Blackpool Illuminations sees this seaside city of fun still buzzing with excitement and laughter long after other resorts have gone into winter hibernation.
At 10 kilometers long and using over one million bulbs the Blackpool Illuminations are an awesome spectacle.
Every year there is a Switch On concert with a celebrity to Switch On the Illuminations.
2012 was a special year for Blackpool Illuminations. It marked the centenary of the first public display of light in Blackpool. While the first display of ´electric sunshine´ in Blackpool was in 1879, when 8 arc lights shone on the promenade. It was in May 1912, to mark the opening of a new section of promenade by Princess Louise, 10,000 lights were festooned along the promenade. The light were such a huge success that the following September Blackpool Chamber of Commerce were persuaded to stage the ´Illuminations´ this was the beginning of Blackpool Illuminations. For the centenary the ´Rocket Illuminations Tram´ will be placed on Glynn Square roundabout.
The Blackpool Illuminations consist of almost every kind of light display you can imagine: lasers, neon, light bulbs, fibre optics, searchlights and floodlighting. In 2012 there were more than 500 scenic designs and features. There are set pieces made out of wood studded with light bulbs: the characters and objects portrayed seem to “move” by way of winking lights. Three-dimensional illuminated scenes are also popular. There are over 500 road features attached to lamp posts linked together with festoon lighting. Strings of lights along the structure of buildings pick out landmarks in luminous detail – you can always make out the Tower and the Pleasure Beach rides in this way.
Blackpool Illuminations Tram
Some of the hotels on the east side of the Promenade are floodlit in colour sequence. Even the trams on which you can tour the lights are illuminated and decorated with specific themes. There has been a Wild West train tram, a Space Rocket and the Trawler.
Take a tram for a grandstand view – arguably the best way to see this electrical extravaganza.
