Empress Ballroom
The grand hall (c.2012) | |
| Former names | Stardust Garden (1970-74) |
|---|---|
| Address | 97 Church St Blackpool FY1 1HL England |
| Location | Winter Gardens |
| Owner | Blackpool Council |
| Capacity | 3,000 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1894 |
| Opened | August 1896 |
| Renovated | 1934 |
| Architect | Manghall and Littlewood |
| Structural engineer | Widnes Foundry Company |
| General contractor | Whitehead and Son |
The Empress Ballroom is an entertainment venue in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is located within the Winter Gardens, a large entertainment complex in the town centre.
As part of the Winter Gardens, the ballroom is a Grade II* Listed Building. It is operated by Crown Leisure Ltd, on behalf of Blackpool Council, who purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010.
It hosts a variety of events including conferences, concerts, dance and darts competitions as well as trade fairs, and for the first time (in August 2018) the British Beard & Moustache Championships. It has hosted the main annual conferences for all three major British political parties: the Conservative Party Conference, Labour Party Conference and the twice-annual Liberal Democrat Conference, as well as those of a number of trade unions.