It was the time when the annual conferences added a political undertone to the town's spirited atmosphere which saw deckchairs lining the promenade as far as the eye could see. The town's iconic trams rumbed along the seafront ferrying tourists to the town's attractions.
The town centre was alive with shoppers, as were the hundreds of guest houses.
These amazing pictures from the mighty Getty Archive paint Blackpool in a different light.
25. 1980s Blackpool
Glenys Kinnock, wife of Labour party leader Neil Kinnock, with children during the Labour Party conference in 1988 | Getty Images
26. 1980s Blackpool
Novelty mugs on sale in a shop in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, August 1983 | Getty Images
27. 1980s Blackpool
A group of holidaymakers enjoy donkey rides on the beach, 1983 | Getty Images
28. A couple of dog walkers in an otherwise deserted seafront in the seaside town of Blackpool, December 1982
Getty Images
29. Neil Kinnock, leader of the Labour Party and member of Parliament, left, sits with Roy Hattersley, deputy leader of the Labour Party and member of Parliament, during a photocall at the Labour Party conference, 1988
Getty Images
