I went to the unveiling of the 2024 Blackpool Illuminations & left in awe of the engineers who make it happen

As I’ve mentioned before I am new to all things Blackpool. I’ve been throwing myself head first into tasks sent my way in a bid to really see what makes this amazing town tick.

So when I was told I was going to cover the unveiling of the iconic Blackpool Illuminations - I was blown away! It was a real pinch me moment.

So here I am about to walk through the door of the Lightworks factory.

On the other side I know its a who’s who’s of important people in Blackpool as well as the TV personality and interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

I won’t lie - I was a little nervous. But as I entered all the nerves slipped away as I felt like the younger version of myself who used to visit Blackpool from my hometown of Leeds to see the grand illuminations.

The first thing to catch my attention was the lifesized Tardis from Doctor Who. This immediately made me feel giddy as I have been a big fan of Doctor Who for a long time. Seeing this made me curious about what other Doctor Who displays might be featured along the Promenade during the celebrations. However, I could not accurately determine whether it was bigger on the inside or not.

I couldn’t believe how big and detailed the illuminations were. Seeing the backs of the designs with countless wires going in every direction made me think about how much work must go into making sure every tiny light works properly and work with the others in patterns. Most of the designs, including the large peacock design, have flashing lights.

I was very impressed by all the designs, especially Disco Donkey Cavalcade by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. I liked it and thought it captured the spirit of the Blackpool Promenade perfectly. It was big, bright, unusual, and funny, making me wonder how others would react. 

I enjoyed hearing Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen talk about the illuminations. He is every bit the flamboyant character he appears on TV. You can tell Blackpool Illuminations are a passion project of his. His cheeriness and enthusiasm about the 2024 displays was catching.

Everyone could tell how much they meant to him and when he spoke about his history with the event you could see this just how much he enjoyed it.

The design created by Leigh Francis (aka Kieth Lemon) was funny and made me laugh.

It featured an astronaut on the moon and a dinosaur. Given the opportunity, it would be precisely what the majority of boys would have made. There was a lot of talk about how people were reaching back into their childhoods for inspiration for designs for the Illuminations.

Towards the end of the event I was offered the opportunity to have a go up in a cherry picker to see the illuminations from a birds eye view and to experience what it must be like for the engineers having to fit the boards and attractions in place.

I’m not bad with heights but I had to hold on as it was lifting me into place.

The sheer scale of the illuminations is one not to be underestimated. A small but perfectly formed team work all year round to make the illuminations what they are.

I left the experience in awe of what they do and excited to see all the work they have put in come to fruition at the end of August.

2024 is definitely not a year to be missed.