Breaking News in Blackburn
Stay informed with the most pressing and breaking stories from Blackburn. From major events to urgent updates, find it here.

Festive Fun at East Lancashire Hospice Christmas Fayre
East Lancashire Hospice invites you to its Christmas Fayre on Sunday 16th November — a festive family event filled with gifts, crafts, treats, and Santa’s Grotto, supporting local hospice care.

Blackburn’s Outdoor Action Nominated for National Award
Blackburn-based Outdoor Action Ltd has been nominated for Best Online Retailer in the Great Outdoors Reader Awards 2025 — celebrating local passion for adventure and community spirit.

Festive Fun at East Lancashire Hospice Christmas Fayre
East Lancashire Hospice invites you to its Christmas Fayre on Sunday 16th November — a festive family event filled with gifts, crafts, treats, and Santa’s Grotto, supporting local hospice care.

Blackburn’s Outdoor Action Nominated for National Award
Blackburn-based Outdoor Action Ltd has been nominated for Best Online Retailer in the Great Outdoors Reader Awards 2025 — celebrating local passion for adventure and community spirit.

Over 30 events this week across Blackburn & Darwen – from Remembrance Day tributes to art, music, theatre, and festive celebrations. Discover everything happening 10–16 November 2025.

Blackburn Empire Theatre’s volunteers have been named Group of the Year at the 2025 Community Volunteer Awards, honouring more than two decades of dedication to local arts and culture.
Older Blackburn News
Did you miss out? Here are some of the older stories and news about Blackburn and Darwen

Spies, Secrets and Lies – Cold War Drama Comes to Blackburn Empire
This November, Blackburn Drama Club brings suspense and intrigue to the Blackburn Empire Theatre with their latest production, Pack of Lies.

£20m Pride in Place plan sets out vision for future investment in Darwen
A £20 million Pride in Place plan has been unveiled for Darwen, setting out priorities for investment in the town centre, parks, skills, and community projects over the next decade.

What’s On in Blackburn: Monday 3 – Sunday 9 November 2025
What’s happening in Blackburn & Darwen this week? From Remembrance services and 1940s variety shows to community choir performances, spiritual experiences under Gaia, and candlelit concerts — it’s a week full of reflection, remembrance and inspiration.
Blackburn News Archive
All the archived stories from Blackburn Life – News about Blackburn and Darwen
King George’s Hall and Darwen Library Theatre have been awarded £364,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary has announced today.
The UK’s third-largest cinema chain Vue will reduce its opening hours to four days a week
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council have announced that COVID-19 testing capacity in the borough has improved.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council have delayed the planned unveiling of a statue to former Blackburn MP Barbara Castle until 2021. The unveiling was originally due to take place Tuesday 6th October, which would have been her 110th birthday.
The team at Darwen Library Theatre are thanking the whole community after they reached their fundraising target to keep live theatre in the town.
A recent analysis of figures by property company Coulters shows that Blackburn with Darwen had 2,717 vacant dwellings in the borough, with with over 4% sitting empty.
Blackburn Market has announced the re-opening of pop-up craft & gift markets just in time for Christmas.
Lancashire’s top Public Health bosses are urging communities to work together to avoid further local lockdown measures.
A restaurant which boasts “the best tasting prawns in the world” is set to debut Blackburn this Monday 28th September 2020 at 12 noon.
The Blackburn Empire Theatre has announced that its production of Dick Whittington and his Cat will go ahead this Christmas.
The prime minister has announced a new raft of measures to avoid “hundreds of daily deaths”.
Blackburn & Darwen Council has revealed the borough’s plans for events up to and including Christmas but it will be very different with no Christmas Lights Switch On and no Witton Bonfire.
The government have issued the latest update to the new restrictions that apply to the whole of Blackburn & Darwen and most of the rest of Lancashire from this Tuesday 22 September.
New tougher restrictions come into force in Lancashire (with the exception of Blackpool) this Tuesday as the government tries to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Blackburn Police have squashed rumours that a man had been subject to an acid attack in Blackburn Town Centre.

Drive-In Movies return to Witton Park this weekend, with shows on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September.

Blackburn with Darwen Council have confirmed that official football club training and matches can go ahead as part of the “organised team sport” exception to the new “rule of six”.
Blackburn and Darwen are at the forefront of a national fundraising campaign that has been launched by the Theatres Trust in partnership Crowdfunder.co.uk to save theatres across the UK.
Comedy superstar John Bishop is coming to King George’s Hall, Blackburn on Thursday 25 November 2021 & Saturday 15th January 2022 with his highly anticipated brand-new stand up show – Right Here, Right Now.
Rob Lamberti is a familiar face, so to speak, having forged a very successful singing career impersonating the pop star George Michael and, in the process, becoming something of a star himself.
Northern is set to introduced new timetables as the entire rail industry adapts to a ‘new normal’ as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Introduced on Monday 14 September, the
Council leaders in Blackburn and Darwen have warned that “Everyone in Blackburn with Darwen must comply with the government’s restrictions to help avoid stricter measures being introduced for the whole borough next week.”
Blackburn Cathedral Choir has just a few places for lucky new choristers this year, with their new-look socially distanced choir.

The government have announced that gyms, fitness and dance studios, indoor swimming pools and sports clubs in Blackburn will be able to reopen from Tuesday 8th September.
The council have announced that some people who are shielding in Blackburn & Darwen will need to continue shielding until 21st September and people in the “eight lockdown wards” will
Blackburn with Darwen Council has been forced to remove five portable toilets from Darwen town centre after they were repeatedly vandalised by youths.
Lancashire bus operator The Blackburn Bus Company is today confirming many of its buses will return to normal timetables this weekend, with more buses added to ensure everyone can continue
Blackburn with Darwen council has confirmed that the extra local restrictions in some parts of Blackburn and Darwen have been lifted today. (Wednesday 26th August 2020) Government legislation has been

Jonathan Pie’s critically acclaimed sell out show FAKE NEWS finally returns, updated and remixed for a post-Corona world. His live show arrives in Blackburn at King George’s Hall on Saturday 29th May 2021 and tickets are on sale now.
Additional guidance will be introduced Blackburn to help curb a rising tide of COVID-19 cases, following careful consideration of rates across England yesterday. The rules come into place at midnight on Saturday (22nd August) and apply to 8 specific wards.

Maps of the 8 wards that are likely to be affected by new lockdown restrictions in Blackburn
A targeted approach to reducing the spread of Coronavirus in Blackburn with Darwen is set to be announced today.
Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Davyfield Road depot has been a hive of activity as a fleet of ‘covid-safe’ cabs were prepped to roll out in Blackburn with Darwen.
Blackburn with Darwen Council have announced that the clinically extremely vulnerable should continue to shield until 7th September. They are being sent letters and texts messages by the Government to
Blackburn with Darwen Council has announced it has developed local systems and council staff will now join in the contact tracing system, where the national system has not been successful.
Over 100 local restaurants, pubs and cafes have joined the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in and around Blackburn & Darwen.