Entertainment in Burnley

There are few theatres named more perplexingly and intriguingly than Burnley Mechanics. No, you can’t get your car fixed whilst you enjoy a show, but you can enjoy a wonderful evening of theatre and a couple of drinks in their lovely bar. Covering opera, music, comedy and drama, their calendar of shows is diversely populated. The name actually derives from the building’s history as the Mechanics’ Institute, and it has been wonderfully transformed into a near 500-capacity performance space. Tickets are reasonably priced and there are shows all year, so be sure to check out what’s going on during your stay.

Just down the road on Queen’s Park Road is Burnley Youth Theatre, a charity that gives local young people a chance to develop their confidence, education and abilities. They host dozens of workshops and events every week for children of all backgrounds and abilities and put on a show around six times a year. If they happen to be performing whilst you’re in town, we strongly recommend going.

At the 22,546-capacity Turf Moor stadium, you’ll find the town’s pride and joy, Burnley F.C. Punching above their weight in the Premier League, ‘The Clarets’ are possibly enjoying the biggest spell of success in their long history, with recent Europa League qualification in 2018. Founded in 1882, the club was one of the founding 12 members of the Football League six years later and has never left since, albeit coming close in 1987.

If you’re not at the game when they play at home, usually on Saturday afternoons, you’ll find a distinctly quiet atmosphere around the town centre. That’s because a large proportion of Burnley’s 87,000 population of locals is at Turf Moor cheering on their team against some of Europe’s top clubs. You can join them for a relatively affordable admission price in comparison to other Premier League clubs. There’s plenty of pubs and places to eat nearby, and our Burnley hotel is just a short distance away.

The best live music in Burnley can often be found at Burnley Mechanics, which we’ve already mentioned in the above theatre section. They host a variety of upcoming artists and tribute bands throughout the year and can increase their capacity to 700 for standing events.

Your second option is to see what’s on at The Shift, a local record label with its own artistic cafe serving up drinks, snacks and big tracks! Their website is updated regularly with the gigs they have coming up. Alternatively, there’s a handful of great pubs, like The Talbot Inn, that put on regular live music nights. We’ve rounded them up in our guide to the best nightlife in Burnley.