Showtown Blackpool is celebrating yet another incredible milestone – having just been shortlisted for two prestigious awards that place it firmly on both the national and international map.
Hot off the heels of winning Permanent Exhibition of the Year at the Museums + Heritage Awards, Blackpool’s first and only museum – designed in collaboration with visionary architects Casson Mann – has now been named a finalist for the 2025 Children in Museums Award and shortlisted for Best Small Museum in the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award.
A Global Spotlight: Children in Museums Award
This internationally recognised award, organised by Hands On! International and the European Museum Academy, honours the very best museums in the world for innovative approaches to engaging young audiences.
Showtown is the only UK museum to make the 2025 shortlist – a huge moment for Blackpool and the entire North West. Sharing the spotlight with renowned institutions in Budapest, Singapore, Dubai and El Paso, this nomination shows that Blackpool is competing on a global stage when it comes to fun, inclusive and inspiring experiences for children.
National Recognition: Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award
On top of this, Showtown is one of just five museums across the UK to be shortlisted for Best Small Museum in the Family Friendly Museum Award 2025 – the only award of its kind judged entirely by families.
This recognition celebrates the museum's warm welcome, brilliant interactivity, and a boundless sense of fun. Over the summer, undercover family judges will visit and decide the overall winner. We’ll be ready – with live actors, dressing-up fun, laugh-out-loud exhibits and a joyful atmosphere that’s made Showtown the museum everyone’s talking about.
Chairman of Showtown, Spencer Phillips, said –
“To be recognised not just nationally, but internationally, is beyond anything we imagined. Showtown was created as a joyful, welcoming space for families and communities to come together, learn and celebrate their stories. This recognition is a powerful reminder that culture should be accessible to everyone – no matter where you’re from.”
Come See What All the Fuss Is About!
This summer, families are invited to come see why Showtown is turning heads. From magic tricks and circus secrets to designing your own Blackpool Illuminations or putting your best mate on top of a show poster – there’s learning, laughter and hands-on fun around every corner. With live actors bringing stories to life, Showtown feels more like a stage than a gallery.
Family tickets from just £17.50 make it the perfect summer holiday day out – joyful, inclusive, and unforgettable – and best of all, we’re open rain or shine, so the fun never depends on the weather!