LIGHTPOOL FESTIVAL • 21-31 OCTOBER 2026

LIGHTPOOL FESTIVAL
21-31 OCTOBER 2026

Lightpool Festival 2018

18 October 2018 &
24-27 October 2018

Lightpool Festival 2018

The Lightpool festival began in 2016, to celebrate the Illuminations by bringing contemporary light and fire artists to Blackpool to be inspired by the town’s unique relationship with light. The festival won the Large Tourism Event at the Lancashire Tourism awards in 2017.

The Lightpool Festival 2018 is a festival of light and fire that will take place between October 18 and 27 in Blackpool as the climax to the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations. The festival has been made possible with significant public funding from Arts Council England (ACE). VisitBlackpool, LeftCoast, BBC Philharmonic and ACE are Lead Partners.

Lightpool Festival 2018 Art Trail

Brilliance

This light and sound show was the first of its kind in the UK. Based on a continuous ribbon spiralling in and out of the ground, its six metal arches criss-cross Birley Street with custom-designed luminaires.

UK

Plenty and Progress

'Plenty and Progress' references Blackpool's town motto of 'Progress' and is composed of elements of Claudegen's various 1930's neon designs for the Town Hall.

UK

Northern Lights

A voice from the future, or 'visitor from another place' interrogates the traditions and artefacts of the Blackpoool Illuminations.

UK

Critter Divided

An Illuminations' favourite from 2003 re-imagined in homage to Damien Hirst.

UK

Spaceman

Originally designed for the Space Age road section by Alan Cockcroft in 1970. Get up close and personal with a giant interpretation from the famous moon landing over 50 years ago – they’re out of this world!

UK

Late At The Library 2018

Transformation of Central Library into an illuminated wonderland for families.

UK

If You Can Dream It You Must Do It

The hypnotic work 'If You Can Dream It, You Must Do It' seeks to inspire us to take the future for ourselves in a process o collective realisation.

UK

A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

Elements from Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's Decodance (2007) re-imagined for Lightpool Festival.

UK

Tap!

Mind you don't get wet! The Illuminations tap was first seen in 2015 as part of Sunderland Illuminations.

UK

Fluted Pylons

Jo Berry has interpreted five fluted pylons with themes taken from the Illuminations original 1930’s collection.

UK

Elektroniki K9 Walk

A transforming light installation of a boy walking his dog home.

UK

Routine & No Them Only Us

'Routine' combines a series of repeated self-improvement mantras with archive footage of once familiar but now outdated Windows screensavers.

UK

Lancashire Moon

The creation of the animation of the ever present yet ever-changing moon involves a process of gathering images from members of the public in Blackpool, Preston and Lancaster.

UK

Emotisphere

A blend of the Blackpool-style seaside amusemnt fun machine with the latst RBG technology.

UK

Onochord

Yoko Ono invites everyone to send the message 'I Love You' to each other, around the world and to the universe.

USA

Surf The Lightwave

Test your surfing abilities to generate a light-wave, and keep the illuminations shining!

UK

Museum of the Moon

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface

UK

Tower Projections

Step into a magical world and experience the delightful charm of the Blackpool Tower Projections! Let yourself be captivated by the mesmerising display of lights, colours, and music that will transport you to a whimsical era full of vintage allure and soothing tunes.

UK

Portrait of Self

Portrait of self is a deliberately and stylishly surreal statement that suggests that the self-revelatory image of a self-portrait is not always as honest as it seems.

UK

Mirror Stage

A kaleidoscope of moving image, colour and light, this immersive installation plays with ideas of the homely and un-homely to consider what it means to be ‘at home’ in the 21st Century

UK

Colour Curiosity

This immersive experience uses colour and sound to stimulate the senses and invites you to relive your childhood playfulness and engage in a world of wonder and exploration.

UK

Aura

A digital mirror reflecting audience motion and emotion.

UK

Cathedral of Mirrors

12 towering columns of light respond to movement, creating an immersive environment

UK

Winter Gardens Dome

Look up at the panoramic lighting inside the Winter Gardens' celebrated dome.

UK

Spiro

Spiro is a family friendly immersive walk-through sculptural tunnel of light experience. 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.

UK

Tiffany Umbrellas

The Tiffany Delights road section, originally designed in 1999 by Graham Ogden, reimagined to illuminate 16 umbrellas.

UK

Endless Knot

A playful reflection on our endless journeys to and from work.

UK

Dusk

Within a disused retail unit, this installation produces an abstracted landscape stretching out before the viewer.

UK

Art Is Your Human Right

Illuminated words hang at eye-catching locations around the town centre.

UK

Lightpool Festival 2018 Events

Light Odyssey

On Thursday 18 October, Light Odyssey will bring the iconic Empress Ballroom in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens to life with 3D animation

Carnival of the Lights 2018

To celebrate Blackpool’s unique tramway history, this Parade is a tribute to the rich heritage of our Illuminated Trams.

Rush

RUSH is a powerful, energetic site -responsive outdoor dance spectacular. It features a locally recruited cast of dancers who perform alongside professionals from Southpaw Dance Company.

Pyronix

This Belgian professional fire, light & pyrotechnic show will bring St Johns Square alight with an outstanding fire show extravaganza.

Dancing in the Moonlight

For one night only, dance in the UK's most feted ballroom under the moonlight of Luke Jerram's spectacular installation, a 7m pixel perfect replica of our closest astral neighbour.

Lightpool Festival 2018 Engagement

Fit2Glow

Lightpool Festival in partnership with Blackpool Football Club Community Trust are to hold UV Football events for Blackpool Year 2 Primary Schools and Blackpool Academy, during September.

Lumidogs

Lumidogs at Lightpool - We are hosting a series of make & create workshops across Blackpool and inviting dog owners and their pooches to get involved.

Rush

RUSH is a powerful, energetic site -responsive outdoor dance spectacular. It features a locally recruited cast of dancers who perform alongside professionals from Southpaw Dance Company.

Conference 2018

Lightpool NESTA Conference

The Creative industries are worth almost £10million an hour to the UK economy and remain one of the fastest growing sectors. To launch the Lightpool Festival, The North’s leading light art festivals and the innovation foundation Nesta are coming together in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on the 18th October to consider how light festival relate to the creative economy, as drivers for regeneration. The event will bring together funders, cultural businesses, artists and producers to explore and debate the creative economy, alternative forms of finance in the sector and the social and environmental sustainability of our cities.

Sessions include themes such as investment readiness, partnership building, culture and placemaking, and the role of social investment in the changing funding landscape. This is the first event of its kind outside of London, intended for creative and cultural organisations, people working on regeneration or urban planning, or anyone connected to the light industries.

Lightpool Conference 2018

Light Gallery