Explore The Bright Lights Of Blackpool
For generations, children and adults alike have been entranced by the spellbinding seafront spectacle that are the Blackpool Illuminations, which bathe the promenade with more than a million magical bulbs in a shimmering sea of light. Photography: VisitBlackpool.com
Attracting in excess of 12 million visitors a year, Blackpool’s annual Illuminations are once again lighting up the Blackpool coastline, shining nightly through to 5th January 2025. Dubbed the greatest free light show on earth, the illuminations have been a major part of Blackpool’s attraction scene since 1879.
The perfect place to go during the dark autumn and winter months for instant light therapy, the six-mile seafront display features illuminated trams, laser technology and stunning projection shows. This year’s display also has some amazing new features which are not to be missed.
Get ready to hee-haw at a quirky new installation by the Illuminations’ creative curator, Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen. Entitled Disco Donkey Cavalcade, it is a celebration of one of Blackpool’s iconic beach attractions, with 12 donkeys dressed in 70s-inspired swimwear parading on a 16ft high platform, beneath a giant ice cream topped with a disco ball!
Laurence says: “What says BLACKPOOL better than Donkeys! I’ve created a celebratory monument to the iconic quadrupeds who’ve been heroically carrying millions of happy holiday making bottoms for over a century and a half.”
A brand-new tableau, created by Leigh Francis (aka TV star Keith Lemon) features a wildly imaginative and colourful design incorporating a 12ft tall dinosaur, space ship, astronaut, an airborne BMX bike, and Leigh himself flying through the skies towards The Blackpool Tower.
A new overhead roadway section pays homage to the hugely popular Aliens feature that graced the Illuminations display several years ago. The new section has been designed by students at Blackpool Sixth Form and includes 10 individual illustrations of Alien life.
There’ll also be an extraordinary festival of light over the October half-term. The nine days between Friday 18th October and Saturday 26th October will see the addition of light installations from the UK, France, Finland and Spain. The free-to-attend Lightpool festival, supported by Arts Council England, will also see the premiere of at least 15 new artworks never seen before in the UK as well as spellbinding projection shows and live performance including the return of the hugely popular Carnival Magic in the iconic Tower Ballroom.
Festival director Phil Holmes said: “Over the nine nights, the town’s most iconic landmarks will be illuminated by a breath-taking array of light installations, brought to life by the creative minds of talented artists from around the globe.
“This year’s festival offers something for everyone, with stunning light art from across the globe, captivating live performances, family-friendly activities, and mesmerising 3D projection shows.”
In true Halloween style, a collection of giant inflatable monsters will take over Blackpool’s rooftops this autumn. The Monster Hunt between 28th October and 3rd November will be one of the big attractions in the resort’s extensive Halloween By The Sea celebrations.
The hilarious monsters will form a spectacular, family-friendly trail between the Golden Mile and nearby town centre throughout the day and also during the evening when they will be illuminated to glow in the dark. The monsters have been created by the renowned inflatable design company, Designs In Air, who have worked for major clients including Glastonbury, Cirque du Soleil and New York Aquarium.
One of their design artists, Filthy Luker, said: “Our motive is to make the world a softer, more surreal and colourful place as a kind of vendetta against the mundane, concrete world we live in.”
At the start of this summer, the Blackpool Illuminations won a top accolade in a national travel awards scheme. The annual display was voted Best Event for Groups in the Group Leisure and Travel Awards, beating competition from other finalists including Royal Ascot, the BBC’s Gardeners’ World Live and the Bournemouth Air Festival.
For more information on all things Blackpool, head to: visitblackpool.com
