LIGHTPOOL FESTIVAL • 21-31 OCTOBER 2026

LIGHTPOOL FESTIVAL
21-31 OCTOBER 2026

Lightpool Festival 2023

20-28 October 2023

Lightpool Festival 2023

Blackpool’s award winning Lightpool Festival is back with fantastical free to see entertainment from 20th – 28th 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.

Escape from reality as we journey together into the light fantastic realm of both yours and our imaginations, as stunning light art installations and 3D projections fuse wonderful stories, big, bright and beautiful bold ideas and creative artistry never seen before in the UK.

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.

Lightpool Festival 2023 Art Trail

I Caught a …

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.

France

Spin Me A Yarn

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.

UK

Polyrhythms

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.

UK

Supercube

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!

France

Gardens of Baroque Delights

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.

UK

A Daily Performance of Home

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.

UK

Aqualux

Aqualux - 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 light feature.

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

Seraphic

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.

UK

Tower and Golden Mile Lightshow

Blackpool Tower is emblazoned with a glowing heart, and 25,000 lights on the structure. Join us for this sensational light show, as we bring the Tower and promenade to life with a sound and light spectacular.

UK

Firefly Field

Firefly Field is a mesmerizing light installation of numerous flying light points that simulate the movements of these nocturnal Lampyridae.

Netherlands

Lightquake

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.

UK

The Storm Cone

The Storm Cone is an immersive artwork that unearths lost bandstands and their buried past.

UK

Island Pattern

SHEZAD DAWOOD’s 2017 neon work Island Pattern, is informed by multiple studies of the wave patterns in the Venice Lagoon and tells the story of a city at increasing risk from climate change and rising sea levels.

UK

Invasion

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.

UK

Medusae

Are you ready for a fun aquatic adventure? Our amazing interactive installation awaits you, featuring the most vibrant and mesmerising 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.

UK

The Universe Is A Clock

RA WALDEN presents a newly commissioned work titled, the universe is a clock (i) schrodinger’s equation, time dependent (2023)

UK

Micro

The projection mapping spectacular is our imagined world into the intersection of nature and technology.

Spain

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

Big Bird

What’s 3.5 metres high and made out of ten London taxis? Big Bird of course!

UK

Blackpool Light of my Life

Blackpool Light of My Life takes the form of a riotous display of multi-coloured new light works installed on the front of Grundy Art Gallery.

UK

Odyssey

Introducing Odyssey, the largest installation ever seen in the Blackpool Illuminations display, co-created by international designer Jack Irving in collaboration with a talented team of computer scientists from Lancaster University and the experts at Lightworks.

UK

Parabolic Lightcloud

‘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.

Australia

Lightpool Festival 2023 Events

Butterfly Ball

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.

Sideshows and Curios

The Old Electric Explore a new interactive, walkabout experience that sheds light on The Victorian’s fascination with all things curious and, through live storytelling, finds links to modern society.

Carnival Magic 2023

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.

Lightpool Festival 2023 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.

Conference 2023

Lightpool Conference

Get ready to be inspired! You have the chance to connect with experienced light-creation professionals and take part in a dynamic program full of symposia, presentations, learning opportunities, and meetings with the organising teams of light festivals and Arts Council England. This is your chance to discuss current topics and open yourself up to fresh approaches and new sources of inspiration.

To help you and your organisation achieve success with a more audience-focused approach, our keynote speakers will dive into the topics that matter most to you right now. They will share tips and insights, as well as offer their expertise on a range of topics,

Lightpool Conference 2023 →

Light Gallery