A major and long-awaited Blackpool attraction finally has an opening date. The Showtown Museum is set to open in March next year after being hit by several delays.

The £13m attraction was granted planning permission in 2018, but setbacks have been caused by the Covid pandemic and hold-ups in the construction of the Sands Hotel on Central Promenade where it will be based. Originally it had been hoped to open as early as June 2021, before the date was pushed back to April this year and then postponed again.

Now it has been announced Showtown will open on March 15, 2024, with tickets on sale from this autumn. The museum, which will celebrate Blackpool’s entertainment history, will be housed on the first floor of the Sands Hotel although the hotel has yet to open.

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It is part-funded by Blackpool Council which in 2021 agreed to pay £250,000 a year to lease the space, while a charity called the Blackpool Heritage and Museum Trust has now been set up to operate Showtown. Its newly appointed chief executive Elizabeth Moss said: “This is such an exciting time to join the Showtown team, as we near the official opening for what will be an incredible, interactive celebration of Blackpool and the fun and entertainment industry that made it famous.

"The establishment of our charity, the Blackpool Heritage and Museum Trust, also known as Showtown, is an important step and provides a great platform from which we will be able to share the full breadth of Blackpool’s rich heritage with residents and visitors alike.”

The trust will also oversee the Showtown History Centre at Blackpool Central Library on Queen Street, which is currently closed for renovation. Funding for Showtown includes £4.4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, £1.75m from the Coastal Communities Fund, £4m from the Northern Cultural Fund, £1.5m from the Lancashire Economic Partnership Growth Deal and £1m from Blackpool Council.

Its first exhibit arrived in February 2020 when an 80kg fibreglass elephant was hoisted into place as part of the Roll Up! Roll Up! circus-themed feature. Blackpool Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said: “The Showtown museum has been a vital regeneration project for Blackpool and will enable culture-led economic growth, offering a new kind of experience to complement the incredible attractions for which the town is already known.”