All About Blackpool Illuminations

Have a look at our whistle-stop overview to find out all about Blackpool Illuminations. Feel carefree, make  memories and go back to your childhood!

What do you want to know about Blackpool Illuminations?

We wondered what you’d want to know about Blackpool Illuminations if you’d never ever seen them before? So we’ve put you this overview together, just follow the links to more pages and spend a happy time exploring!

The display begins on 3 September 2021 and ends on 3 January, 2022.

But first, here’s a clip of the 2018 Blackpool Illuminations, from our friends at MediaFilms –

All About Blackpool Illuminations Today

How would you describe the Blackpool Illuminations to someone who’d lived at the North Pole all of their life and didn’t know anything about them?

We’d tell them to come to Blackpool and see for themselves!

You’ll enjoy SIX MILES of the brightest light displays that you can imagine, all along the seafront. Imagine Christmas lights – and then some more, … and some more!

Lights are a big thing in Blackpool, and everywhere lights up. All of the seafront businesses twinkle and the three Piers shine. The beautiful Blackpool Tower is lit from top to bottom in LED lights.

Drive either way along the promenade

You might remember that in years gone by the traffic followed a one-way route along the prom. Now you just use the roads as normal.

Please be prepared for a long wait at peak times which is usually weekends and October half-term. It can take a long time to cover what’s normally a quick journey.

• Coaches are advised to follow a north to south route.
• You can drive through the Illuminations by car, or travel by bus or take the tram.

Lights festoon the promenade from south to north, past all three piers and The Blackpool Tower. Look out for features mounted onto lamp posts.

See the Lights on Foot

There’s no doubt about it, walking through the Lights on foot is THE best way to see them!

Feel the cold night air on your face. Smell candy floss mixed with fish and chips. Hear the noise of the crowd, arcades and attractions. You’ve just got to experience the atmosphere of Blackpool Illuminations season at least once in your life. If you like a happy atmosphere, you’ll love the Lights!

You don’t have to be a super-fit athlete to enjoy your walk through the six miles of display. Break it up into sections and enjoy a bit at a time. That way you can divert off into shops, attractions, the Piers, town centre and whatever takes your fancy.

There’s something really magical about walking on foot through the Blackpool Illuminations.

The dark evening air is full of the brightest lights. Pavements are packed with children, parents and grandparents all sharing time together and making memories.

We can’t bottle and describe the feeling of pleasure that you get from a walk along, gazing at the sights. But it’s something that we’ve always enjoyed. Read our story here.

Merchandise

You’ll see street sellers all the way along the promenade, selling various light sabres, deely-boppers and twinkly things to trim up your evening. Please buy your merchandise from one of the official vendors. That way you’re helping to improve the Illuminations.

Here in Blackpool anything goes. If you love all things twinkly, whatever your age, now’s your chance to be a child again!

Blackpool Illuminations from South to North

This is our simple map of the seafront. Use it to orientate yourself to what you’ll find where. If you’re new to the area, the straightest route is left at the end of the M55 and follow the road to the sea. That brings you to the south side of Blackpool seafront, with the sea on your left.

• South Shore is on the left of our map. You’ll see the big tramshed here, against the sea near to Squires Gate Lane, not far from the motorway.
• With the tram sheds on your left you’re not far from the first ‘Welcome Arch’. It’s the start of the Blackpool Illuminations route. There’s a nearby collection point where you donate and contribute to the Illuminations fund.
• Festoon lights hang over the road and line the highway along the full promenade.
• Don’t forget that everything is lit up at night in Blackpool!

• South Pier is one mass of lights, as are the Sandcastle and Pleasure Beach, including the rides!
• Take a look at Venus Remixed – a tableaux installation opposite the Pleasure Beach.

About Blackpool Illuminations Central

The central section of seafront between Central and North Pier is a bright world. Stand with your back to the sea and see all the colours of the seafront shops, attractions and arcades. They’re a brightly coloured sight in their own right!

The Illuminations here are mostly over-the-road displays. Strings of lights are strung between the lampposts from one end of the prom to the other, and extra displays go across the highway at the posts. Extra features are included in themed sections on the lighting columns. Have you seen Deco Dance, designed by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen?

