1st September 2023 - 7th January 2024
Blackpool Illuminations 2023 Details
2023 Switch On
The annual Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On event, one of the biggest in Blackpool’s calendar, has been staged indoors for the last few years but it's back to the Tower Headland for the 2023 Switch ON! This year will be a little different to traditional Switch On's! For 2023 it will be a completely FREE non ticket event!! The event starts at 7pm on Friday 1st September with a Nickelodeon Grand Parade! The parade will feature larger than life versions of kids favourite characters such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, PAW Patrol, Baby Shark, Transformers and Monster High. They will be accompanied by about 100 dancers, musicians and street performers. They will make their way from Central Pier to the Tower Festival Headland Arena for a FREE family party. The float parade is scheduled to stat at around 7:30pm. This will be followed by a specially commissioned sound and light show on the Tower Headland that will be syncronised with LED Wristbands which will be given out to spectators, then topped off with a fireworks finale.
The main celebrations on the Tower Headland will commence at 8pm running to 9:30pm. Amongst the performers in the Grand Parade will be The 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band - a hugely talented group of musicians who have performed across the UK including in front of the Queen at Windsor Castle.
The 2023 Switch On celebrity has been announced. Sophie Ellis Bexter will throw the switch for the 2023 Switch ON. Fresh from her appearance on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage and on the back of the release of her brand new studio album - HANA, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor will perform on the Tower Festival Headland.
Sophie Ellis Bexter:
Sophie, her phenomenally successful Kitchen Discos, performed at home during lockdown with her five sons, recorded by her husband, musician Richard Jones, and shared on Instagram, were watched and enjoyed by 40 million people around the world. She embarked on a 24-hour Kitchen Disco Danceathon for Children In Need, raising more than £1m. This winter, Sophie will be taking her Christmas Kitchen Disco live show on a UK tour. She has released 7 studio albums and has released 36 singles of wich 11 have been top 40 hits. She has also appeared on tv in many shows including Game of Thrones, the Masked Singer, Strictly Come Dancing Neighbours to name but a few.
Nickelodeon float parade:
The parade is scheduled to start at 7:30pm from Central Pier with teh build up starting 30 minutes earlier. It will proceed to the Tower Festival Headland. The parade will feature larger than life versions of kids favourite characters such as Sponge Bob Square Pants, PAW Patrol, Baby Shark, Transformers and Monster High. They will be accompanied by about 100 dancers, musicians and street performers.
Celebrity Switch On stars have included:
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2023 Sophie Ellis Bexter
2022 Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen
2021 Shirley Ballas
2020 Corona Heroes
2019 Lucy Fallon
2018 Alfie Boe
2017 Star Trek - Discovery & Diversity
2016 Barbara Windsor
2015 Tim Burton
2014 Peter Kay
2013 Jonathan Ross
2012 Olympic medal winners - Beth Tweddle, Karina Bryant, Luke Campbell, Sophie Hosking, Max Whitlock, Steven Burke & Smooth/Real Radio
2011 Keith Lemon & Smooth/Real Radio
2010 Robbie Williams & Smooth/Real Radio
2009 Alan Carr & Radio Two
2008 BBC Top Gear Team & Radio Two
2007 BBC Dr Who - David Tennant & Radio Two
2006 Dale Winton & Radio Two
2005 Chris Evans & Radio Two
2004 Geri Halliwell & Radio Two
2003 Blue & Radio Two
2002 Ronan Keating & Radio Two
2001 Steps & Radio Two
2000 Westlife & Radio Two
1999 Gary Barlow & Radio Two
1998 Chris De Burgh & Radio Two
1997 Michael Ball & Radio Two
1996 Eternal & Radio One
1995 Bee Gees & Radio One
1994 Shirley Bassey
1993 Status Quo & Radio One
1992 Lisa Stansfield
1991 Derek Jameson and Judith Chalmers
1990 Bet & Alec Gilroy "Coronation Street" (Julie Goodyear & Roy Barraclough)
1989 Frank Bruno
1988 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sarah Brightman
1987 Frank Bough, Ann Gregg & Kathy Tayler, BBC "Holiday" programme
1986 Les Dawson
1985 Joanna Lumley, BBC "Children in Need"
1984 Johannes Rau (Minister-President, North Rhine Westphalia & David Waddington, QC, MP (Minister of State, Home Office)
1983 Cast of "Coronation Street" (Doris Speed aka Annie Walke)
1982 Rear Admiral "Sandy" Woodward
1981 Earl & Countess Spencer
1980 Cannon and Ball
1979 Kermit the Frog and the Muppets
1978 Terry Wogan
1977 Red Rum
1976 Carol Ann Grant (Miss United Kingdom)
1975 Tom Baker (Dr Who)
1974 Wendy Craig
1973 Gordon Banks
1972 Danny La Rue
1971 Cast of "Dad´s Army"
1970 Tony Blackburn
1969 Canberra Bomber
1968 Sir Matt Busby
1967 Dr. Horace King (Speaker)
1966 Ken Dodd
1965 David Tomlinson
1964 Gracie Fields
1963 Cliff Michelmore
1962 Shirley Ann Field
1961 Violet Carson
1960 Janet Munro
1959 Jayne Mansfield
1958 A E ´Matt´ Matthews
1957 John H Whitney (American Ambassador)
1956 Reginald Dixon
1955 Jacob Malik (Russian Ambassador)
1954 Gilbert Harding
1953 George Formby
1952 Valerie Hobson
1951 Stanley Mathews
1950 Wilfred Pickles
1949 Anna Neagle
1939 Cancelled when war broke out, no display during War years or indeed until 1949
1938 Councillor Mrs Quayle
1937 Alderman Ashton and the Duke of Kent
1936 Sir Josiah Stamp
1935 Audrey Mossom (Railway Queen)
1934 Lord Derby
The concert during which the guest will throw the switch marks the start of Blackpool´s Big Switch On Weekend. We hope that thousands of fans of the celebrity, and of Blackpool, will join us in the celebrations and that they stay to enjoy all the free events Blackpool will be hosting throughout the weekend and indeed during the Illuminations Season.
