Get set for a bumper oompah party on the prom!

Blackpool Promenade will be alive with the sounds of a traditional oompah band to celebrate the dawn of a new year.

The free family celebration between 3pm and 6pm on New Year’s Eve will feature the LeylandHosen Bierkeller Band, one of the UK’s best Bavarian-style groups.

Dressed in full lederhosen dress, the eight-piece brass and drums group will be performing in the Christmas By The Sea village on the Tower Festival Headland.

The free show is part of an outdoor party that will also include a DJ, costume characters, face-painting, circus performers, children’s rides, themed food and drink cabins, and a free skating rink, which has been part of the Christmas village since it opened in mid-November.

The three-hour celebration will culminate in a synchronised fireworks and projection show set to music.

The event, which is being staged by the Blackpool Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) in conjunction with VisitBlackpool, takes place on the penultimate day of Christmas By The Sea, which has once again attracted huge crowds to the Promenade during its six-week run.

The full timetable for the New Year’s Eve event is:

12noon: Opening of the Christmas By The Sea village and rink with a DJ playing music and giving away competition prizes.

3pm-5pm: Performances by the LeylandHosen Bierkeller Band with audience interaction and a selection of team games.

3pm-6pm: Face painters and circus skills

5.30pm (approximate): Countdown on The Blackpool Tower followed by a fireworks display and light projection show (Note: The fireworks display is subject to weather).

The skating rink and the rest of the Christmas village will remain open until 9pm and the six-mile Illuminations display will shine from 4.30pm until 1am. The countdown and New Year projection show will be repeated on The Blackpool Tower at midnight.

The village includes a selection of themed children’s attractions, as well as a 100ft-long snow slide and the spectacular Star Flyer, which, at 196ft tall, is one of Europe’s tallest swing rides. It also features light installations and projection shows, artificial snowfalls, sparkling trees and tram rides.

Last year, Christmas By The Sea delivered the highest visitor numbers ever recorded on the seafront during the winter months and since its opening night, this year’s event has already drawn in tens of thousands of people from across the region.

The New Year’s Eve celebration forms part of a resort-wide winter programme which includes attractions, shows, late night shopping and a special discounted parking offer giving three hours of parking for just £1 on most Blackpool Council car parks.

For full details of skating rink opening times and other Christmas By The Sea attractions go to: visitblackpool.com/cbts

For more information on Christmas in Blackpool head to visitblackpool.com