and Ribby teams alike to see Ribby Hall Village come alive again after recently reopening our gates to holiday guests, owners and day visitors.

"All our accommodation has sold out for this weekend and we are expecting our busiest summer season ever. We feel very fortunate indeed, to be able to offer our loyal customers something new to try this bank holiday, The Pancake House, open 9am to 6pm each day."

NIco Stefani from Stefani's pizza restaurant in Cedar Square said: "We are really looking forward to the weekend, we have been prepping like mad last couple days and can’t wait for the sun to hit Blackpool.

"I have noticed a lot of tourists with suitcases arriving and that is great to see again! Our new specials are going down a treat, we made them especially for the sunny days - nice and refreshing tasty stuff."

A spokesman for the Castle Hotel on Central Drive said: “We were delighted to finally reopen and welcome back our customers to our fantastic venue. We have received brilliant customer feedback, clearly many of our guests have missed us as much as we have missed them. We are looking forward to welcoming more customers in the coming days, weeks and months.2

Blackpool Gazette: Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here