Ride The Lights And Fireworks Are Back For Winter!

Two of Blackpool’s most popular events are coming back for the festive season.

The annual Ride The Lights event, which usually takes place at the end of August ahead of the Illuminations Switch-On, will see a repeat performance on Sunday 5 December.

Families will be invited to say “goodbye” to 2021 and get ready to say “hello” to 2022 with a celebratory fireworks display that will take place late afternoon on the Tower Festival Headland on New Year’s Eve.

Ride The Christmas Lights will give cyclists of all ages a chance to ride along a traffic-free promenade beneath the famous Illuminations. It will start at 4pm in the afternoon and finish at 8pm.

Riders are welcome to decorate their bikes with colourful lights and lanterns to add to the festive atmosphere!

The free fireworks display, which will be launched around 5pm on December 31 from the beach in front of The Blackpool Tower, will create a stunning finale to end the year.

November and December sees the biggest programme of Christmas entertainment that Blackpool has staged in years. It is part of a £1m Council investment to rejuvenate the tourism economy.

In addition to the Illuminations remaining lit until January 3, there will be an indoor festive market at the Winter Gardens, a Christmas By The Sea village on the Tower Festival Headland with free-to-use synthetic skating rink, magic forest, log cabins, snowfalls, and themed light projection shows.

The new attractions will be complemented by traditional shows and pantomimes, and for the first time outside London, the FriendsFestive exhibition celebrating all the best seasonal moments from the hit TV show. It will run at the Winter Gardens from November 5-19.

A VisitBlackpool spokesperson said: “We are delighted to be able to announce two more events to add to what is already a fantastic programme of entertainment over the winter period.

“The run-up to Christmas last year was an extremely difficult and challenging one for so many families due to COVID restrictions and lockdowns. This year, we wanted to create two occasions when people can come together and celebrate.

“By staging both events late afternoon, early evening, we hope it will give the whole family an opportunity to come out and enjoy the best of Blackpool.”

Note: Both Ride The Christmas Lights and New Year’s Eve Family Fireworks are weather-dependent. Check out the visitblackpool.com website for updates.

Ride the Christmas Lights and New Year’s Eve Family Fireworks are both part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund