Switch-On Saturday night set to be a real Thriller!
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he magic of Michael Jackson is set to grace Blackpool Promenade with confirmation that the massive West End hit, Thriller Live, will be the headline act on the Saturday night of the new Switch-On Festival Weekend.
The show, which has sold millions of tickets around the world and features the songs of arguably the greatest entertainer in pop history, will be the main feature in a dazzling showcase of West End shows on Saturday 30 August.
Thriller Live will feature extended highlights of the best of the music from the King of Pop’s astonishing back catalogue, enhanced by stunning costumes and his signature dance moves.
VisitBlackpool announced last week that the Switch-On Festival Weekend, which will take place on the Tower Festival Headland, will include three nights of top-quality entertainment starting with a free Illuminations Switch-On concert on Friday 29 August.
The Friday night event will be staged in association with media partner Rock FM and their breakfast presenters Hywel and Jamie, and will include a star-studded line-up of chart acts, culminating in the official celebrity switch on of the 2014 Blackpool Illuminations.
That will be followed on the Saturday by the West End showcase which as well as the extended highlights from the cast of Thriller Live, will feature excerpts from Chicago and direct from the West End, Jon Lee of S Club 7 fame and friends performing songs from The Jersey Boys.
More special guest acts will be announced soon for Saturday night.
As announced last week, singing star Rebecca Ferguson will headline the Sunday night finale, with special guests Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, 911 and Damage.
Rebecca, who was an X-Factor runner-up ahead of One Direction, sold more than half a million copies of her debut album and is currently coming to the end of a UK-wide tour.
Organisers VisitBlackpool say that more details of the Friday and Saturday night line-ups will emerge over the next few weeks.
Early bird tickets for the weekend are now on sale at £20 per adult, £10 per child, with the first 5,000 purchasers getting guaranteed free wristband to the Friday night Switch On event.
Cllr Graham Cain, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said: “The securing of Thriller Live is another fantastic coup for Blackpool.
“It means we now have two sensational shows lined up for the Saturday and Sunday and with even more to come when we start to reveal the all-important line-up for Switch On night on the Friday.”
Entrance to this year’s free Friday night Switch on will be strictly by wristband only and there will be no wristbands available on the day.
Wristbands will be allocated at random through an online ballot with a maximum of four wristbands per household.
A minimum of 6,000 of these will be allocated to applicants from the Blackpool area.
Wristband registration closes at noon on Wednesday 23 July 2014 and successful applicants will be notified on Tuesday 29 July 2014..
To register, go to www.visitblackpool.com/switchon
Ticket details for the weekend festival are as follows:
Early bird offer – up to 30 June 2014
Adult weekend 2 night tickets at £20 per person and £10 per child
Weekend family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children (U14) £50
Single nights at £12.50 per person and £7.50 per child
Single night family of 2 adults and 2 children (U14) £35
1 July Onwards
Adult weekend 2 night ticket £25 per adult and £12.50 per child
Weekend family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children (U14) £65
Single nights £15 per adult and £ 10 per child
Single night family of 2 adults and 2 children (U14) £45
Tickets can be purchased from the following places:
Ticketmaster from 9am Friday 30 May 2014 Tel: 0844 277 0700
See Tickets from 9am Monday 2 June 2014 Tel: 0844 871 8819 W: www.seetickets.com
VisitBlackpool Tourist Information Centre, Festival House, Promenade, Blackpool Tel: 01253 478225 or go to www.visitblackpool.com
VIP Hospitality will also be available for the Switch-On Festival Weekend provided by The Sands located opposite the Switch-On arena. For further information on packages, telephone 01253 625262 email [email protected] or go to www.the-sands-blackpool.co.uk
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
VisitBlackpool is the tourism arm of Blackpool Council and is tasked with promoting the UK's most popular holiday destination to leisure and business visitors, both domestically and internationally.
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Blackpool Illuminations
- Blackpool Illuminations will shine nightly from Friday 29 August to Sunday 9 November
- Blackpool Illuminations attracts more than three million visitors to the resort each year
- The Illuminations display stretches for more than five miles
- Blackpool’s first electric lighting was in 1879 when just eight Siemens arc lamps illuminated the Promenade. The effect was described by Victorian visitors as ‘artificial sunshine’.
- The Illuminations cost £2.4 million to stage
- The Lights are credited to the pumping of more than £275 million into the local economy
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is making a real difference to people and businesses in the Northwest. With €755 million to invest between 2007 and 2013, ERDF is enhancing the competitiveness of the region’s economy by supporting growth in enterprise and employment. ERDF in the Northwest is managed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). For further information please visit www.erdfnw.co.uk