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13 August 2025

Dazzling array of new, fun-packed features set to light up Blackpool

Blackpool has unveiled a dazzling array of new, fun-packed features that will grace the 2025 Illuminations display, created in collaboration with four nationally acclaimed artists

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At a special preview event held at Blackpool Council’s Lightworks facility, where the world-famous display is manufactured, the Illuminations team revealed:

Blackpool Illuminations 2025 unleashes Guardians of the North, a new creation by Illuminations Creative Curator, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Three dragons, each 7 metres tall and wrapped round turrets, will come alive with light, smoke and watchful eyes on the Tower Festival Headland. The installation is complemented by a new projection on The Blackpool Tower building, designed by artist Ant Dickinson. Visitors can join in by scanning a QR code to summon their chosen dragon and see it move across the building.

Wild Light transforms the Illuminations roadway section into an open-air gallery of acclaimed wildlife artist, Robert E Fuller. Celebrated for capturing the character of Britain’s fauna in exquisite detail, Fuller’s illuminated works feature badgers, foxes, pheasants and birdlife. With more than 910,000 subscribers, Fuller is set to bring the beauty of the natural world to Blackpool’s famous lights.

Lusch Puppy by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen brings some canine couture to the Illuminations. These tongue-in-cheek portraits reimagine pampered pooches as regal icons in silks, frills and gilded attire.

LOVE by Jason Wilsher-Mills MBE is a six-panel illuminated roadway section inspired by the artist’s childhood memories of Blackpool in 1978. The section tells the story of two characters, from strangers on the beach to a lifetime of dancing in The Blackpool Tower Ballroom. The story is brought to life in his own way through patterns and local motifs. Wilsher-Mills, who has used a wheelchair since contracting chickenpox at age 11, is an award-winning creator whose work celebrates disability, northern working-class heritage and popular culture.

HUG by internationally acclaimed street artist, My Dog Sighs, makes its debut in the Illuminations. This new roadway feature presents twelve unique versions of the artist’s Everyman character, each set against a vivid backdrop. Over the years, Everyman has become a global symbol of connection, helping to raise tens of thousands for charity and even being minted onto a coin. Now, this much-loved character is brought to life in light.

Space Canopy is a light installation that stands 11.2 metres tall and uses 350 metres of luminescent wire. Inspired by the bright trails of stars and satellites moving across the night sky, this artwork celebrates the idea of protection and movement. The installation will be available to view from October.

Speaking at the preview event, Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said:

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“Blackpool Illuminations has always been about innovation and creating those special moments of excitement and joy and, in 2025, we are raising the bar once again. “From Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s magnificent dragons and playful pooches, to Robert E Fuller’s incredibly detailed wildlife portraits and Jason Wilsher-Mills’ deeply personal celebration of love, these new features bring together talented and acclaimed artists with a shared passion for storytelling. “Together they offer something unique, told through humour, creativity or simply making memories of our town. We are really proud of the amazing spectacle that is Blackpool Illuminations and of the talent on display, not least our talented team at Lightworks who build and create these works of light art. This year is again going to be very special!”
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Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Creative Curator of Blackpool Illuminations and the artist behind Guardians of the North, Lusch Puppy, and Space Canopy, said: 

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“I am not sure I have ever been this excited about a Blackpool Illuminations launch before. “We have especially commissioned new illuminated pieces from four contemporary artists joining our existing curated collection of works by Leigh Francis, Chila Kumari Singh Burman MBE and Bruce Alfred. And I will be unveiling the latest LLB extravaganza, Guardians of the North, bigger than anything I have ever done before and I am hoping it is going to be every bit as loved as last year’s Disco Donkey Cavalcade.”
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Ant Dickinson, who has created the Tower projection to support the Guardians of the North installation, said: 

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“It has been a lot of fun to work on this project. The combination of dragons and light creates such a powerful visual impact. Because dragons are fantasy creatures, there is so much freedom to push imagination and creativity beyond the usual boundaries. “I have been wanting to explore stained glass imagery for a while now and this felt like the perfect opportunity. Dragons are just about the most epic fantasy icons you can work with so, with the music, I really leaned into that spirit and went all out.”
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Jason Wilsher-Mills MBE, the acclaimed artist behind the LOVE roadway section, says: 

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“I was so deeply honoured and proud to be asked to create new art for the world-famous Blackpool Illuminations, as the famous Lights have played such a pivotal part of my life. When I was growing up on a council estate in Wakefield, as a working class lad, a coach trip would take the whole of the estate to see the Illuminations. “Blackpool seemed to me as a child that it was bigger than anything I had ever experienced before, and was in fact magic. This view has not changed and I have tried to capture the magic of the famous town in my artworks, which will grace the Illuminations. “I want to thank the team at Blackpool Illuminations and Grundy Art Gallery, who have really supported me throughout this process. It has been an honour to work with them.”
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Wildlife artist, Robert E Fuller, said: 

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“I am absolutely delighted that my work is going to be a part of Blackpool Illuminations this year, especially because this is the first time wildlife will be a part of the show and to be a part of such a ‘first’ is really exciting. “I have been a champion of British wildlife all my life, so this makes it all the more special. We have such an amazing number of species here and it is just great to know that at last everyday animals like robins, badgers, owls and hares will be up in lights for everyone to enjoy.”
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The Blackpool Illuminations display is one of the biggest and longest-running light-based festivals in the world. It started in 1879 with just a handful of carbon arc lamps creating what was described at the time as “artificial sunshine”. It now extends the entire six miles of Promenade with more than a million LED lights.

Since COVID, the display was extended by two months, an exercise that has been repeated for the past six years.

The annual display, which attracts millions of visitors to the resort during the autumn and winter months, will be launched at a special balloted music concert to be staged on the Tower Festival Headland on the evening of Friday 29 August.

Pop superstar Olly Murs will take to the stage to deliver an hour-long set, completely free, before he flicks the switch to trigger six miles of Illuminations.

Olly will be joined by English rock band Toploader, X Factor winner Louisa Johnson, and a special ‘Blackpool Introduces’ showcase spotlighting some of the best local talent.

24,000 tickets were made available in a free-to-enter ballot and successful entries will be notified by the end of this week. A live screening zone will be available on the Promenade so everyone can soak in the party atmosphere on Blackpool’s biggest night of the year.

The Blackpool Illuminations will shine nightly from Friday 29 August, 2025, to Sunday 4 January, 2026.

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