Lightpool Festival

The Lightpool Festival is an annual festival of contemporary light art held in Blackpool, UK. In 2026, it will take place from 21 to 31 October and will mark its tenth anniversary. The programme features light installations, live performances, immersive projects and 3D shows. In this article, we’ll reveal the details surrounding this event.

About the festival

The Lightpool Festival takes place every October and forms part of the wider Blackpool Illuminations programme. The main aim of the event is to showcase what contemporary light art can be like when the traditions of Blackpool’s famous illuminations are combined with new technologies, digital projections, performance art and experimental artistic formats. The festival is aimed at a wide audience, including families with children.

The Light Art Trail is the centrepiece of the Lightpool Festival, comprising a walking route through Blackpool featuring contemporary light installations. The works are situated in urban spaces and near well-known landmarks, so walking the route allows visitors to experience both the festival’s art and the town centre. In previous years, the route was approximately 4 km long.

Unlike a conventional light show, Lightpool places particular emphasis on artistic projects. The festival programme features large-scale installations, projections onto buildings, interactive installations and works created specifically for particular urban spaces. The organisers also invite artists working at the intersection of art, design, technology and performance.

The festival’s history began in 2016. Over the past ten years, Lightpool has developed its own artistic programme and become a platform for the premieres of new works. The organisers note that, during this time, the festival has showcased projects by national and international artists, as well as works created specifically in Blackpool. Over the years, the festival’s exhibitions have included works by artists from France, the Netherlands, Spain and other countries. The 2023 programme, for example, featured the Dutch installation "Firefly Field", whilst "Micro" came from Spain.

An important part of Lightpool’s work is the development of emerging artists. To this end, there are programmes such as Lightlab, Digilab, SHINE and other initiatives. These help artists gain practical experience of working with light, projection technologies and creating installations for public spaces. In 2026, for example, up to ten Lightlab participants will have the opportunity to visit Blackpool, learn about Lightworks’ work, meet professional artists and producers, and experience the festival from the inside.

The festival also has close ties with local communities. Through workshops, school projects and collaborations with artists, Blackpool residents are involved in the creation of individual works. This approach allows Lightpool to use the city not merely as a venue for events, but as an integral part of the artistic process.

Festival programme

The programme for the Lightpool Festival 2026 has not yet been published in full. Further details will follow. However, several projects have already been announced.

One of these is "What the Gull?!" by artist Caroline Daly. This is a new light installation created as part of the Lucent programme. The work features the image of a silver gull, a familiar sight to Blackpool residents. Through humour and light, the artist addresses the themes of climate change, habitat loss and the state of the ocean. The project is suitable for audiences of all ages.

Another confirmed project is LUCA by Limbic Cinema. This is a new work created using technology whereby an image or video is projected onto a real surface – such as the façade of a building – and the projection is specifically tailored to its shape. It is designed to transform Blackpool’s Wedding Chapel into part of a light show. The project utilises light, colour and movement, and was created specifically to be shown as part of the Lightpool programme in October.

Limbic Cinema said:

What excites us most is the chance to make the invisible visible – taking the microscopic, scientific concept of LUCA and exploding it into a rhythmic canvas of light and colour.

Overall, the organisers have announced the following main themes for the 2026 programme:

• Light installations – permanent and interactive works by artists;
• Live performances – performances and other events combining light art and stage performance;
• 3D projections – large-scale projections onto city buildings;
• Carnival magic – a separate, spectacular show featuring illuminated puppets and pyrotechnics, which traditionally attracts thousands of spectators.

Information for visitors

The Lightpool Festival 2026 will take place in Blackpool from 21 to 31 October 2026. Many visitors are interested in the opening hours – the daily programme is scheduled for the evening, from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm or 10.00 pm.

The festival does not take place at a single venue. Light installations, projection shows and other events are held at various indoor and outdoor venues across Blackpool. This format allows you to combine a visit to the festival with a stroll through the city centre and a view of the Blackpool Illuminations. In previous years, the attractions on the festival’s art trail were located around Blackpool Tower, Tower Festival Headland, the North Pier, the Winter Gardens, Showtown, the Grundy Art Gallery and other central locations in the city.

An important point to bear in mind when planning your trip: entry to the Lightpool Festival is free. However, individual events within the festival programme may have their own terms and conditions and require a ticket. In previous years, certain special events required advance booking or separate tickets. For example, Carnival Magic required a ticket. It is best to check the details of a specific event separately once the full programme has been published.

If you are planning to travel by car, it is advisable to allow extra time for parking and the journey: on days when major events are taking place, Blackpool’s central car parks can become very busy.

Contact details

For enquiries regarding the festival, please contact Lightpool directly:

Email: [email protected]

The organisers also accept enquiries via the contact form on the official website.

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