Abingdon Street Market to celebrate first anniversary of food hall

Abingdon Street Market’s Food Hall is soon to reach one year of trading.

The anniversary is next Monday, May 27.

Popular with locals and visitors of all ages, the fantastic food hall has made a significant impact on the town centre, with six eateries, two dedicated bars and an on-site coffee shop on offer.

Blackpool Council used £3.6m of funding from Getting Building Fund to purchase the historic market building, carrying out a full internal refurbishment prior to its opening in May 2023.

The opening of the food hall and retail area, the latter of which launched in November 2023, at the new-look Abingdon Street Market was part of a much wider plan to regenerate Blackpool town centre, with aims to boost the economy, create jobs and provide more things to see and do.

The team behind the operations of the market, The Little Blackpool Leisure Company, have worked hard to produce a successful venue with a wide-ranging offer.

Delivering a diverse and successful events programme - with over 300 having taken place in the first year alone, including a range of craft and skill workshops, live music and DJ events, makers markets and themed fairs to name a few – the market has fast become a popular staple on the Blackpool map.

The food and beverage offer has seen great success, with an impressive 730,000 food orders made across the dining options since the launch.

Weekend activities include:

Friday 24 May – Ryan Cregan performing

Saturday 25 May – Family paint and chill workshop, local DJ playing during the day, followed by Rhy Grooves in the evening (new unit Kelmade will also launch in the retail area on this date)

Sunday 26 May – Local makers market, local DJ playing during the day, followed by Daisy Atkinson in the evening. 

Cllr Mark Smith, Cabinet Member for Levelling Up (Place), Blackpool Council, said: 

“We are delighted to see how popular and successful the new-look Abingdon Street Market has become over the last twelve months.

“Not only is it a fantastic, quality venue for dining, shopping and events – it is also a shining example of local people making an incredible impact in the local area.

“Since opening, the two phases of both the food hall and retail area have created over 60 jobs for local people.

“The Little Blackpool Leisure Company has had a terrific first year of their food, beverage and events offer, and we are excited to watch the progress continue to grow.

“We encourage everyone to visit the market over their celebratory weekend and of course throughout the year – there really is something for everyone to enjoy.”

Jake Whittington, Managing Director of The Little Blackpool Leisure Company Limited, said: “I'd like to thank every single member of the ASM team, our fantastic vendors and every guest we've welcomed for making our first year so incredible.

“It's been amazing to see such a great reception from the town and I'm excited to see how we continue to develop over the next year.”

Abingdon Street Market has received £3.6 million from the UK Government through the Getting Building Fund and £300,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £90k from the UK Government through the Historic England Heritage Action Zone programme.