Blackpool Lightpool Festival – Art in Light is back with a bang for 2021. This award-winning medley of live performances and incredible displays, this year titled ‘Art in Light’ is back from 15-30 October, set to astound audiences of all ages.

With something for everyone, the festival hosts local, national and international artists contributing light installations, 3D projections and performances, bringing the city to life in the most spectacular of celebrations.

Over 16 nights there is a huge range of events on offer, so we’ve created this helpful guide to make sure you don’t miss out this year. Thanks to the kind and generous sponsorship and support from partners, everything at the festival is free and most events do not require pre-booking, allowing access to a wide range of the local community and visitors from far and wide.

As described by Lightpool Festival’s Creative Director, Philip Holmes, this year’s show is ‘pure magic’. From educational sessions to mindbending visual arts, the festival offers opportunities to see and experience an art show like no other. Holmes goes on to explain, “Over the past two years we’ve been sourcing a range of world-class light installations to truly take this year’s festival to another level. We have a total of 27 artworks, some of which have never been seen in this country before”. This show has been a long time in the making, with each artist and installation handpicked from incredible works around the world to showcase light in all its magnificence, but it’s not just about the brand new shows. Holmes explains that we’ll also see the return of tried and tested favourites like the illuminated tram parade, larger-than-life carnival characters and the Spark! LED drummers. The combination of well-established and brand-new shows makes for a spectacular feast of light and sound.

Since it began back in 2016, The Lightpool Festival has set out to celebrate the Illuminations by bringing contemporary artists to the town to create and show work inspired by the relationship the town has with light. The festival has since gone on to win the Large Tourism Event at the Lancashire Tourism awards, and draw in audiences from near and far year after year.

From workshops to performances, we’ve outlined some of our favourite bits of the festival below to help you plan your visit.

Get involved – Blackpool Lightpool Festival

100 Local Lanterns Workshop (27 October – 29 October)

A highlight for the whole family, those of all ages are invited to take part in a lantern decorating workshop with artist Janine Walker. Taking place at Blackpool’s newest creative venue, The Old Electric, this is a chance to learn some new skills and be a part of the festival, as all lanterns made during the workshop will go on to be displayed in the Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Power the Tower (18 October – 30 October)

Take on one of the most important jobs in Blackpool and have a go at lighting up a replica of the world-famous Blackpool Tower using only pedal power. 

Illuminate Project 

As part of a two-year project, the creative sessions that form Illuminate will embrace the stories and experiences of Blackpool’s young people on-and-off the stage. Using light and sound to deliver an immersive experience, artists and the Blackpool Grand Theatre venue are working collaboratively to build long-lasting relationships. You’ll find the Illuminate project workshops on Coronation Street. Discover more about the Illuminate project here.

Blackpool Lightpool Festival – Explore unbelievable street installations

House of Cards (18 October – 30 October)

For its UK premiere, the festival is incredibly excited to welcome House of Cards, a striking art installation that will be equally impressive experienced by day or by night.

The public art display is made up of playing cards illuminated by 128 LED lightboxes, which move through an expertly choreographed routine. Courage and playfulness combine in this work, balancing risk and opportunity as we wait to see if the tower of cards will fall. Every card is different, designed by 35 internationally acclaimed visual artists from around the world. Before coming to Blackpool. House of Cards was seen in Amsterdam, Berlin, Bucharest and Milan, not a bad bunch to follow!

Light Art Trail

The Art Trail sees iconic buildings in the town centre transformed into works of art. St. John’s Church will be reclaimed by nature, Birley Street will be taken over by spiraling ribbons and on the North Promenade, outside ArtB&B, you might even get caught in a waterfall. Luma the interactive robot, Lasertonic – how colour and sound affect our mood and WORLD PREMIERE The Moon Folk – A stunning projection follows a group of curious animals on a journey of discovery. Exploring the Art Trail is a perfect way to take in the sight and sounds of the festival in all its glory, with a huge number of works inspired by and built around our streets.

Blackpool Tower Projections

One of the standouts of the festival, digitally mapped sound and visual shows will be projected onto the iconic Blackpool Tower. The best place to watch the magic unfold will be on the Comedy Carpet, directly opposite the Tower.

Blackpool Lightpoo Festival – Unmissable live performances

The Nixies of Oakpool (27 October – 29 October)

The Nixies of Oakpool mixes animation, puppetry, lights and music to present an interactive story of a magical oak forest inhabited by mystical creatures. This performance is only 15 minutes in duration, perfect for the youngest of Festival-goers!

Illuminated Tram Parade featuring SPARK! (27 October, 5:30pm)

To celebrate Blackpool’s unique tramway history, this Parade is a tribute to the rich heritage of our Illuminated Trams. Starting at Manchester Square, the parade presents a unique opportunity to witness Blackpool’s historic collection of illuminated tramcars featuring a battleship, trawler and Great Western train. Back by popular demand, are SPARK! the original and best LED drummers. Combining high-impact drumming, dynamic choreography, playful characters and colourful lighting design.

Silent Disco (29 October, 7-9:30pm)

Suitable for all ages – the Silent Disco will have three different music choices playing continuously throughout the night. Catering for all music tastes young ad old, you’re bound to find a track you want to dance to! Head up to the Fifth Floor at Blackpool Tower, Collect your flashing LED headset, Headphones on! Get busy on the Dancefloor!

The Lightpool Festival is sponsored by Arts Council England, Winter Gardens, The Blackpool Tower, Fox Bros, Studio Due, the TBID and VisitBlackpool. Thanks to very kind sponsors and partners, the festival is free and events do not require booking, although some may have limited capacity so please see the website for details. For the most up-to-date event, venue and ticket information, please visit visitblackpool.com/lightpoolfestival.

The Lightpool Festival runs in Blackpool through October 2021. Find out more about this magical light and sound experience, full of live performances and unforgettable art set to take over the town.

Download the 2021 Blackpool Lightpool Festival Guide (15-30 October).