Entertainment in Cleethorpes

One of the largest professional theatres in the East of England, Grimsby Auditorium was built in 1995 and run on behalf of North East Lincolnshire Council. It can seat audiences of up to 1,200 and hosts a wide variety of live events including music concerts and theatre as well as conferences and social functions.

The venue has staged everything from touring international opera and ballet companies, comedy stars such as Chris Ramsey and Alan Carr, musicals, and children's theatre. As it’s a modern building, there’s also very easy access to the auditorium and free car parking.

Sadly, the legendary Cleethorpes Winter Gardens, which played host to bands such as Black Sabbath, The Clash, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Elton John, Queen, Roxy Music and Thin Lizzy, was consigned to history when it was demolished in 2007.

But even though Grimsby Auditorium is only a couple of miles away, there are still several decent music venues in Cleethorpes itself.

Moon On The Water has regular music nights to cater for all tastes, from jazz and blues on Sundays to live bands on Thursdays and Friday as well as acoustic evenings and student nights. Moon on the Water is a “not for profit” social enterprise run largely by volunteers and partly funded by the National Lottery funding. As well as music events in its 400-capacity venue, it hosts other activities such as yoga, pilates, dance classes and a weekly special needs disco.

Named Best New UK cinema in 2007, Parkway Cleethorpes is primarily a cinema but the theatre stage of its main auditorium also hosts live shows - these include big band concerts and tribute acts to the likes of Johnny Cash and Santana.

There’s always lots going on at the Beachcomber Holiday Park and Entertainment Centre, which also hosts regular tribute bands to big names such as Oasis, Michael Buble, the Spice Girls and Coldplay as well as themed party nights.

Cleethorpes might not have a professional football club bearing its name but, strictly speaking, it can lay claim to Grimsby Town FC, whose ground just falls within the town.

A trip to its historic Blundell Park stadium is well worth the effort for football fans in search of an authentic lower league atmosphere. It retains much of the old-fashioned Victorian charm that’s missing from purpose-built modern grounds. Dating back to 1899, the record attendance at Blundell Park was over 31,000, but these days its all-seater capacity has been reduced to only around 9,000.  Mind you, fans of the Mariners had quite a reputation for their vocal - and sometimes eccentric - support, so you can expect Blundell Park to be bouncing if the team are playing well or it’s a local derby against teams like Lincoln City or Scunthorpe United. The Grimsby Town faithful hit the headlines a few years ago when they began to wave inflatable fish around in support of their team, leading a fashion for football inflatables at many other clubs.

There’s another football success story with the boundaries of Cleethorpes in the shape of Cleethorpes Town FC. Originally founded in 1998 as Lincolnshire Soccer School by former Grimsby Town player Tommy Watson, they played as LSS Lucarly’s before adopting their present name in 2008. Since then they’ve risen rapidly through the leagues and played at Wembley Stadium in the final of the FA Vase in 2017 in front of a crowd of 38,000.

During the summer months, Cleethorpes Cricket Club is a pleasant spot to while away an afternoon. As well as hosting the club’s own matches, the ground also stages occasional higher-profile fixtures such as Minor Counties games and in the past it has seen the star-studded International Cavaliers play there.