Lightpool Festival at Blackpool Promenade

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
Lightpool Festival
Chila Kumari Singh Burman, MBE, 'Lollies in Love with Light', Lightpool Festival

Lightpool Festival at Blackpool Promenade, 18 — 26 October 2024 Entrance is free — Visit now

Blackpool’s beloved Lightpool Festival returns in October with a packed programme of world-class entertainment and art.

Running from October 20-28, the festival will include world premieres and installations never before seen in the UK, including giant jellyfish and an alien invasion!

Artworks from Australia, France, the Netherlands and Spain will light up Blackpool’s Golden Mile for its annual festival. And the town eagerly awaits the return of world-class artist Chila Kumari Singh Burman, MBE, whose 2021 work Blackpool Light of My Life was a stunning neon love-letter to the town. This year, Burman has created a 26-metre wide animated tableau Lollies In Love With Light, a kaleidoscopic celebration of Blackpool with a technicolour ice cream van at its centre, inspired by her parents’ ice cream business. 

Meanwhile, Canadian-born Bruce Alfred has used 3D printing and 13,000 LED lamps in the first of a new series of tableaux titled Light Around the World. Specialising in Native American art, Alfred’s design features eagles and orcas in its celebration of international cultures. 

Visitblackpool

Expect even bigger and bolder work from this year’s programme, with stunning light art installations and 3D projections including a “cloud of light”, a 3.5 metre tall bird made of London taxis, and a “zoo” that comes alive at nightfall.

Immerse yourself in a sea of colour and light at Medusae, and spot St John’s Church, draped in 50-metres of neon yearn. And after those weird and wonderful exhibits, head to the iconic Blackpool Tower, where an alien invasion has left giant tentacles stretching through the ballroom roof.

Part of Blackpool’s wider Illuminations Season, visitors can follow the Lightpool Festival art trail all through the town centre and down the Promenade, with plenty of indoor and outdoor installations to explore. The nine-day event will also see the return of Carnival Magic, a firm favourite menagerie of carnival characters in a showcase of music and dance in the Tower Ballroom.

Lightpool Festival at Blackpool Promenade, 18 — 26 October 2024 Entrance is free Visit now

Where to go near Lightpool Festival at Blackpool Promenade

Event venue
The Blackpool Tower

One of the most recognisable landmarks in the UK, Blackpool Tower is an iconic tourist attraction that sits at the heart of the seaside town.

Blackpool
Tourist Attraction
Blackpool Tower

Blackpool Tower first opened to the public in 1894, and includes the Blackpool Tower Circus and Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

The Comedy Carpet
Blackpool
Tourist Attraction
The Comedy Carpet

Blackpool’s Comedy Carpet sits in the shadow of the world famous Blackpool Tower – and it’s one of the largest pieces of public art ever commissioned in the UK.

Blackpool Tower Circus
Blackpool
Tourist Attraction
The Blackpool Tower Circus

Visit the oldest permanent circus in the world, showcasing some truly jaw-dropping stunts from contortionists, acrobats and trapeze acts.

© Merlin Entertainments 2024
Blackpool
Tourist Attraction
Blackpool Tower Eye

Experience one of the country’s most well-known landmarks anew. Brave the glass SkyWalk, head to the 4D cinema, or soak up the views at Bar 380.

Hufton + Crow, courtesy of Visit Blackpool.
Blackpool
Museum
Showtown Blackpool

Learn more about Blackpool’s showbiz history at this all-singing, all-dancing family attraction housing six unique gallery spaces.

Blackpool
Restaurant
Beach House Bistro & Bar

Positioned right on the Promenade, you’ll find Beach House Bistro & Bar, a modern Mediterranean-style restaurant and bar that serves up a particularly mean cocktail.

Grand Theatre Blackpool
Blackpool
Theatre
Blackpool Grand Theatre

Blackpool’s Grand theatre is home to a broad and high quality touring programme of entertainment including drama, musical theatre, opera, ballet and dance.

Charabanc blackpool
Blackpool
Shop
Charabanc

Charabanc is your go-to for vintage and handcrafted items including fashion, gifts and homewares.

What's on: Festivals

Now Northwich: Three aerialists fly around a metal tower in the dark as oversized pink conetti flutters around them
FamiliesCheshire
Now Northwich 2025

With performances from Company Chameleon, Global Grooves, Tea Club and Sole Rebel, Northwich’s free international dance and street arts festival is back for 2025.

free entry
Three men sit next to each other. One's head is bandaged, one holds a torch and one wears a sleepmask.
CinemaManchester
Wes World at HOME

Take a trip back into the world of Wes Anderson this May as HOME present a series of the acclaimed auteur’s most beloved films alongside The Phoenician Scheme.

from £7.95

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.