Blackpool Illuminations celebrates £700k Arts Council funding boost

The cash will be ploughed in over the next three years in the form of annual grants of £225,000 starting next April.

It means the Illuminations joins prestigious organisations such as the Royal Opera House and Royal Shakespeare Company in receiving support.

It will enable the Illuminations to develop October’s Lightpool Festival and is part of a £43.5m investment in Levelling Up by the Arts Council with around 900 organisations being named within the new national portfolio (NPO).

Blackpool’s Grand Theatre and Grundy Art Gallery, both existing NPOs, have been awarded a new three-year investment with the Grand receiving more than £1.5m and the council-owned Grundy £99,000.

Blackpool Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said: “We are immensely proud of Lightpool Festival and excited that it is now a part of the Arts Council’s national portfolio.

“It gives us a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with artists and partners both nationally and internationally to present the best contemporary light art work of the day to our present Illuminations audience of more than three million locals and visitors.

“We have a vibrant arts scene in Blackpool with some wonderful independent organisations and the funding will enable us to collaborate with them to a much greater level.”

The Illuminations funding will enable:

Commissioning of new light art for the Illuminations display and Lightpool Festival collaborating with national and international artists.Delivery of an extensive talent development programme for artists and creatives with artists in residence; and developing new work using the expertise of the Illuminations team and the facilities at Lightworks, the Illuminations manufacturing facility at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.Expansion of the work with local cultural partners such as LeftCoast, Old Electric, and the Grand Theatre to provide year-round activity for children, young people and communities to creatively take part and present work to a wider audience during the Illuminations season and as part of Lightpool Festival.

This October’s Lightpool featured 16 nights of free entertainment including light-based art installations, live performances and 3D projection shows.

Phil Holmes, Artistic Director for Lightpool said: “This is wonderful news and comes on the back of a highly successful 2022 Lightpool Festival this October where we delighted audiences with exciting work from international artists and supported emerging artists in presenting light art work to the public for the first time.

“This funding will enable us to build on our support and development of artists and creatives in particular with new technologies.”

Arts Council England Chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, said: “As well as continuing our commitment to our many established and renowned cultural organisations, I am deeply proud of the support we will be giving to those new organisations which will help ignite creativity across the country.

“We are facing economic pressures at present but this funding is about an investment in our future.

“This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”