Lightpool Festival 2023

Blackpool’s award winning Lightpool Festival is back with fantastical free to see entertainment  20-28 October 2023.

Lightpool Festival 2023

A festival of light and performance in Blackpool, 20-28 October 2023

Blackpool’s award winning Lightpool Festival is back with fantastical free to see entertainment  20-28 October 2023.

This year let your imagination shine bright for 9 nights as we take you on a spectacular voyage into light worlds of wonder and extraordinary illuminated discovery.

get in touch

Lightpool Festival 2023

Lightpool Festival 2023 plays host to an array of top international and UK based artists and producers showcasing interactive installations, mesmeric light shows and spectacular 3D projections that will light up your life with pure escapism and joy filled delight.

Creating a magical trail of light art illuminating and celebrating the resorts magnificent landmarks from the iconic Blackpool Tower to the legendary Grand Theatre & Winter Gardens, as well as illuminating the town’s architectural heritage buildings in a new and vibrant way, our artistes and creatives take fantastical flights of the imagination to thrill and entertain you.

Transforming the treasures of our town through a mesmeric family friendly trail of imaginative discovery in the heart of Blackpools theatres, churches and attractions, enjoy world first premiers of light art as you stroll along the famous glittering Golden Mile and indulge in the ambiance and atmosphere of an enchanted evening walk along the illuminated promenade. Shimmer, twinkle and glow as you experience direct from the Netherlands, Studio Toers stunning Firefly Field, a nocturnal dynamic delight and interactive scene that triggers viewers curiosity and fascination.

Performance Programme

Carnival Magic

23 October

An exhilarating menagerie of illuminated Carnival will return to the Tower Ballroom for an electrifying static showcase of music, puppetry and dance. Internationally recognised Carnival performers will present a showstopper over 30 minutes, bringing a diverse melting pot of Carnival magic.

From giant hand-crafted puppets to stunning illuminated dancers, there will be something for all the family.

Butterfly Ball and Silent Disco

28 October

The Butterfly Ball takes flight on Saturday, 28 October from 7pm. Join us for a magical mix of music, entertainment and fun and games to entertain all ages. Dress to impress in your colourful butterfly outfit or join one of our craft workshops to make your own custom butterfly accessories.

SILENT DISCO
Suitable for all ages – our Silent Disco will have three different music choices playing continuously throughout the night. Catering for all music tastes young and old, you’re bound to find a track you want to dance to!

Sideshows & Curios

20,21,22  October

Blackpool-based The Electric Sunshine Project invites you to explore some of the town’s darker historical connections with sideshows.

A cavalcade of  carnival characters and curiosity-box of freakish findings have been unearthed and illuminated for your delight; you’ll be encouraged to explore at your own pace and find links to Victorian hey-days as well as to modern society.

The Art Trail

Nightly, 20–28 October, 6pm to 10pm

The Lightpool Festival Art Trail is a self-guided tour over 9 nights. Recognisable indoor and outdoor spaces are transformed by spectacular artworks and captivating performances by local, national and international artists.

Tower Projections - Lightpool Festival 2021
Tower Projections

Blackpool Illuminations

The Blackpool Tower Projections transform The Blackpool Tower into a sea of light, colour and sound, as a stunning, digitally mapped multi-media show is projected onto this iconic building. There are five individual projection shows, including the three headline shows :

Lightpool Festival 2023
Medusae

Simon Clegg

Are you ready for a fun aquatic adventure? Our amazing interactive installation awaits you, featuring the most vibrant and mesmerizing jellyfish you've ever seen! Immersed in a sea of colours and light shows, this experience is sure to uplift your spirits and dazzle your senses.

Lightpool Festival 2023
I Caught a ..

Stéphane Masson

As night falls, you will discover the curiosities exhibited in a cage erected in the street so as to enchant passers-by. Since it left the workshop, this weird and wonderful zoo has evolved and is ready to come to life before our eyes.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Supercube

Stéphane Masson

A laughing baby, a pink elephant, a dancing man, a giraffe. 241 glass jars stacked neatly in a row. Behind each illuminated jar is a different miniature tableau, populated by unique characters: a laughing baby, a pink elephant, a dancing man, a giraffe. Every now and then, images of the public are even conjured up out of nowhere to appear in the Supercube. Explore and be astonished!

Lightpool Festival 2023
Polrythmas

Axolotl

Polyrhythms by Axolotl Creative. A percussive soundtrack interacts with mesmerising glowing patterns of light chasing round large concentric polygon structures representing various polyrhythmic beats. 'Polyrhythms' fuses the visual language of light art with music theory to create a captivating sculptural piece.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Aqualux

Phil Holmes for Lightpool Festival

An 8m by 3m creative lighting installation composed of 48 unfilled water containers, which typically hold 1,000 litres of water each, specially adapted to create a stunning, transportable and eco-friendly light feature to raise the importance of water.

