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

What's on at Blackpool Promenade

Where to go near Lightpool Festival at Blackpool Promenade

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Blackpool Tower Ballroom

Blackpool is not what you think it is. Granted, its golden mile has lost a little of its lustre, its shine taken off by the cackle of hens and the rutting of stags. But there is more to Lancashire’s Las Vegas than “fun” pubs with glass dance floors and rock that has long lost its […]

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The Blackpool Tower

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

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The Comedy Carpet

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Nestled on the promenade in front of the Blackpool Tower, Beach House provides a Mediterranean menu all year round, alongside live entertainment and amazing sunsets over the Irish Sea.

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

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Empress Ballroom

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Family owned restaurant that is famous for it’s burgers and brews its own beer, with a good location is close to the Winter Gardens. Its lockdown delivery menu offers everything you need for a family night in.

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