Strictly stars to open Christmas By The Sea

Blackpool is preparing to launch a magnificent programme of Christmas entertainment – with a sprinkling of Strictly stardust!

Four of the BBC show’s professional dancers, Carlos Gu, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu and Neil Jones, will officially open this year’s Christmas By The Sea village on Friday 15 November – the eve of the much-anticipated return of Strictly Come Dancing to the world-famous Tower Ballroom.

The opening event, will also feature a cast of skaters and talented young stage school performers, and will kick-start a spectacular festive season, which includes a free skating rink at the heart of an exciting collection of themed family attractions, food and drink huts, snowfalls, projection shows and light installations, and festive tram rides.

Starting at around 5pm, the opening event will feature the children from the Blackpool Ice Drome Charities Association (BIDCA) who will perform a routine taken from their forthcoming Christmas Ice Show, Snow White: A Fairytale Adventure On Ice. It will be performed in full at Pleasure Beach Resort later in December.

Scriptwriter and co-director, Simon Davies, said: “The characters and scenes from the classic story are all there: The dwarfs, the Evil Queen, the poisoned apple, the diamond mine, the spooky magic mirror, and Snow White herself. But this, being BIDCA, means we’ve added a lot of fun extra touches, scenes and unexpected music choices – and we can’t wait to give people a taste of the show at the Christmas By The Sea opening night”.

The skaters will be joined for a second year running by the super-talented youngsters from Scream Theatres School. They will take to the stage with a lively mix of musical theatre and festive medleys, bringing a taste of holiday magic to the opening event.

A Scream spokesperson said: “This will be a high-energy performance promising an unforgettable experience for the whole family while shining a spotlight on Blackpool’s incredible young talent.”

This year’s Christmas By The Sea village is the biggest to date, with extended opening hours for the free rink, which will be open every day between noon and 9pm until January 5, 2025 (barring Christmas Day).

Last year, the event brought record visitor numbers on to the seafront during the winter months.

In addition to the free-to-use skating rink, this year’s village will see an extended range of themed children’s attractions, exciting new rides including a Snow Dome Waltzer, helter skelter and German Swing Grill, and the return of the thrilling Star Flyer, which at 196ft tall, is one of Europe’s tallest swing rides.

The festive event will be complemented by a full Illuminations display along the seafront after VisitBlackpool announced earlier this year that the Illuminations would once again be extended by two months to run from August 30 through to January 5.

The staging of the village is in association with Blackpool Council, Blackpool Transport and Triangle Attractions.

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, added: “Christmas By The Sea is one of the most popular events in our calendar, attracting visitors from far and wide who come to enjoy a unique Christmas experience.

“Many of the attractions including the rink, projection shows, snowfalls and light installations will again be free to access, giving families the chance to enjoy a truly magical and memorable Christmas.”