Blackpool Council leader looking forward to a super 2022 season packed with events including vintage tram parade and giant new Illuminations feature

The Illuminations will again run all the way through to early January.

The Switch-On concert will again be in the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom on September 2, in association with MTV and live-streamed to an audience around the globe as well as a full audience at the venue, for which a ballot opens on Monday.

Odyssey, designed to be an attraction Illuminations visitors will be eager to walk around, has been created by international designer Jack Irving, who hails from Blackpool, in collaboration with a team of computer scientists from Lancaster University.

Standing almost 10 metres high, the installation comprises six large-scale structures that are combined with state-of-the-art technology to create an immersive and interactive projection show themed on creatures from the deep sea.

Other highlights of the season include:

· New attractions including the Peter Rabbit-themed play zone on the Golden Mile and the much-anticipated return of the award-winning Valhalla thrill ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

· A full calendar of free events including the two-day Blackpool Air Show with the Red Arrows performing on both days, as well as the return of Ride The Lights, World Fireworks Championship Blackpool and the two-week Lightpool Festival

· Publication of a bumper entertainment guide containing hundreds of shows, musicals and concerts running from Easter to the end of the year

Coun Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “This is our first full year of tourism since 2019 and we are determined to make it a year to remember.

“Our substantial investment in marketing and events last year resulted in a spectacular recovery with some of the highest visitor numbers we have ever witnessed over the final part of the year.

“This year we will look to build on that with new events, the welcome return of some old favourites and one of the most ambitious TV campaigns we have run for many years.”

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