Blackpool’s Empress Ballroom is the summer home of the World Matchplay and Women’s World Matchplay.
Choose your kind of session, then plan the seat, meal, hotel and route home.
This hub covers the venue and the town; the event guide owns the detailed ticket chart and trip calculator.
At a glance
Venue information checked 6 October 2026. 2026 darts prices are guidance; official 2027 arrangements remain unconfirmed.
The World Matchplay has made the Winter Gardens its Blackpool home since 1994. The darts use the Empress Ballroom inside the entertainment complex.
The chandeliers, decorated ceiling and balconies give the room a recognisable setting.
The town centre puts hotels, food and the seafront within reach of a summer break.
This is the Phil Taylor Trophy tournament.
Taylor’s final Matchplay victory in 2017, following sixteen titles here, helps explain why the room means so much to regular fans.
More recent champions include Luke Humphries and Luke Littler. Follow our dated history or choose a session.
Tables are the social floor option for friends who want to share the evening.
Balcony seating and standing are different products even though the 2026 chart grouped them at one price. Look at the actual category and allocation.
A balcony ticket should not be read as a floor-table reservation. Standing is a poor substitute for a seat if someone needs regular rest.
For atmosphere, our recommendation is an opening-weekend evening or the semi-finals. This is editorial advice, not a measured noise comparison.
An afternoon makes an earlier meal and journey home easier. Early rounds give you four matches and several walk-ons.
The final concentrates the visit on one trophy-deciding contest.
The format uses legs rather than championship-style sets, so a close match can run longer than its nominal race to ten or eighteen suggests.
Families should think about noise, breaks and supervision before costumes. Large adult groups should agree a seating category and buy together where possible.
Neither an afternoon nor a higher balcony position guarantees a quiet crowd. Check your party’s admission terms before booking.
Source: Empress Ballroom · PDC 2026 event announcement, reproduced by ADA · checked 6 October 2026.
First visit? Read the Blackpool starting point in our first-night guide.
PDC’s 2026 chart groups balcony / standing prices, while selling table seats separately.
Obtain the actual event plan and category before payment; row-by-row seating guides await published allocation and sightlines.
2026 prices were £50–£70 per person before booking charges. Choose for a shared floor setting; a seat does not purchase a private table.
Ask how a larger party will be placed and use the screens to follow scoring.
Tables guide →The combined 2026 balcony / standing band was £45–£65 for the main tournament.
Read whether your product is seated, and check steps, rails and the screen view before payment.
Balcony guide →Standing means planning to stand for the session.
Wheelchair users should arrange their event position and companion ticket directly rather than buying standing and hoping to change it.
Standing guide →Check access and booking →Source: 2026 seating prices, as a guide · Accessible booking · checked 6 October 2026.
Compare Blackpool session choices with the other tournament before booking.
Blackpool North is the simpler town-centre arrival. The Winter Gardens gives an approximately ten-minute walk.
Head along Talbot Road towards the promenade, then turn left into Abingdon Street towards the Church Street entrance.
Allow extra time for the entrance and security.
Blackpool South is useful for the South Fylde branch, but is farther from the venue. Allow roughly thirty minutes on foot as a planning estimate, not a venue-certified walk time.
Alternatively walk towards the promenade and check the tram route to North Pier, followed by the short town-centre walk. Check the connection and accessible route.
Blackpool Transport’s adult One Hour Hopper costs £3.50, the Day Saver £6.60 and Three Day Saver £18.50, covering its buses and trams.
These are checked current fares, not promised July 2027 prices. Check your hotel’s route.
The Church Street taxi rank is a few minutes from the entrance; the venue allows drop-offs at both entrances subject to traffic restrictions.
There is no public parking on site. Houndshill, FY1 4NY, is about 150 metres from the Coronation Street entrance or 300 metres from Church Street.
It opens 07:00–23:30: £3 for up to two hours, £5 for four, £7.50 for six, £9.50 for eight and £14 for 24 hours. A 24-hour tariff does not mean the car park is open all night.
Central surface car park, FY1 6AD, is open 24 hours; the venue estimates five minutes’ walk.
Charges are £4.50 for two hours, £7.20 for four, £9.30 for six and £19.60 for 24 hours. Check signage.
Houndshill charges Blue Badge holders normally; Central gives three hours free with badge and arrival clock.
July 2027 last trains and trams aren't confirmed here; check your night's timetable before relying on a late connection.
