Blackpool Mirror Ball - a glittering icon of ballroom capital

Many years ago while waiting for my new job to start I went around taking photographs of my town and penning now and again for the Gazette and local magazines.

In 2006 I had the chance to sit down with Michael Trainor, who has been responsible for many of the public art schemes which included The Great Promenade Show and the Mirror Ball.

The Mirror Ball took three years from start to finish and was finally lit up on the promenade of the Uk’s ‘ballroom capital’ in the summer of 2002.

At six metres in diameter with more than 47,000 mirrors, it is named after the 1969 Jane Fonda film about a ballroom marathon - “They shoot horses don’t they?” in which a large mirror ball features.

Artist Michael came up with the idea as he felt the mirror ball reflected an image of Blackpool that many would identify with and see the artwork as one of uniqueness.

The mirror ball itself was made to last 10 years or more, which of course would also depend on our ever changing weather and how it treats the artwork. A special adhesive was needed for the many mirrors that adorn it and had to also withstand the Fylde coast climate, a micro system in itself.

The council look after its maintenance and replace the gas cylinders every 3 months or so that the mirror ball will keep on turning. If this did not happen it would stop altogether, in more recent years this, alas, has been the case.

When I asked Michael about the project he said he wanted to create an object that reflected the glamour of the town and also to attract more people to the town.

“Many flock to see the illuminations,” he said, “why not art?”

Over the years Michael has been at the forefront of the North West’s art scene constantly pushing forward the boundaries of performance, exhibitions and of course training and learning development within such a niche arena.

He has an impressive CV of previous achievements including the most recent Art B&B on the promenade as well as Leftcoast and Manchester’s Northern Quarter Association.

The much needed refurbishment will see the structure re-mirrored and an overhaul of the internal bearings to ensure it can rotate in full circle once a minute. I must admit it has been a while since we have seen this happen!

The Mirror Ball will be returned to the promenade for the summer season this year with the works taking around six months, for the 4.5 tonne ball. The cost will be met by the council maintenance budget.

When I was little (many years ago) my parents would take me to the same location, still not sure whether it was a paddling pool or a boating pool.

We always called it the latter and it was very popular. It was always a treat to visit as well.

During lockdown and permitted exercise it was indeed lovely to see in 2020 many locals just promenading as they did in olden days, taking in the sea air and taking snaps for the family albums.

n The refurbishment will be undertaken by a number of partners including the council’s own Illuminations team at the Lightworks and students from Blackpool and the Fylde College. To fix the 47,000 mirrors in place, it was take 1,000 tubes of adhesive.