Lightpool

11/09/2026

09/09/2026

07/09/2026

📢 Want to be part of Lightpool 2026? We’re looking for volunteers!

Our award-winning Festival returns this October half-term and this year is extra special as we celebrate our 10th anniversary!

From 21–31 October 2026, Blackpool will come alive with dazzling light installations, live performances and spectacular 3D projections, all part of a free art trail across the town.

We’re looking for friendly and passionate volunteers to join our team and help make this year’s festival one to remember.

Volunteering is a great chance to:
✨ Meet new people and make new friends
✨ Try something new and gain valuable experience
✨ Get behind the scenes of a major light art festival
✨ Help create brilliant experiences for audiences

Volunteers must be 18+ and will need to attend a pre-festival briefing on Sunday 4 October. You’ll also receive £5 per shift towards food and refreshments.

Ready to get involved? Complete the volunteer application form (link in the comments) by Monday 28 September 2026.



Creative Blackpool Aunty Social LeftCoast I Love Blackpool Light Up the North

07/09/2026

‼️ DEADLINE 14 SEPTEMBER!

📣 Calling artists with a connection to Barnsley, Blackpool and Wigan!

Lightpool Lightlab is a skills development programme offering artists the opportunity to learn from sector specialists, meet established artists and producers, and gain practical experience in creating and touring light art.

We’re looking for artists living and/or working in or near Barnsley, Blackpool and Wigan. You don’t need previous experience of working with light – we welcome artists from a diverse range of creative backgrounds who are keen to explore new ideas and develop their practice.

The programme includes….

💡 10 places for artists
📍 Tour of Lightworks, the home of Blackpool Illuminations
💷 A £350 artist honorarium, plus accommodation for selected dates
✨ 5 artists will be selected for further R&D, receiving a £1,500 fee and mentoring support
📍 Workshops and festival visits at Lightpool (21-31 October), Barnsley Bright Nights (20-21 November), and Light Night Wigan (20-22 November)

📅 Deadline to apply: 14 September 2026, 5pm

🔗 Find out more and apply – link in the comments!

Light Night Wigan Visit Barnsley @

07/09/2026

🌟 WE'RE HIRING: Creative Producer for Blackpool Creates! 🌟

Are you a visionary producer ready to help shape the future of Blackpool’s vibrant arts scene? Creative Blackpool is looking for a dynamic freelance Creative Producer to bring Blackpool Creates (a major new festival for 2027) to life!

If you're passionate about community-driven culture and large-scale event delivery, this is your chance to make a lasting impact on our town.

Role Details:
📍 Role: Creative Producer (Freelance)
📍 Contract: 80 days total (October 2026 – July 2027)
📍 Festival Dates: 26 June – 4 July 2027
📍 Fee: £24,000 (£300/day)

What we're looking for:
✅ Strong collaboration with local artists and communities
✅ Expertise in managing complex project timelines
✅ The vision to deliver a show-stopping festival celebrating Blackpool

📩 How to Apply: Read the full recruitment pack via the link in the comments below.
⏰ Application Deadline: 30 September

Know someone perfect for this? Tag them below or share this post! 👇

05/09/2026

💡 The lights are on!

Which can only mean one thing… 4️⃣6️⃣ sleeps until Lightpool begins!

And this year is extra special as we’re celebrating 10 amazing years of Lightpool!

The festival takes place over the October half-term holidays, and we can’t wait to share what we’ve got planned.

Our full programme will be revealed very soon, so watch this space for exciting new commissions, returning favourites and plenty of light, colour and magic!

04/09/2026

Happy Switch-On Day! 💡 Let's kick off an extraordinary four-month Blackpool Illuminations season with a bang tonight!

See what’s happening at tonight’s event: https://bit.ly/switchon2026

📷 Gregg Wolstenholme Photography

02/09/2026

BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS SWITCH-ON COMPETITION

It’s Blackpool’s biggest night of the year this Friday and we’re giving you a chance to win one of five family tickets to Switch-On! Even better, the tickets are Golden Circle, placing you in the front section of the arena.

Watch all the action up close, including performances from headliners Five, The Feeling and Lucy Spraggan, before Paddy McGuinness flicks the famous switch.

Enter via our VisitBlackpool website here: https://bit.ly/switchoncompetition

Competition closes at 10am on Thursday. T&Cs apply – good luck!

28/08/2026

📢New Commission Announcement!

We are excited to announce that Blackpool’s iconic Wedding Chapel will come alive with LUCA, a spectacular new projection mapping artwork by Bristol-based creative studio Limbic Cinema at Lightpool Festival 2026 (21–31 October).

🧬 Inspired by the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA), the shared common ancestor of all life on Earth – this vibrant projection uses colour, pattern and movement to explore our connection to one another. DNA-inspired shapes repeat, shift and multiply, creating a mesmerising visual journey through billions of years of evolution and a reminder that all life is connected.

Limbic Cinema said: “What excites us most is the chance to make the invisible visible – taking the microscopic, scientific concept of LUCA and exploding it into a rhythmic canvas of light and colour.”

🔗 Visit the link in our comments to discover more about Luca and the artists behind the commission.


Arts Council England Your Blackpool Wedding Arts Council England Light Up the North

28/08/2026