Illuminations Switch On – full details

The biggest night of Blackpool’s event calendar – the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On event - will take place on Friday (August 30).

The spectacular free event attracted a record crowd of 80,000 on to the seafront last year, and once again takes place on the Tower Festival Headland, and is freely accessible to the public with no tickets required.

Switch-On Line-Up

Blackpool Introduces

This year’s show will start with a Blackpool Introduces from The Upbeat Rock Academy which organises rock music tuition for more than 300 students from across the Fylde Coast. The hour-long showcase will also include House of Wingz, an award-winning hip hop dance crew that has already been featured on prime time national television.

Sydnie Christmas

Sydnie Christmas, who wowed the public in the BGT final earlier this year, joins the star-studded bill. Sydnie is about to release her debut album, My Way, and embark on her first national tour after being the first woman singer to win Britain’s Got Talent.

Massaoke by Rockstar Weekend

The "Massaoke” show performed by Rockstar Weekend, described by David Walliams as “the greatest party band of all time!” will open the show. This unique mass participation touring production features lyrics from some of the greatest crowd-pleasing hits of all time, on the giant LED screens. 

Kimberly Wyatt

They will be followed on stage by pop icon and Grammy-nominated artist Kimberly Wyatt. The former member of The Pussycat Dolls will bring her high energy, fun DJ set, featuring some of the biggest tracks of the Noughties, dance hits and other pop classics, as part of the outdoor celebration.

Headliner: Ella Henderson

Headlining the show is Ella Henderson. Ella will perform an extended set from her extensive catalogue of hits. Ella’s music career started as a contestant in The X-Factor before she went on to release her debut album Chapter One, which topped the UK albums chart and spawned several chart successes including the huge hit single, Ghost, as well as Glow and Yours. Three times Brit-nominated Ella has ten Top 10 singles to her name.

Switch-On Moment with Mel B

To wrap up, the show will finish with the iconic Switch-On moment with Mel B, who will pull the switch to trigger four months of Illuminations.  The Spice Girls singer will make a nostalgic return to the resort where her career first started as a 16-year-old dancer in the Mystique show at Pleasure Beach Resort.

Mel rose to global fame in the 90s as a member of the Spice Girls in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, they became the best-selling female group of all time.