LightPool Festival Blackpool

Lightpool Festival 2026 is Blackpool’s annual celebration of light! Enjoy free-to-see entertainment and a whole load of fun! It’s bigger, better each year. This year it takes place between 21 and 31 October 2026

With ten days of fun to cover the half term holidays you can enjoy an amazing programme. Light-based art installations, lasers, stunning live performances, family-friendly activities, and 3D projection shows. The town’s most iconic landmarks will be illuminated by a breath-taking array of light installations, brought to life by the creative minds of talented artists from around the globe.

This year’s festival offers something for everyone. Featuring an impressive collection of national and international light installations, as well as the premiere of over 15 new artworks never before seen in the UK; this year’s event is set to be the most visually stunning Lightpool Festival yet!

LightPool Festival Blackpool

October half-term 21 – 31 Oct 2026

• Visit light-based art installations,
• enjoy 3D projection shows,
• spectate or take part in parades,
• watch lasers and stunning live performances,
• take part in family friendly activities,
• learn a lot at educational sessions,
• marvel at local, national and international artists…
• and much more!
• Check out what time the Blackpool Illuminations come on today

What can you expect to see at Lightpool Festival Blackpool?

The programme changes each year and there’s always something different to see and experience.

• Enjoy the Art Trail. Follow and find light installations spread throughout the whole of the town centre. Some are discrete – some are huge!
  Enjoy a number of world premieres and spectacular light works. They’ll transform outdoor spaces and iconic buildings. Experience Blackpool Illuminations on foot – and in a completely new and different way.
• Lightpool Festival 2026 introduces ten new artworks, one for each year of the festival’s history, including some exclusive world premieres, such as:
  – In Love with My Dynamic Soft Elephant by Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE (World Premiere)
  – The Ballroom by Doddz Presents (World Premiere)
  – Super Magic Stone Circle by Daniel Kurniczak (UK Premiere)
  – Crystal Tide by Anne Bennett (World Premiere)
  – What the Gull?! by Caroline Daly (World Premiere)
  – Common Ground by students from the Blackpool School of Arts
• Some returning favourites include works such as Firefly Field by Studio Toer, Spin Me A Yarn by Studio Vertigo, Blackpool Rock by Jason Wilsher-Mills MBE, the Lightwork’s Tiffany Lamp, and Blackpool Wings by Interior Designer, TV Personality and Blackpool Illumination’s Creative Curator, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
• See the red-brick frontage of The Blackpool Tower transformed at night with shimmering displays of light during the Projection Shows. The massive facade becomes a back-drop screen for tales of fact and fantasy, set to narration and music. Stand on the Comedy Carpet and watch the free show!
• There’s usually a centrepiece event – the Carnival Magic Show at the Tower Ballroom.
• And as part of Lightpool Festival Blackpool, indoor shows are held across the town. Most often at The Blackpool Tower and Winter Gardens.
• And of course the brilliant Blackpool Illuminations are also in full swing!

Lightpool Festival 2026

Bringing together both local and international artists, community members and local organisations, Lightpool Festival lowers barriers to art and creativity for visitors and residents alike. It builds on Blackpool’s world-renowned Illuminations heritage which has become a key part of the town’s identity and appeal. Featuring extraordinary installations, 3D projection shows, interactive and learning opportunities, and even premieres by some of the world’s leading artists, this year’s Lightpool Festival sees a total of 30 artworks create a magical experience at the iconic seaside town.

Take a look at the 3D Tower Projection Shows

Tower projection light shows run every night during Lightpool Festival, usually at 7pm, 8pm, 9pm and 10pm. Never seen them before? Here’s a tiny glimpse of what to expect –

To get the full effect you really need to stand on the promenade and watch them in the dark night air. Soak up the atmosphere, the soundtrack, the lights, the people milling around you. It’s quite special – wrap up warm and experience it for yourself this autumn.

The light art trail and community engagement activities are completely free to enjoy, while the legendary Carnival Magic show on Monday 26th October (at the Tower Ballroom) incurs a small charge under five pounds. The Show treats audiences to giant hand-crafted puppets, incredible costumes, powerful choreography and drumming, and promises something unforgettable for all ages.

