Experience the exceptional appeal of this year’s festival through our complimentary guided tour, which present a distinctive opportunity to explore the narratives behind the remarkable artworks featured in the Lightpool Festival programme.
Interact with our expert guides, who are eager to address any inquiries you may have. These exclusive tours will be conducted by a member of the Lightpool Festival team, accompanied by a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. The duration of the tour is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
We invite you to join us for a memorable occasion that will enhance your understanding of the artistry presented at Lightpool Festival 2025 on Thursday, 23rd October at 7pm from Houndshill Shopping Centre, Adelaide Street West entrance.
On this special evening, take the opportunity to visit Grundy Art Gallery after hours to enjoy the exciting and engaging exhibitions on display and participate in an exhibition themed family friendly activity. Including a major solo exhibition by Jason Wilsher-Mills, whose work can also be seen in this year’s Lightpool Festival and Blackpool Illuminations, 5pm – 9pm. Admission is FREE
The Grundy Art Gallery was founded by the brothers Cuthbert and John Grundy in 1911 with the ambition to show the best art of the day to the people of Blackpool. It has been at the centre of artistic life in Blackpool for over 100 years and is now recognized as a leading contemporary visual arts venue in the northwest region with a growing national and international profile. It has been an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation for the past 8 years and holds Museums Accreditation status.
Grundy’s current position has been achieved through ambitious and contextual programming, which makes the most of its beautiful exhibition spaces and the unique cultural environment and context which exists beyond the gallery walls.
Grundy inspires audiences through an ambitious and varied year-round exhibitions programme that draws on the unique and invigorating context and heritage of Blackpool, for instance exploring the space between contemporary art, entertainment and popular culture.
Blackpool is an extraordinary location of rich cultural history and contemporary popular culture and Grundy’s programmes continue to explore these and add new perspectives to help better understand and appreciate them, working with key national and regional partners such as TATE, Southbank Centre/Hayward Touring, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, the British Council, the ICA, the Whitworth Art Gallery and LeftCoast.
Grundy continues to develop it’s permanent collection, embedding it into our of high quality temporary exhibitions programme and providing opportunities for audiences to think in new and unexpected ways through art.
Grundy is committed to developing Blackpool’s cultural offer through an engagement with high quality contemporary art exhibitions and events for both visitors and residents of the town, contributing to the visitor economy in Blackpool, attracting higher spending visitors, generating press and promoting the town centre as a sub-regional centre and helping to sustain jobs in the local creative economy.
