Blackpool launches the 2017 Illuminations

This year’s Blackpool Illuminations display will shine brighter than ever – thanks to the support of the business community.

The main Illuminations display, which runs from September 1 to November 5, will include several new sponsored features and during October half-term there will be a free festival of entertainment featuring the first ever parade of Blackpool’s world-famous illuminated trams.

The biggest new investment comes courtesy of Genting Casino in the form of a new road section featuring giant twinkling illuminated castles. Curated by Laurence Llewelyn Bowen and working alongside our in-house designer Sarah Barton this section is set to become a firm favourite in years to come.

Janine Marshall, general manager of Genting Casino Blackpool, said: “We are delighted to be working in association with this year’s illuminations for the very first time. The illumination is an iconic annual attraction for the town of Blackpool, which people travel from all over the country to experience. We very much look forward to being a part of the festivities this year, and to sharing Genting’s own exciting illumination for all to see.”

Inspired by the huge Illuminations archive, the 2017 display will include the new Carleton Fountains in full 3D these classic features combine tradition and modernity by combining old school manufacturing methods and the very latest LED lighting to create a wonderful addition to the display. This has been created through a partnership with the Best Western Carlton Hotel.

Kerian Barnes, Operations Director at Starboard Hotels said; “The Best Western Carlton is delighted and proud to be associated with this year’s illuminations. We appreciate how important this is for the profile of our hotel and have really enjoyed working with the Illuminations team on such a unique project. Working in association with Laurence Llewellyn Bowen has been a brilliant experience for our team and our guests, many of whom have been visiting the hotel for years and are looking forward to seeing the new light show.”

A special section in the Golden Mile will be home to New Bonny Street Market a historic attraction featuring in the Illuminations for the first time, with a series of family friendly images and colourful lights.

A classic is reborn as the legendary ‘Fire and Water’ tableau is reimagined as the ELGIN tableau. Completely refurbished for 2017 the tableau will feature a brand new lighting system and projected images.

Nigel Seddon, Elgin Hotel said; ‘The Elgin Hotel annually shows its support to Blackpool Illuminations, knowing that without this unique attraction, ourselves as business owners would not have the 66 nights of peak time trade that exists currently. At the Elgin, we are always looking for new initiatives to promote our business and we are very proud of our Blackpool roots. So sponsoring a tableau for the 2017 display was something that we were delighted and excited to sign up to. We would definitely encourage other businesses to do the same.”

Returning favourites include Beach House Boulevard, Mandarin Lanterns, Bling, Star Trek, Dynamo, Ballroom Glitz, KRS Mirrorball arches, Art for Walls, McDonalds, Logo Lights and Head Lights will make up all of the 2017 display.

Visitors will be greeted by an enhanced welcome experience at the north and south arrival points in order to encourage visitors to donate to the free attraction.

The LightPool programme returns for a third successive year and will see the return of the three major 3D mapping projection shows, combining fairytale, fantasy and fact that will be displayed every evening throughout the Illuminations on the Tower Buildings from w/c 4th September.

LightPool, which proved a hugely popular addition to last year’s Illuminations display, is aimed at re-inventing the Illuminations display by getting visitors out of their cars to experience the show in a different way.

The popular LightPool Village is returning located on the Comedy Carpet, this year the village will be open both day and night (days may vary, see website for details). Featuring live music, alongside the 3D projections show visitors will be able to stop off for light refreshments and pick up a photo souvenir to share with all the family.

The Festival@LightPool event will be held on and around the Tower Festival Headland from Wednesday 25 to Friday 27 October and will feature spectacular live entertainment between 5pm and 7pm each night.

On all three nights, visitors will be able to watch performances of Spark! by Worldbeaters Music – a unique and thrilling show that combines high-impact drumming, superb choreography and stunning lighting design – as well as amazing sound and light performances by musician AFISHAL.

Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We’ve got an incredible Illuminations display lined-up this year and I’d like to thank our sponsors for their continued support in the attraction.

‘With the addition of the LightPool projections and the Festival@LightPool to look forward to it’s never been a better time to come and visit, with so much on offer to our visitors, I would urge people to come see the lights and even make a short break of it.”

Blackpool Council continues to fund the Illuminations show, but increasingly it relies on donations from the general public or businesses All donations received is reinvested into the design and creation of new displays and experiences for future generations.

For more information on Blackpool Illuminations and LightPool please go to visitblakcpool.com/illuminations or Tel: 01253 478222.

The Illuminations and LightPool shine nightly from 1 September – 5 November. The Festival@LightPool takes place from 25 October – 27 October.