Did you know the average person uses the same amount of water these containers hold within the space of a year? And that’s only at home! Our great grandparents managed with only three containers.

Lightpool Festival 2023
The Garden of Baroque Delights

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

The Room of Baroque delights is LLB’S first ever Art installation piece and uses four of his Fantastical and Romantic Arcadian landscape paintings as a creative jumping off point. Using photo reels of the paintings that captured each day’s painting from first sketch to final glazing the Installation welcomes viewers into the LLB’s Creative process which is very much in the Grand Classical manner.

Big Bird - Lightpool Festival 2021
Big Bird

Blackpool Illuminations

The 1 tonne pigeon was originally created for the Museum of London’s immersive experience Beasts of London, created in partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, but it will spread its wings and head to Blackpool for Lightpool Festival.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Micro

Hotaru Visual Guerrilla

The microscopic world is full of fascinating and beautiful images that captivate the minds of scientists and laypeople alike. Whether viewed through a microscope or captured by advanced imaging technology, the shapes, and patterns found at the microscopic level are truly breath-taking.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Lightquake

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

The façade of the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom will come alive with a projection installation that will be visually arresting and transformative while creating a surreal and immersive experience for the audience. Our theme of imagination and amazement will serve as the cornerstone of our visual narrative. With an animation style that disrupts the conventional, showcasing a realm where reality melts into the extraordinary, eliciting a profound sense of wonder for passers-by.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Spin Me A Yarn

Studio Vertigo

Spin me a Yarn takes the form of an oversized ball of wool with a 50-metre trail of neon yarn that will wrap around The Blackpool Church in St Johns square.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Firefly Field

Studio Toer

Firefly Field is a mesmerizing light installation of numerous flying light points that simulate the movements of these nocturnal Lampyridae. Glowing. Darting. Hovering above the ground. The ever-changing bioluminescence of each one is reflected in the grassy slope. On mass, they create a dynamic light scene that triggers visitors’ curiosity and awe.

Lightpool Festival 2023
The Grundy At Lightpool

Work by internationally recognised artists, Laura Daly, Shezad Dawood, and RA Walden presented onsite at the Grundy and offsite via Augmented Reality. These neon and new media works explore time, tides and the site of lost bandstands. Shezad Dawood and RA Walden are presented as part of Hybrid Futures. Laura Daly is presented in collaboration with The University of Salford Art Collection.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Seraphic

Dan Shorten

The intricate architecture of the Sacred Heart Church will act as the canvas for a new installation from the Guildhall School. Visuals will be geometrical and particle-based animations that are designed to complement and enhance the church's detailed structures.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Invasion

Designs In Air

Blackpool Tower has been invaded! Giant tentacles have appeared, breaking through the ballroom roof. These mysterious creatures have arrived, but what are they and where are they from? An underwater world or an alien planet? Look up to see if you can spot evidence of them at the tower.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Parabolic Lightcloud

Amigo and Amigo

‘Parabolic LightCloud’ is a light sculpture inspired by the marine environment and sea corals. This cloud of light is constructed from 800 meters of woven rope recycled from discarded plastic bottles ,and features over 1000 LED lights, with 20 unique light animations.

Spiro - Lightpool Festival
Spiro

Lightworks

A family friendly immersive walk-through sculptural tunnel of light experience, re-imagined for 2023. This 26m long magical experience is made of individually mapped LEDs that allow complex patterns to dance around the audience. Get your camera ready and remember the moment.

Lightpool Festival 2023
A Daily Performance of Home

LeftCoast

A living room. A window. A daily performance of home. Experience the magic and poetry of everyday rituals in this immersive and captivating light and film installation.

Lightpool Festival 2023
Contact Us

Phil Holmes

Artistic Director

2023 will see the Lightpool Festival, returning to the town, celebrating Blackpool’s unique relationship with light.

Lightpool Festival 2023 plays host to an array of top international and UK based artists and producers showcasing interactive installations, mesmeric light shows and spectacular 3D projections that will light up your life with pure escapism and joy filled delight.

The Lightpool Festival 2023 delivers an enchanting and heart warming experience for families and friends of all ages to enjoy. Be prepared to be captivated and filled with light and awe as you embark on each new adventure from venue to venue, accompanied by live music and unique performance entertainers, all brilliantly illuminated.

Join us for 9 nights of pure joy and exhilarating entertainment as we dare to dream the possible out of the impossible. We look forward to journeying together at Lightpool Festival 2023, to Blackpool and beyond and let’s see where your imagination can take you!