At The Blackpool Tower

The Comedy Carpet at Tower Festival Headland is a good spot to head for. There’s a party atmosphere here and it’s where special events tend to be focussed. It’s also where you get a great view of the projections onto the front of Blackpool Tower.

• More about the laser show projections on The Tower

The Blackpool Tower itself also lights up, with thanks to the whopping 25,000 eco friendly LED lights from it’s top to toe. Can you see the people in the windows, right at the top on the next shot?

Lit up brightly and seen for miles around, it’s a local beacon that lights up the sky and not just through the Illuminations season. It also magically changes colour!

At 518 feet tall its 25,000 LEDs make a statement in the night sky. It often pays tribute to various causes through colour.

Gateway to the Town Centre

Don’t forget to go and have a look at Brilliance on Birley Street in the town centre.

That’s the street with the huge metal arches over it. The entrance is near to North Pier, find it against the historic Roberts’ Oyster Rooms.

Brilliance at Birley Street is where the huge metal arches raise above the pedestrianised seating area. They extend the Illuminations into the town centre with a music and light show. In the daytime you’ve probably heard music playing as you walk under the space-age arches. But at night they come to life with a lighting display.

At Talbot Square in front of North Pier and the Town Hall there’s a lovely annual display of Christmas lights. More about that nearer the time!

About Blackpool Illuminations Past North Pier

The over-the-road lights continue from North Pier along the seafront heading north as far as the collection point at Bispham.

Not a long way beyond North Pier you’ll reach Gynn roundabout. This local landmark is home to changing features. Over the years it’s been home to spacemen, a fairground carousel, the rocket tram and Dr Who!

This year it’s displaying a replica Spitfire plane, lit up at night with searchlights in a moving tribute.

Continuing north along the promenade with the sea on your left you’ll come to the huge Illuminations Tableaux.

• Explore the Tableaux displays here

Alice in Wonderland (above) was transformed for the 2014 season. It’s on display with all of your favourites including Noddy and the Teddy Bears.

These huge displays stand proud on the Cliffs each year. It’s known as the Cliffs because it’s the only steep drop in an otherwise flat Blackpool seafront! You can walk alongside them to Red Bank Road at Bispham.

There’s another Welcome Arch at the end of the Lights at Red Bank Road – after that the street lights return to normal. Or it might be the beginning of your journey – depending on which way you travel!

Take a look at this video, filmed in June 2020 as the tableaux are just starting to go up again –

Illuminated Trams

Take a look at the amazing Illuminated Heritage Trams. Which one is your favourite?

Catch the Illuminations Tram Tours from a special tram stop opposite the main entrance to the Pleasure Beach.

• All about the Illuminated Heritage Trams and rides here

Events During Blackpool Illuminations

Blackpool is an amazing place all through the year, but the Illuminations season adds something doubly amazing!

The Lights are managed and produced by Blackpool Council and they’re a 52 weeks of the year project. As soon as the current season ends the maintenance phase begins and of course planning for the next season.

These are the usual annual events. Subject to change/cancellation, please check before travelling.

BEFORE the Lights go on…

The Illuminations season proper starts with the annual Ride the Lights event. They have to be tested before the lights go on at the end of the week. Over the years this one night has grown into a massive, car-free preview event.

WHEN the Lights go on…

The big Blackpool Illuminations Switch On is arguably the most dazzling night of the year in this town. It’s always the Friday night after August Bank Holiday Monday, and the town comes out to party!

WHILE the Lights are on…

All kinds of events take place throughout the season, there are various sponsored walks, shows, music events and more.

Find out what and where from the Visit Fylde Coast events calendar.

… and BEFORE the Lights go off!

October half term is the busiest week of the year in Blackpool. It’s sooo busy! The Lights are on early each evening because the days are at their shortest.

October half term is also the time for the amazing Lightpool Festival!!

It’s an amazing spectacle of light, performance and fire. There are FREE events in the town centre and at the seafront, plus the magical Tower projection shows.

