The Blackpool Illuminations
In recent years, several stately homes have extended the tourism year by offering illuminated trails on winter evenings. Some towns and cities have also followed suit with winter light shows. But Blackpool was the trailblazer. Its famous Illuminations were founded in 1879.
The Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on in Lancashire. The Illuminations stretch over six miles along the Promenade.
The first set of Illuminations were introduced when Blackpool Council devoted the sum of £5000 to experiment with the concept of electric street lighting, starting off with eight arc lamps on 60ft poles along the seafront.
In a time when residents were lighting their homes with candles or oil lamps, this installation left the public in wonderment, calling them ‘artificial sunshine’. This installation brought visitors from all over the country to the seaside resort to see this new electricity at work. However, unlike today’s modern day technology with the Illuminations, the lamps used to go out as the tide came in due to water leaking into the cast iron wiring pipes.
The closest to the modern day Illumination displays first appeared in May 1912 to commemorate Blackpool’s very first royal visit as Princess Louise opened the new section of promenade named after her – Princess Parade. The Illuminations became immensely popular, with thousands of people visiting the resort to see the promenade decorated with around 10,000 lights.
It was such a success that the Council decided to display the lights again that following September. However, the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 meant the light display was put on hold for a total of 11 years.
The Illuminations returned in 1925 bigger and better than ever before, with lights stretching several miles along the Promenade from Manchester Square to Cocker Square. By 1929 all three of the piers were also illuminated, creating a dazzling show.
Another new feature was a huge animated tableau added to the display along the cliffs.
However, the Illuminations were halted once again by the outbreak of the Second World War - returning in 1949.
Since the 1950s there have been no further interruptions in the Illuminations, meaning they have continued to light up the town, never waning in popularity.
Each year of the light display is different, with new and favourite lights being maintained and developed.
The Blackpool Illuminations now attract more than three million visitors to the resort each year. Most visitors drive through the Illuminations by car, coach or bus. There are also open top trams which run along the tramway as well as horse-drawn landau.
Celebrities who have pulled the Switch-On lever include comedian Ken Dodd, actor David Tennant, Hollywood film director Tim Burton, actress Lucy Fallon, and even Red Rum the race horse and Kermit the Frog.
Further reading
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