Blackpool Illuminations 2024 Switch On!

It’s the show that everyone loves. The Blackpool Illuminations 2024 Switch On – kicked off the season in style!

Blackpool Illuminations Switch On 2024 – FRIDAY 30 August 2024

Important Information!

• Places to park in Blackpool – arrive early it will be BUSY!
• Lights Switched On at the end of the event at approx 9pm
• NEW Illuminations for this year still to be revealed!
• Traditional Illuminations season runs from 30 August until the beginning of November
• Daily switch on/off times available here
• Your Complete Guide to visiting the Blackpool Illuminations
• Lightpool Festival takes place at October half-term, from 18-26 October 2024
• Christmas by the Sea begins in mid November and the Blackpool Illuminations switch off at the end of the season, on 5 January 2025

Who will Switch On the Blackpool Illuminations in 2024?

Blackpool Council and VisitBlackpool organise the Blackpool Illuminations and Switch On each year. The announcements usually begin in early Spring, starting with the support acts and surrounding entertainment. As summer approaches the big names and highlights are revealed. Including the star who will flick the famous Switch On switch!

We now know that… drum roll…

Pop icon Mel B is to switch on this year’s Blackpool Illuminations!

The Spice Girls singer will make a nostalgic return to the resort where her career first started as a 16-year-old dancer in the Mystique show at Pleasure Beach Resort.

Mel rose to global fame in the 90s as a member of the Spice Girls in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, they became the best-selling female group of all time.

She has since gone on to work as a solo singer-songwriter, TV personality and actress, working on numerous shows in the UK, Australia and the United States.

Last month, she received an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University, which recognised the star for her work with domestic abuse victims and her global influence as “a music icon”. Mel – who is patron of Women’s Aid – was also made an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours list for her charitable work.

Mel joins a Switch-On roll of honour that includes national and international celebrities down the years. She said: ““I’m so thrilled to be turning on the Illuminations because Blackpool has played a big part in my life and career. I was just 16 when I came to Blackpool to be part of the Mystique dance group. To me it was the most glamorous place in the world – the Vegas of Britain. 

“I had so much to learn, so fast and it stood me in good stead for everything that came later. I love the people, the place and of course the fish and chips – with plenty of scraps. So to have the opportunity in 2024 to come back and turn on the Illuminations means so much to me. I’m really excited to get the party started!” 

Blackpool Illuminations 2024 Switch On Night

Friday 30 August is the biggest night in Blackpool’s events calendar. The annual Illuminations Switch-On celebration – staged in association with Hits Radio.

The entertainment starts at around 5pm with some of Blackpool’s brightest young musicians taking to the stage. The Upbeat Rock Academy organises rock music tuition for more than 300 students from across the Fylde Coast. They’ll present Blackpool Introduces, a 90-minute-long showcase of local talent.

They will be followed by the main event: A two-hour show hosted by Leanne and Joel, presenters of Hits Radio breakfast show.

The line-up includes the Massaoke show performed by Rockstar Weekend. It’s a unique mass participation touring production featuring lyrics from some of the greatest crowd-pleasing hits of all time, projected on the giant LED screens. It’s the show where you, the general public, become the stars. The aim is to create the biggest family singalong that Blackpool has ever seen!

Next on stage is American-born Kimberly Wyatt. She achieved worldwide fame with The Pussycat Dolls, one of the biggest-selling girl groups of all time. She brings her high energy, fun DJ set to the party. Featuring some of the biggest tracks of the Noughties, dance hits and other pop classics.

Headliner Ella Henderson then takes to the stage to perform an extended set from her extensive catalogue of hits. Then 2024 Switch On Star Mel B pulls the famous switch to light up Blackpool!

The whole event is free to access with no tickets required.

Did you know? The Illuminations date back to 1912, but the tradition of a special switch on ceremony ‘only’ began in 1934.

• Find all the past Switch On stars here

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Blackpool Illuminations Switch On 2024

Sydnie Christmas joins the Switch On Line-Up!

The first woman singer to win Britain’s Got Talent is joining the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On party. Sydnie Christmas wowed the public in the BGT final earlier this year. She joins a star-studded bill including Kimberly Wyatt, Ella Henderson and Switch-On star Mel B.

She began her career in musical theatre and appeared in various productions before entering the 17^th series of Britain’s Got Talent. After receiving judge Amanda Holden’s “Golden Buzzer” for her audition performance of Tomorrow from the musical Annie, she advanced straight to the semi-finals. She eventually won the overall final singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow and capturing more than 27% of the public vote.

That first audition has since been watched by more than 40 million people. Sydnie is about to release her debut album, My Way, and embark on her first national tour.

Media Partner

VisitBlackpool has joined forces with one of the UK’s leading media companies to deliver this year’s Illuminations Switch-On event.

The free event will be staged in association with Hits Radio, one of the leading networks owned by Bauer Media. The main event is a two-hour show hosted by Hits Radio breakfast show presenters, Leanne and Joel, featuring a line-up of top music talent.

And the celebration, once again at Tower Festival Headland, will once again be freely accessible to the public with no tickets required. After three years of being staged indoors due to pandemic restrictions, the 2023 Switch On event marked a return to the outdoors. It attracted a record crowd of 80,000 to the seafront to watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor pull the famous switch.

Young Blackpool Talent to Join Switch On Celebrations

Some of Blackpool’s brightest young musicians will take to the stage as part of this year’s Illuminations Switch-On celebration.

The Upbeat Rock Academy organises rock music tuition for more than 300 students from across the Fylde Coast. They’ll present Blackpool Introduces, an hour-long showcase of local talent, ahead of the main Switch-On concert on the night of Friday 30 August. The young people will be joined by Blackpool-based House of Wingz. An award-winning hip-hop dance crew who’ve already featured on prime time national television.

A VisitBlackpool spokesperson said: “We’re delighted to see the Blackpool Introduces session return to the Switch-On stage. It’s a glorious opportunity for incredible home-grown talent to perform outdoors in front of a huge crowd. It’s unforgettable memories for these up-and-coming musicians.”

Ian Hooper has just launched a live music venue alongside his second Upbeat Rock Academy in Blackpool town centre. He said: “What an amazing opportunity for our young people. For many of them it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in front of a festival-size crowd. And in an iconic setting in front of The Blackpool Tower!”

The 2024 Switch On Show

• 2024 Switch On begins with a ‘Blackpool Introduces’ session featuring some of the best of Blackpool’s local music talent.
• Followed by the main event. A two-hour show hosted by Hits Radio, featuring a line-up of some top music talent.
• The show will culminate in the iconic Switch-On moment. A celebrity (still tbc) will pull the switch to trigger four months of Illuminations.

DON’T FORGET – the Illuminations shine nightly until 5 January 2025.

Book Hotel accommodation for Switch On 2024

Book your hotel accommodation for Switch on with the Visit Fylde Coast and StayBlackpool guide. Know that you’ll have a great place to stay while you enjoy this event. Find Trusted accommodation, right here on this page.

All StayBlackpool properties listed on the Visit Fylde Coast websites are annually inspected. This means that you can book with confidence, safe in the knowledge of a great stay.

Bookings from these sites are also ultra-low or zero commission. This means that more of the money from your booking helps to support the local economy.

• Browse our accommodation guide where you can also search and book

Alternatively email info@stayblackpool.com with your requirements and they will get back to you. But please mention you saw it here!