THE FYLDE FIVE - Friday 2 October

Fancy going back in time?

If you spent your childhood feeding 10p pieces into arcade machines, this could be a dangerous weekend for your bank account. PLAY Expo Blackpool brings retro consoles, classic arcade machines, pinball, indie games, tournaments and more to Norbreck Castle - and this year’s arcade line-up has well over 100 machines.

PLAY Expo Blackpool

Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 October

Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool

10am - 6pm Saturday / 10am - 5pm Sunday with advance tickets

£24 adult / £18 child / £66 family (2 adults + 2 children)

Our tip: Buy online - pre-booked ticket holders get in at 10am, an hour before on-the-door entry.

Forget the books. Fleetwood Library is getting weird.

For one weekend only Fleetwood Library becomes a giant playground for curious people. As part of the national Fun Palaces weekend, you can expect a wonderfully random mix of creative, scientific and hands-on activities to things you probably wouldn’t normally associate with your local library. And the best bit? It’s completely free.

Fleetwood Library Fun Palace

Saturday 3 October

Fleetwood Library, North Albert Street, Fleetwood

Free

No booking required

Our tip: Don’t assume it’s just for children. Fun Palaces are specifically designs for all ages, with people sharing skills, trying things and making things together.

Fancy learning a craft that’s older than knitting?

There are plenty of ways to spend £20 this weekend. Turning a lump of raw wool into yarn using one of the world’s oldest textile tools probably isn’t one you’d have thought of. At this hands-on workshop, you'll learn to use a drop spindle before having a go at nailbinding - an ancient technique for making garments with nothing more complicated than wool and a needle. Materials, tuition, drinks and snacks are included.

Kilgrimol Crafts: Spinning & Nailbinding

Saturday 3 October

1pm - 4pm

Aunty Social, 28 Topping Street, Blackpool

£20

Our tip: You don’t need to know what you’re doing - the session is designed around learning these endangered heritage crafts from scratch.

Fancy a little taste of Naples in St Annes?

You don’t have to go to Italy for a proper Italian lunch. Eat The Italian Way is a little Fylde Coast spot built around Italian-style sandwiches, focaccia, ciabatta, authentic Italian meats and cheeses - with pizzette cooked in a wood-fire oven. It’s the sort of place that feels like a handy little discovery rather than another chain café.

Eat The Italian Way

1 St Andrew’s Road South, St Annes

Open Friday-Saturday 8:30am - 5:30pm; Sunday 9:30am - 4pm

Our tip: Try the focaccia or pizzette - and, if you’re a coffee person, the cortado gets a particular mention from recent customers.

Fancy going shark hunting in Fleetwood?

You don’t need a boat (or a bigger boat). You don’t even need to get wet. The Bay is taking people down to Fleetwood Beach to hunt for shark and ray egg cases - those strange, leathery “mermaid’s purses” that wash up along the strandline. You’ll learn how to identify them, record what you find and contribute to the Shark Trust’s citizen-science project.

Eggcase Hunt - Fleetwood Beach

Thursday 8 October

1pm - 3pm

Fleetwood Beach

Free - booking required

Our tip: You don’t need to know anything about sharks beforehand. And if you find nothing, that can still be useful information - the Shark Trust records unsuccessful hunts too.

Stanley Park is turning 100. And they’re throwing one hell of a party.

One of Blackpool’s most familiar landmarks is hitting a rather impressive milestone. Stanley Park turns 100 this week, and on Saturday the park is celebrating with a full day of markets, food, music, sport, heritage and family entertainment - before a spectacular drone show lights up the sky at 8pm. The display is being created by Celestial , the team behind the Stanley Park drone show seen on Britain’s Got Talent last year.

Saturday 3 October

From 9am, with the main programme from 11am

Stanley Park, West Park Drive, Blackpool

Free - some individual activities may have separate charges

Our tip: Don’t just turn up for the drone show. Get there earlier, wander through the markets, have a look around the park’s historic features and catch some of the daytime programme - then find a good spot before the skies light up at 8pm.

Ever wondered what the Fylde looked like 170 years ago?

Friday 9 October - 10am - 4pm

The Fylde has been photographed for generations - and a new exhibition at Lytham Heritage Centre brings together local photography spanning 1855 to 2026. It’s a chance to see how the towns, streets and people around here have changed over more than a century and a half. And it’s free to visit.

Local Photographers from 1855-2026

Lytham Heritage Centre, 2 Henry Street, Lytham

Free - donations welcome