Thousands of cyclists descended on Blackpool Promenade for the resort’s annual Ride the Lights event on Tuesday (Sept 1).

The popular free event sees the seafront stretch fully closed to vehicles for one night only between 6pm and 10pm to allow cyclists to get a sneak preview of the Blackpool Illuminations ahead of the annual switch-on on Friday. Ride the Lights is attended by thousands of people every year and has become a firm favourite. As well as enjoying the ride, families, visitors and local residents were also well entertained at the Ride the Lights hub located at the Tower Festival Headland opposite The Blackpool Tower.

Hundreds of children and families from all over the North West and beyond attended the event and many decorated their bikes with a lights theme with a myriad of colourful and exciting designs on display, including a stunning log flume-themed design and even a dodgem themed bike! Meanwhile bike doctors were on hand from CJ Cycles and Get Cycling who assisted lots of cyclists on the night to help with their cycling needs. Many also signed up for the Manchester to Blackpool Night Ride, which takes place on the 26-27 September, at the British Heart Foundation’s stall at the Tower Festival Headland.

To sign up for this year’s ride go to www.bhf.org.uk/M2B.

The Radio Wave roadshow brought music and entertainment as well as live performances from Chris Atkinson, Hana joy, Amy Jo, Distracted and Matt Fitzgerald. Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Ride the Lights is a fantastic event that yet again proved incredibly popular. “I went along with my family and it was fantastic to see so many people enjoying themselves and having fun. “It’s the perfect event to get people in the mood for the Illuminations Switch-On on Friday and you can sense the excitement building. “We’re also looking for the best photos from the evening so I would encourage everyone to share their pictures via our Twitter page using the hashtag #ridethelights. Ride the Lights is the latest in a series of events designed to light up Blackpool’s summer and autumn.

VisitBlackpool has already organised Blackpool Armed Forces Week and Blackpool Air Show and there’s still a lot to look forward to:

Blackpool iFest – Illuminations Switch-On Festival Weekend – Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September – Blackpool iFest marks the start of the resort’s annual Illuminations season. Hollywood film director, Tim Burton, will flick the switch on the Friday night following a concert starring the likes of The Vamps, Lawson, Professor Green and Blackpool’s very own, Little Boots plus lots more. A weekend of spectacular music and comedy follows with Saturday night hosting a vintage pop party and Sunday night featuring an evening of some of Britain’s best comedians including Al Murray – The Pub Landlord.

Blackpool Illuminations– 4 September–8 November – Britain’s most spectacular light show returns to Blackpool Promenade for another year with a number of exciting changes for 2015 including the introduction of LightPool which starts on Monday 7 September including digital projection mapping technology, creating a Las Vegas-style lightshow on the front of The Blackpool Tower plus lighting installations and illuminating events .

Fireworks Championships – 11/18/25 September and October 2 – Blackpool plays host to the best fireworks display teams in the world with the competitors planning more dramatic and spectacular displays than ever before to wow the crowds. All shows are completely free and China, France and Canada compete for this year’s title.
Tickets remain available for the Blackpool iFest Illuminations Switch-On Festival Weekend with limited availability for those buying tickets for the Saturday or Sunday shows to secure a free wristband for the Friday concert.

Go to www.visitblackpool.com to buy your tickets now.