LIGHT-BULB MOMENTS
BLACKPOOL’S waterfront illuminations have been shining out across the Irish Sea for more than 140 years. The annual light extravaganza is a must-see for our family. It’s the perfect end to a wintery day out exploring Blackpool’s piers and arcades.
At light-up time we take the tram to Bispham (at the north end of the lights) and walk back along the front to the Tower, taking in every bulb along the way.
Favourite scenes include Blackpool’s silent son Sooty, a haunted house with singing spooks and the colourful Open Sesame treasure cave. The scale of the event is amazing, and I always wonder how organisers go about staging it.
Luckily illuminations manager Richard Williams was happy to tell us all about the shining spectacle.
Whose idea was it to put lights up in Blackpool?
IT WAS Blackpool
Town Council who decided to experiment with electric lighting in 1879.
How many bulbs are there?
WE HAVE more than one million lamps of all shapes and sizes in the display, including lots of very small LED pixels.
Do the lights use up a lot of electricity?
NOT really, the illuminations are now 90% LED and the average electricity cost is £833.33 per night.
Who designs the displays?
WE HAVE a team of designers and engineers who design the illuminations. We also have a famous creative curator – Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen –
who helps us with designs.
What happens if some of the bulbs go out?
WE HAVE teams who look after the illuminations in the day and at night and they repair any faults or change any lamps.
We love seeing the light-up trams. How many are there?
THERE are lots of illuminated trams – the most famous are the western train, a trawler and a frigate.
How do you get the lights high up on Blackpool Tower?
WE USE staff who are trained to abseil down the tower. They abseil from high up and drop down to access the lighting.
How far is it from one end of the lights to the other?
IT’S seven miles.
Do the lights go off late at night? And who switches them on again?
YES we turn the illuminations off at night. It’s the job of our night time supervisor to turn them on and off.
We can switch them on and off by sending a text message to a top secret number.
Blackpool Tower remains lit throughout lockdown, with the rest of the illuminations due to be switched on again at the beginning of December, restrictions permitting.
For updates see visitblackpool. com/things-to-do/blackpoolilluminations/