It’s That Time Of Year Again – The Blackpool Illuminations Switch On!

Being a “Sandgrown” born and bred in Blackpool I did used to think that everybody in the entire planet must have heard of the Blackpool Illuminations, of course as i’ve grown old and bald I’ve realised that Blackpool is in fact not the center of the entire universe and not everybody on the planet knows about this fantistic free lights display.

The Blackpool Illuminations is an annual festival of lighs abd has been a popular tourist attraction since they were first illuminated on 18th September 1879. They always run through the Autumn and when switched off, that marks the end of the Blackpool tourist season.

                          The Blackpool Illuminations or simply “lights” as they are known locally normally run for exactly sixty days, they run for six miles (almost 10km) they are not simply rows of bulbs (as they were during their first years) The Illuninations include state of the art laser shows and displays and illuminated trams which frun on tracks along the promenade.

Each year the Blackpool Illuminations have a “Big Switch On” which takes place from a custom built stadium from BBC Radio 2. Last year the switch on was made by DAVID TENNANT to mark the lates series of Doctor Who and also the new DOCTOR WHO Illuminations displays.

The switch on was a phenomenal success and thousands turned up to see David Tennant, and with the Hyde Fundraisers just to the front of the stadium at the Doctor Who Museum we had an amazingky busy evening with the last visitors coming into the museum just after midnight!

Due to the amazing feedback from the Doctor Who Illuminations Displays they have been expanded for this years switch on (which will take place August 29th and be switched on By Boyzone and the BBC2 TOP GEAR TEAM) to include full-size TARDIS and DALEK displays, but just to wet your apetites, here are a few of the displays from the 2007 event!

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