…and community collaboration

Local community groups are a key part of this year’s Lightpool Festival too. The lightwork by the talented Blackpool School of Art students marks 100-years of Blackpool’s Stanley Park, and explores ideas of leisure, ownership of space and reconnection. Aunty Social, a grassroot art organisation, has drawn inspiration from The Bayeux Tapestry’s historic return to England after nearly 1,000 years in France.

In collaboration with local communities and residents through open calls and workshops, Aunty Social has created an impressive 10-metre tapestry which depicts the town’s colourful and meaningful history. Lightpool Festival truly is a spectacular celebration of art, light, culture and community in the heart of Blackpool, inspiring artist’s talent development and creative community engagement.

Lightpool Festival Artistic Director is Phil Holmes. He said: “I am so incredibly proud of Lightpool Festival, especially as 2026 marks the 10th anniversary. From the artists and local community organisations, the continued support of Arts Council England, to the families and visitors who attend, I am so grateful to everyone for making Lightpool Festival what it is – a truly memorable experience that fosters community building and the passion of young, emerging creatives”.

Highlights from Previous Lightpool Festivals in Blackpool

Lightpool Festival began back in 2015 and has grown each year. It’s now a well-established favourite in the annual events calendar.

Receiving funding from various sources to develop the programme, it’s a huge tourist attraction during the months when the UK seaside was traditionally quiet.

2023: Funding Boost for Lightpool

Blackpool Illuminations became an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) for the first time in 2023. And the designation came with funding of almost £700k over three years.

A grant of £225k a year began in April 2023 to allow the Illuminations team to develop the work of Lightpool. It’s part of a £43.5m investment in Levelling Up by the Arts Council and around 900 organisations named within the new national portfolio.

The Illuminations NPO funding will enable –

• Commissioning of new light art for the Illuminations display and Lightpool Festival, collaborating with national and international artists;
• Delivery of an extensive talent development programme for artists and creatives. With artists in residence; developing new work using the expertise of the Illuminations team and the amazing facilities at Lightworks;
• Expansion of the work with local cultural partners such as LeftCoast, Old Electric, and the Grand Theatre. To provide year-round activity for children, young people and local communities to creatively take part and present work to a wider audience during the Illuminations season and as part of Lightpool Festival.

2018: Celebrating Circus250

By 2018 the Tower Projection Shows were getting into their stride, just in time to celebrate the 250th anniversary of circus in the UK. In 2018 Blackpool was one of the six cities of circus, celebrating with a season long programme of special events.

Circus250 was a national project, celebrating the 250th anniversary of circus in the UK. The projection begins with Philip Astley. He was responsible for the first ever circus in 1768. It looks back on the glorious history of circus, with a strong emphasis on our own Blackpool Tower Circus. It focuses on fond memories, sensational acts and larger than life characters from past and present. Many of them have inspired entertainment in Blackpool and throughout the world.

Did you know Blackpool is the longest running continuous circus in Britain?

2017: Illuminated Tram Parades

An incredible troupe of illuminated trams accompanied the parade along the prom. What a sight that was – transforming the seafront into an illuminated carnival! The Illuminated Tram Parade took place in 2017 and 2018.

Featuring the battleship HMS Blackpool, the lottery funded Western Train, the Fisherman’s Friend Trawler. They set off in convoy from the Pleasure Beach Heritage Tram Stop, travelling along the tramway through the illuminations before returning to terminate at Blackpool Pleasure Beach around 75 minutes later. The parade slowed as it approached Blackpool Tower for an unmissable photo and video opportunity.

With The Spark! drummers leading everyone along a packed promenade, once the parade was over, trams returned to Pleasure Beach to continue with the illumination tours.

2015: Light Shows on Blackpool Tower

In September 2015 the first light shows were projected onto The Blackpool Tower with digital mapping. The displays use cutting edge mapping technology to project high definition films on to the front of the Blackpool Tower building. It’s an amazing sound and visual experience.

The 10-minute shows in 2015 featured the Wurlitzer organ. Plus the first ever piece of music recorded at Blackpool Tower Ballroom and larger-than-life clips of dancers from the resort’s very own Funny Girls.

There was even an opportunity for the audience on the promenade to join in an unforgettable dance routine, with the Comedy Carpet becoming a real-life dance mat.