From Trocadero Cinema to Happy Dayz Amusements

The Happy Dayz building, now a popular amusement arcade, has a long and varied history that began far from the world of gaming and entertainment machines. Originally opened as a cinema on 17 May 1912, the building was first known as the Central Beach Cinema. Located on the Promenade opposite the Central Pier, the cinema offered both film screenings and live stage performances. This dual purpose made it an important part of Blackpool’s entertainment scene, but its history would prove to be anything but stable. By the early 1920s, the cinema underwent its first name change, becoming the Trocadero Cinema. Unfortunately, financial troubles and competition meant that the cinema closed in 1927, only to be taken over by the Fylde Cinemas chain, which briefly revived it as a cinema with occasional variety shows.

However, this second iteration was short-lived, and the venue once again closed its doors in 1929. The building’s next chapter came in 1935 when it was reopened by Union Cinemas under the name The Ritz on 23 June 1935, with a screening of the film Dames. Despite this new beginning, the cinema’s fortunes remained fickle. It was taken over by an independent operator just two years later, only to shut down again in 1939. After a few more years of uncertainty, the cinema was reopened in 1947 under the name New Ritz Cinema by Fylde Cinemas, marking another brief revival. But even this did not last, and in 1971, the cinema closed its doors permanently and was converted into a café with a disco in the basement, reflecting the changing tastes of Blackpool’s visitors at the time.

The building, with its rich history of entertainment, would undergo further transformations before it found its current identity as Happy Dayz Amusements. Today, the venue stands as a popular arcade, a far cry from its cinematic and theatrical roots. Despite the many changes it has undergone over the years, the building’s historical connection to Blackpool’s entertainment landscape remains a part of its charm, offering a nostalgic link to the past amid the bright lights and excitement of the modern-day amusements that fill its walls.