Blackpool Illuminations 2025: Dragons and Digital Art Transform World’s Biggest Free Light Show
A Dazzling New Season Begins
As the long summer days begin to fade, something quite magical happens along the Lancashire coast. The seaside town of Blackpool transforms into a glittering wonderland of light, colour and entertainment.
The 2025 spectacular will run from Friday 29th August 2025 to Sunday 4th January 2026, kicking off with the annual Switch-On Event, featuring celebrity guests, live music and fireworks.
New Features for 2025
This year’s display introduces several exciting new features created by nationally acclaimed artists. The highlight is ‘Guardians of the North,’ designed by Illuminations Creative Curator, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, featuring three impressive dragons, each 7 metres tall, wrapped around turrets. These mythical creatures will come alive with light, smoke and watchful eyes on the Tower Festival Headland. The installation includes an interactive element with a new projection on The Blackpool Tower building, where visitors can scan a QR code to summon their chosen dragon and watch it move across the structure.
Another notable addition is ‘Wild Light,’ which transforms the Illuminations roadway section into an open-air gallery featuring work by acclaimed wildlife artist Robert E Fuller. His illuminated works showcase British fauna in exquisite detail, including badgers, foxes, pheasants and birdlife. With over 910,000 subscribers, Fuller brings the beauty of the natural world to Blackpool’s famous lights.
Scale and Significance
The display stretches approximately 5 miles (8 km) along the Promenade from Starr Gate at the south end of the town to Bispham in the north, utilizing over one million bulbs, LED technology, micro controllers, lasers and video.
The event attracts around three to four million visitors annually from across the UK and beyond, drawn by the promise of lights, laughter and late-season seaside fun. From coach parties to couples on weekend escapes, and multi-generational families pushing prams along the promenade, the event welcomes all with its timeless appeal.
Practical Information
The extended run through to January allows families, tourists and day-trippers to experience the magic during various holidays including Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and New Year. One of the most delightful ways to see the Illuminations is by boarding one of Blackpool’s illuminated heritage trams, which include models shaped like battleships, trains and even UFOs, adorned with hundreds of lights and running nightly during the event.