The May 2026 tram timetable is historical guidance only.
Check your complete dated return before buying: a long match, the exit queue and station walk can consume the connection margin.
For a late session, choose a walkable hotel or prearranged taxi. Choose parking whose opening hours cover that possibility.
Source: Venue routes and walking times · Bus / tram fares · Houndshill opening and tariffs · Council 24-hour parking · May 2026 tram timetable, historical ·
checked 6 October 2026.
Check the return as well as the outward fare. Check Blackpool train tickets
Read the closing time before reserving. Check Blackpool parking
The main Matchplay uses separate sessions, with a Women’s World Matchplay afternoon in the 2026 programme.
The event guide holds the full session, price and start-time table.
Main-event 2026 face values began at £45 in the combined balcony / standing band; those figures are historical guidance and exclude booking or transaction charges.
The 2027 ticket launch hasn't been published here yet; follow the PDC's sale announcement.
Wait for the PDC’s named seller rather than treating a third-party calendar as confirmation. Check group adjacency and access before booking rooms.
The event’s trip calculator combines the ticket guide with your own costs.
Source: Official ticket hub · 2026 PDC sale sequence, reproduced by ADA · Original 2026 chart · checked 6 October 2026.
Follow our ticket-buying overview for Blackpool sale windows and official routes.
The Matchplay is promoted separately. Its event rules take precedence where stricter than the general visitor policy.
Source: Bag / search policy · Food and drink · Admission and promoter terms · checked 6 October 2026.
Use the family overview to prepare your Blackpool admission questions.
Winter Gardens luggage policy · checked 8 November 2026.
Choose a central Blackpool room for a walk back, or a seafront base for a longer break.
Our Blackpool hotel guide compares town centre, North Shore, South Shore and Bispham, with dated searches for July 2027.
Source: North Pier hotel · Ruskin location · Imperial · Boulevard · Big Blue location · Bispham hotel · 2026 Illuminations dates · checked 6 October 2026.
These are ordinary opening hours checked 6 October 2026. Confirm your July date and book larger groups before arriving; a bar’s closing time is not its kitchen’s last order.
Washington, Topping Street: pub food and televised sport before the walk-on. Closes Monday–Thursday 23:00, Friday–Saturday midnight, Sunday 22:30.
Kitchen Monday–Saturday 11:00–21:00, Sunday 11:00–20:00.
The Layton Rakes, 17–25 Market Street: a budget meal or next-day breakfast.
Closes Sunday–Thursday midnight, Friday–Saturday 01:00; the main menu serves 11:30–23:00, breakfast 08:00–11:30.
Under-18s are admitted until 22:00, so it is not a family post-midnight option.
The Albert and the Lion, Bank Hey Street: another budget food stop near the Tower.
Closes Sunday–Thursday midnight, Friday–Saturday 01:00; the main kitchen menu runs 11:30–23:00.
The Counting House, 10 Talbot Square: pub food by the North Pier end of town. Closes Sunday–Thursday 22:00, Friday–Saturday 01:00.
Kitchen closed Monday–Tuesday; Wednesday–Friday 12:00–20:30, Saturday 11:00–20:30, Sunday 11:00–20:00.
Yates, 13–15 Market Street: a group meal or lively late drink.
The published weekly table closes Sunday–Thursday 23:00, Friday–Saturday 02:00; food serves 10:00–21:00 daily. Confirm special DJ-night hours separately.
Umami, 61–63 Church Street: a world buffet for mixed tastes.
Closes Monday–Thursday and Sunday 21:00, Friday–Saturday 22:00; food starts 16:30 weekdays and noon weekends.
Buffet dishes are removed fifteen minutes before closing, with last entry thirty minutes before.
Current adult prices start at £20.99 Monday–Thursday, plus 3% discretionary service; school-holiday hours may vary.
Source: Washington hours · Layton Rakes hours · Layton Rakes food hours · Albert and Lion · Albert and Lion food hours · Counting House hours ·
Yates closing / food hours · Umami hours / buffet price · Tower advertised prices · Pleasure Beach · Stanley Park · checked 6 October 2026.
Organising a group visit to Blackpool? Plan the Blackpool get-together with our stag and hen advice.
For a life-threatening emergency call 999 and alert a steward.
Give Winter Gardens, Empress Ballroom, 97 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HL, plus your exact seating area.
Follow staff directions to help responders find you.
Ask the nearest steward or security member for first aid, welfare concerns, a missing child or help with a seat. Agree a group meeting point.
