Blackpool Illuminations are a staple for all of us in the north-west of England. It’s crazy for us to think that some people in Britain have never been to experience them! It’s just a norm for me. I’ve been to see them many times as a kid, and last year I was finally able to drive myself through them. Sadly, I came in December, just before the pre-Christmas lockdown and the place was dead. Most venues were closed but every cloud has a silver lining – I pretty much had the entire promenade to myself and there were no traffic jams.
Fast forward 9 months and the UK is trying to return to a normal life. But keen to miss the traffic again, I chose to visit Blackpool on a windy, rainy night. Smart.
Tbf, though the day had been a washout, the late afternoon had been pleasant. There was a short window in the weather in which I could experience a bit of Blackpool on foot. So Aimee and I arrived before the lights had even been illuminated.
There are loads of places to park, of course, and I chose to park in a very safe looking location behind the Magistrates’ Court.
£3 for two hours. I suppose that isn’t toooooo bad.
I hadn’t told Aimee where we were going so she was not prepared for an autumnal evening at the seaside. Fortunately, my car contains a wardrobe of coats and jackets I’ve forgotten to take into the house.
We headed for the Promenade. As this is 2021, I had absolutely no cash or coin on me. I wanted to withdraw some money so I could visit the arcade. But of course, the authorities are ready for the likes of me, and all cash machines around here charge you for withdrawing money.
It’s greedy IMO. I’m withdrawing money to spend in Blackpool. You are getting my money – why do you need to charge me for giving you money?????
I’m aware the cash machines aren’t run by a mafia council, I just want to direct my frustration at them.
We walked over to Central Pier. I was hoping for a glorious sunset, but I settled for some skyporn.
There’s a storm coming, Harry…
I just wanted to include this cos it looks like Aimee has a seagull on her head.
Sadly, the beach was closed.
No sandcastles or donkey rides tonight. So we headed for Coral Island and were able to withdraw £1’s worth of 2ps. The signage didn’t make it clear if I would be charged extra, but whatever.
You can’t come to Blackpool and not try to win more 2ps.
The machines dished out tickets with which you can exchange for prizes. At one point, I left my machine and then remembered I hadn’t pulled my last few tickets from it. I returned to find two girls skulking around and guess what, my tickets had disappeared.
Scruffs. I got robbed by two pre-pubescent girls. My own fault, I suppose.
With 50 tickets won and £2’s worth of 2ps lost, we queued up for a prize. A woman in front of us was holding up the queue, with a little sidekick of hers continually returning from the arcade with more tickets. I think she was short of tickets for the prize she wanted. I only wanted a bag of sweets ffs.
I realised the sun was probably gone now and we were wasting time. I did my daily act of human kindness and gave my ticket receipt to the middle-aged couple behind us.
We headed to Blackpool Tower.
Look at that moody sky.
New for this year, two beach ball-inspired installations.
Never one to miss a photo opportunity, we walked inside and I tried to get arty.
Not sure it worked. Aimee’s attempt was much better.
That’s not annoying at all…
Also new this year is a glow up sign for those of you who love Blackpool.
And an installation called the Spiro Light Tunnel, an immersive walk-through tunnel spanning 26 meters.
I’ll be honest. It did not look impressive.
The rain out to sea was finally starting to reach us.
Lovely sideways rain. What more can you expect from the Great British seaside?
We were getting drenched but I had to take a walk on the Comedy Carpet.
It’s like Blackpool’s version of Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, but it celebrates the jokes and comedy catchphrases of Britain’s best known comedians, writers and TV shows, such as Tommy Cooper, The Royle Family and The Two Ronnies. This is Peter Kay’s section, wi’ jam in and garlic bread.
The Comedy Carpet is best enjoyed on a sunny day when you can search out your favourite lines. This was not a sunny day so we quickly left, and found a place that did fresh, hot doughnuts that Aimee was eager for.
Not wanting to die of exposure we headed back to the car to eat.
Typically, by the time we got there, the rain stopped. The doughnuts were amazing btw. You can’t beat doughnuts in half a bag of sugar.
With the sun now set, the Illuminations had come on. My decision to brave a stormy Monday night had paid off – there was minimal traffic.
We drove up and down the six miles of decorations, made up of over a million bulbs. Blackpool was the first town to have electric street lighting, and this free light show has been attracting visitors since 1879. The original event happened 12 months before Thomas Edison patented the electric light bulb.
As we came to the end of the display, we spotted the famous illuminated tram. I asked Aimee to get a photograph of it and this is the result of her work.
And she nearly dropped her phone.
And on that note, it was time to leave this archaic but famous seaside resort. The Illuminations run until the 3rd of January 2022, so there’s plenty of time left for you to take a trip to the past.
#VidOnTour 