Contribute to Blackpool Illuminations

There’s another collection point at Bispham. It marks the beginning, or end, of your journey, and it’s where you can make a donation to the Illuminations fund.

The on-street collection points on the promenade help to contribute towards the cost of new displays. The Illuminations need to be interesting, revitalised and well presented each year.

It’s a free show, but if you’ve enjoyed your time looking at the Lights, please donate at the official Collection Points. The suggested amount is £5 per car or family – that’s excellent value for money!

There are other ways to contribute to the Blackpool Illuminations, you could even see your photo in lights next year! (Or maybe your dog/cat/family…)

Practical Things to Improve your Visit

New to Blackpool and need help with things like where to get something to eat? Or the location of public toilets and car parks?

Don’t expect a quick journey!

As you would imagine, the Blackpool Illuminations attracts millions of visitors a year and on peak days the roads will get congested.

This might be a quick guide to The Blackpool Illuminations, but please expect to drive through the Illuminations quite slowly.

It’s all part of the experience and means that your family can take plenty of photos and you can all enjoy your visit.

It’s always best to make sure that you’ve had a toilet stop before you set off. And make sure you’ve eaten and got snacks at hand in the car, as you’ll be in there for a while. The best way to experience the best of the Illuminations season atmosphere is to walk through them on foot.

Parking

There’s a number of very large car parks for you to use, close to the main attractions of Blackpool. There’s limited parking along the seafront on the sea side of the promenade – if you’re lucky enough to drop on a space at the busiest time of year! If you prefer, you could park on the outskirts of town and catch a tram or bus along the seafront.

• Use the Park and Ride facility at Blackpool Airport when it’s operational (weekends/peak times)
• More here about parking in Blackpool
• Find out more about getting to and around in Blackpool

Toilets

Danfo operate the Public toilets in Blackpool, as they do elsewhere on the Fylde Coast. Accessed from a single outer door, they’re all pay-to-use single cubicles, accessed by coin slot.

These are all Danfo public toilets:

• Between the Festival House tourist information centre and North Pier – on the lower level of the promenade as you go down to the beach
• Central Car Park – where the coach park facilities are near to Coral Island
• Lonsdale Road Car Park – near to Blackpool Football Club
• Cocker Square – heading north past North Pier on the edge of a small surface car park
• At Gynn roundabout there are toilets on the seaside of the promenade
• Bispham public toilets at the right of the Tram stop
• Much further north nearer to Cleveleys, there are toilets in a Victorian building against the tram lines at Anchorsholme/Little Bispham
• South shore, at the right hand side of the Solaris Building

In addition, there are toilets for shoppers in the town centre at:

• The Houndshill Shopping Centre at the upstairs food court
• Marks and Spencer
• Winter Gardens complex
• Coral Island and most of the amusement arcades
• Plus, for daytime visitors, there are public toilets at Stanley Park.

Food

Take your pick! Let’s face it, no visit to the Illuminations is complete without good old seaside fish and chips. Best eaten steaming hot, outside in the fresh air. Don’t forget the Dandelion and Burdock!

You’ll never get any prizes for your diet with anything that you might eat on a night out in the Blackpool Illuminations. Tempting smells from fast food vendors are everywhere that you turn. As they say ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ so just enjoy your break. Let the calorie counting begin tomorrow.

Have a look at Places to Eat in the area.

Blackpool Illuminations in the Past

The Illuminations go back for well over 100 years. Back to a time when electricity was a magical, brand new thing...

Take a look through the years as they’ve evolved, changed and grown through the decades. The styles might change according to fashion and celebrity faces but they’re certainly well loved.

Making the Blackpool Illuminations Magic

There’s no such thing as a ‘Blackpool Illuminations shop’ that you can pop to and buy a few lights! Everything is bespoke and made right here in Blackpool at the Lightworks depot.

The in-house team make everything, and we really mean everything, inside this fascinating building.

Blackpool Council cover the basic annual running costs of maintaining and erecting the Illuminations. But fundraising is vital for their future. Money raised through business sponsorship and promenade donations is all invested into new displays to keep the attraction bright.

You’ll be astonished when you read the facts and figures and find out how many lamps are used and miles of cable.

While you’re here…

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