Use NHS 111 for urgent medical advice or 111 online for ages five and above. Call for a child under five; use 999 for an emergency.
General enquiries: 01253 629600, monitored 11:00–15:00 Monday–Saturday; email info@wintergardensblackpool.co.uk or use the contact form.
This number is not the general ticket sales line. Eventim venue sales: 0844 770 0593, 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.
Matchplay order queries go to your ticket seller.
Lost an item? Ask staff before leaving, then give the venue your session, area and item description.
A separate lost-property contact and storage period aren't published here; use the Winter Gardens contact promptly.
For access queries use the access guide; its booking-route discrepancy is explained rather than silently resolved.
Source: Venue enquiries and ticket numbers · Venue security · NHS emergency advice · NHS 111 · checked 6 October 2026.
| Dates / basis | Tournament | Ticket status |
|---|---|---|
| 17–25 July 2027 | World Matchplay | Dates announced · 2027 ticket details awaited |
| 25 July 2027 | Women’s World Matchplay 2027 | Separate tournament · ticket details awaited |
| 18–26 July 2026 · historical | World Matchplay 2026 guide | Past edition · not current inventory |
| 26 July 2026 · 13:00 · historical | Women’s World Matchplay | Past edition · separate afternoon session |
Source: PDC 2027 calendar announcement · Announcement reproduced by PDPA · 2026 PDC dates · PDC women’s programme · checked 6 October 2026.
See where Blackpool fits in the darts calendar with our tournaments explained guide.
The venue estimates a ten-minute walk from Blackpool North.
Follow Talbot Road towards the promenade and turn into Abingdon Street; allow extra time for your event entrance and security.
There is no public parking on site. Houndshill is 150 metres from Coronation Street or 300 metres from Church Street; Central surface is the nearby 24-hour alternative.
Houndshill normally closes at 23:30 and opens at 07:00. Check overnight vehicle access separately from its 24-hour tariff.
The World Matchplay is played in the Empress Ballroom, rather than the Opera House. Check your ticket for the event entrance and seating category.
The venue security policy excludes travel cases, backpacks and other large bags, and provides no storage for large bags.
Leave luggage with your hotel before arriving.
The published 2026 Matchplay was in July; that year’s Illuminations run 4 September–3 January 2027. The two dates do not overlap.
Plan your darts seat, companion booking and Empress Ballroom route with the Winter Gardens accessibility guide.
Prices, dates and travel details were checked on 6 October 2026. Historical seasons, estimates and remaining gaps are labelled. How we check our facts.
A Matchplay visit need not be only a race between the hotel and the ballroom.
Our suggestion is to protect the darts session first, then choose one main outing for another part of the stay.
A three-night booking from 17 to 20 July gives you a base for opening weekend, but it does not include admission to any attraction or an additional darts session.
Keep the hotel cancellation terms beside your actual tickets.
Pleasure Beach publishes a dated 2027 calendar.
For opening weekend it currently lists 17 July 10:00–18:00 and 18 July 10:00–17:00, followed by 10:00–18:00 on 19 and 20 July.
Treat those as the park’s published opening and queue-closing guide, not a fixed ride guarantee. Its separate Hot Ice page lists the show season as 8 July–11 September 2027.
Select a performance that leaves room for your booked darts, rather than assuming the park ticket includes a show seat.
The Tower gives you another attraction to compare, with different opening information for the Tower Top, Ballroom and Dungeon.
Choose the attraction and check its dated July 2027 booking page before paying. Central and South Pier have an official opening-hours page too.
A broad open-daily notice is not confirmation of every individual ride, bar or stall’s hours.
Do not make an unconfirmed 2027 Illuminations programme the reason for a July room booking.
VisitBlackpool’s currently published display season is 4 September 2026–3 January 2027, which does not cover the Matchplay dates.
For the summer visit, keep space for a seafront walk and a meal between your confirmed bookings.
Decide where the group will meet before the next session, and leave the final attraction choice flexible if the weather or your energy changes.
Make a week of it in Blackpool — Official attraction or transport information · Official attraction or transport information · Official attraction or transport information ·
Official attraction or transport information · Official attraction or transport information; checked 28 October 2026.
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Winter Gardens says it has no storage for large bags and allows one small bag per person.
Leave a suitcase with a hotel that has agreed to hold it.
Winter Gardens luggage and cloakroom policy — Official bag/storage policy; checked 28 October 2026.
