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Lightpool Festival

This October half term, Blackpool’s award-winning light art festival returns for a very special year as Lightpool Festival celebrates its tenth anniversary.

From 21 to 31 October 2026, the town will once again be transformed by a spectacular programme of illuminated artworks, live performances and interactive installations. 

Presented across a variety of indoor and outdoor venues, Lightpool Festival brings together talented local, national and international artists, alongside community groups and local organisations, creating a vibrant celebration of light, creativity and culture that is free and accessible for all to enjoy.

For information on the festival, along with its engagement initiatives and opportunities, visit lightpool.org.uk.

Medusae

Light Art Trail

Take a look at 2026's Light Art Trail, a series of spectacular light installations created by local, national, and international artists.

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Live Performance

Our annual Lightpool Festival wouldn’t be the same without a generous helping of the live entertainment and exciting events that Blackpool is famous for and is guaranteed to blow your imagination. Here's what happened last year:

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Carnival Magic

Lightpool Festival 2026


21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Sky Forest Read More

With charming LED cherry blossom trees adorned with thousands of vibrant LEDs, you'll step into a magical woodland that resembles a starry night or a twinkling ...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Fun Filled Virtual Reality Read More

Dive straight into the action with our top-tier headsets and enjoy stunning visuals and lifelike details on our high-resolution 4K screen.

25 Oct 2026 Sip & Paint: The Art of Comedy Read More

Learn to draw a caricature, enjoy a glass of wine and have a laugh while you create!

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Beacon Read More

Beacon is an immersive light and sound installation by UK artist Sarah Harris that explores the connections between people, place and memory.

22 Oct 2026 Glowtots Read More

​​​​​​​Got a little one aged 0-4 full of wiggles, wonder and joy? Come along to Glowtots, our fun, light-themed Showtots!

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Marbles Read More

This giant and rotating marble run plays with the exchange and connection between inner growth and outer expression

29 Oct 2026 Magic & Mayhem: Kids Party Read More

​​​​​​​Step into a glowing world of colour at our Magic and Mayhem kids’ party!

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Firefly Field Read More

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

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Three Salons At The Seaside Read More

A visit to three Blackpool hairdressing salons, where an elderly community carries on its daily life oblivious to the hordes of tourists on its doorstep.

The Ballroom Read More

Created by British artist Doddz, the experience features circus choreography by Joe Fearn and performers from House of Mash, bringing this extraordinary transfo...

Tower Projections Read More

See Blackpool Tower brought to life with a series of projection shows featuring light, colour, music and animation.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Crystal Tide Read More

A mirrored lighthouse rises from a landscape of towering crystal shards that catch the sunlight by day and glow with the colours of the Northern Lights after da...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Noctilucent Read More

Noctilucent is an installation that explores the perception of volume in space through light, atmosphere and movement.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Blackpool Wings Read More

Selfie time! Strike a pose next to a giant illuminated pair of wings during Lightpool Festival

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 What The Gull Read More

A playful, humorous installation inspired by Blackpool’s famed seagulls.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 LUCA Read More

Exploring the concept of LUCA, the shared common ancestor of all life on Earth, we move through colour, pattern and form, delving into deep time and the connect...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Hulahoop Read More

Hulahoop is certainly the most poetic installation by Collectif Scale. Through its sensitive kinetic show, Scale aims to make us forget the presence of technolo...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Common Ground Read More

Common Ground is a collaborative lightwork created by HND students from Fashion, Photography, Illustration and Fine Art at Blackpool School of Arts

12 Sep 2026 - 03 Jan 2027 Guardians of the North Read More

Watch as three dragons, drawing on Lancashire's rich myths and legends, light up on the Tower Festival Headland.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Illuminated Worlds Read More

Illuminated Worlds is a captivating photography exhibition that invites you to embark on a transformative journey through the art of photography, showcasing lig...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 The Blackpool Tapestry Read More

Community arts organisation Aunty Social returns to Lightpool 2026 with a new collaborative community artwork that celebrates Blackpool’s heritage by mixing up ...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Light Sphere Read More

Light Sphere is a captivating and dynamic spinning circle of LEDs that creates a voluminous and immersive space.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Medusae Read More

Are you ready for a fun aquatic adventure? This giant installation awaits you, featuring the most vibrant jellyfish you've ever seen!

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Shadows and Salt Read More

Local community-led creative organisation, The Old Electric have created a pop-up shadow puppetry theatre where you are the puppeteers and storytellers.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Spiro Read More

A family friendly immersive walk-through sculptural tunnel of light experience

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Super Magic Stone Circle Read More

The Super Magic Stone Circle is an interactive light installation by Daniel Kurniczak. A circle of stones awaits activation.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Event Horizon Read More

The passage of infinite reflections "Ereignishorizont//EventHorizon" proposes the expansion of a transit area by the use of light; new dimensions become visible...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 In Love with my Dynamic Soft Elephant Read More

Reflecting Chila Burman’s Indian heritage, ‘In Love with my Dynamic soft Elephant’ captures this rich cultural heritage with the glitz, glamour, and iconicity o...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Kaleider’s Twist & Shine Read More

Kaleider’s Twist & Shine is a playful installation of giant, interactive glowing sculptures. Every prism twists. Move the sculptures into whatever shape you wan...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 The Moth Garden Read More

The Moth Garden is part of ‘Nature Nocturnal’ - our collection of illuminated work that holds up a magnifying glass to the complexity and beauty of all aspects ...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 The Wish Read More

A towering, colour-shifting dandelion made of recycled steel rises in Blackpool as part of Lightpool Festival.

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Blackpool Rock Read More

The newly commissioned Blackpool Rock sculpture for this year’s Lightpool Festival continues the love story first told through the artist's earlier work for the...

21 Oct 2026 - 31 Oct 2026 Tiffany Lamp Read More

An original feature from the Tiffany Delights roadway section, one of the most expensive and magnificent roadway features designed by Graham Ogden

26 Oct 2026 Carnival Magic by Global Grooves: Lightpool Festival Read More

An exhilarating menagerie of illuminated Carnival will return to the Tower Ballroom for an electrifying static showcase.