List of people who have switched on the Blackpool Illuminations
The Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival with over one million light bulbs. Founded in 1879 and held each autumn from August until November they are on for 66 nights a year. In 1934, the town began a tradition of marking the start of the festival by hosting a public figure to perform the inaugural switch-on of the lights. For the first public ceremony, the honor was performed by Lord Derby.[1] In subsequent years, hosts have predominantly been drawn from the world of entertainment with occasional appearances by sportspeople and political figures. Unusual hosts have included a Canberra bomber aircraft in 1969 and racehorse Red Rum in 1977.
^ a b c d e f gBlackpool Illuminations 2021: Switch-on honour for Strictly's Ballas, BBC, 4 September 2021
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n oClaire Lark (30 August 2019), "Memory Lane: The honour of switching on Blackpool Illuminations", The Gazette, Blackpool
^Davies, Sam; Morley, Bob (2016). County Borough Elections in England and Wales, 1919–1938: A Comparative Analysis. Routledge. p. 442. ISBN9781351948104.
^"Shining bright: Blackpool Lights over the ages". The Gazette. Blackpool. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
^ a b c d eWood, Allan W (2015), Blackpool – The Postcard Collection, Amberley Publishing, p. 133, ISBN9781445645100
^"Liverpool star provides 'intergalactic' help for Blackpool lights switch-on - Liverpool Echo". 3 September 2017.
^"Alfie Boe to switch on the Blackpool Illuminations". BBC News. 25 July 2018.