29th August - 10th November 2014

Blackpool Illuminations 2014 Details

Switch on Celebrities

Who will switch on the 2014 Illuminations?

Peter kay 2014 Switch On Night

It has been announced that Peter Kay will be switching on the 2014 Illuminations. The Bolton comedian has a history with Blackpool, he has performed at Blackpool Tower. He holds the Guniness World record for performing his tour to over 1.2 Million people. He has been on tv in Phoenix Nights and That Peter Kay Thing where the Apollo Bingo Hall on Waterloo Road was the Bingo hall in Eyes Down episode.

The Switch on concert will be headlined by Little Mix. They will also be joined by Texas who are celebrating their 25th anniversary since their debut album in 1989. Chart stars Pixie Lott, Union J, Neon Jungle and George Ezra will also be performing

2014 will not just see a single night of entertainment but will be a whole 3 days. The Friday Concert will be FREE and tickets can be purchased for the Saturday and Sunday evenings. Be quick as the first 5000 tickets sold will also give entry to the Friday Switch on concert and ceremony.

The Saturday evening concert will be dedicated to the West End Musicals. Thriller Live featuring extended highlights of their show plus excerpts from Dirty Dancing, Chicago, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and direct from the West End, Jon Lee of S Club 7 fame and friends performing songs from The Jersey Boys, giving plenty of opportunity to sing your heart out to all your favourite songs and enjoy the evenings atmosphere.



For Sunday´s show you will need to put you pop head on with soulful singer Rebecca Ferguson headlining the evening and special guests Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, 911 and Damage performing their greatest hits!




Previous celebrity switch on stars have included:

  • 2014 Peter Kay
    2013 Jonathan Ross
    2012 Olympic medal winners - Beth Tweddle, Greg Rutherford and Luke Campbell & Smooth/Real Radio
    2011 Keith Lemon & Smooth/Real Radio
    2010 Robbie Williams & Smooth/Real Radio
    2009 Alan Carr & Radio Two
    2008 BBC Top Gear Team & Radio Two
    2007 BBC Dr Who - David Tennant & Radio Two
    2006 Dale Winton & Radio Two
    2005 Chris Evans & Radio Two
    2004 Geri Halliwell & Radio Two
    2003 Blue & Radio Two
    2002 Ronan Keating & Radio Two
    2001 Steps & Radio Two
    2000 Westlife & Radio Two
    1999 Gary Barlow & Radio Two
    1998 Chris De Burgh & Radio Two
    1997 Michael Ball & Radio Two
    1996 Eternal & Radio One
    1995 Bee Gees & Radio One
    1994 Shirley Bassey
    1993 Status Quo & Radio One
    1992 Lisa Stansfield
    1991 Derek Jameson and Judith Chalmers
    1990 Bet & Alec Gilroy "Coronation Street" (Julie Goodyear & Roy Barraclough)
    1989 Frank Bruno
    1988 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sarah Brightman
    1987 Frank Bough, Ann Gregg & Kathy Tayler, BBC "Holiday" programme
    1986 Les Dawson
    1985 Joanna Lumley, BBC "Children in Need"
    1984 Johannes Rau (Minister-President, North Rhine Westphalia & David Waddington, QC, MP (Minister of State, Home Office)
    1983 Cast of "Coronation Street" (Doris Speed aka Annie Walke)
    1982 Rear Admiral "Sandy" Woodward
    1981 Earl & Countess Spencer
    1980 Cannon and Ball
    1979 Kermit the Frog and the Muppets
    1978 Terry Wogan
    1977 Red Rum
    1976 Carol Ann Grant (Miss United Kingdom)
    1975 Tom Baker (Dr Who)
    1974 Wendy Craig
    1973 Gordon Banks
    1972 Danny La Rue
    1971 Cast of "Dad´s Army"
    1970 Tony Blackburn
    1969 Canberra Bomber
    1968 Sir Matt Busby
    1967 Dr. Horace King (Speaker)
    1966 Ken Dodd
    1965 David Tomlinson
    1964 Gracie Fields
    1963 Cliff Michelmore
    1962 Shirley Ann Field
    1961 Violet Carson
    1960 Janet Munro
    1959 Jayne Mansfield
    1958 A E ´Matt´ Matthews
    1957 John H Whitney (American Ambassador)
    1956 Reginald Dixon
    1955 Jacob Malik (Russian Ambassador)
    1954 Gilbert Harding
    1953 George Formby
    1952 Valerie Hobson
    1951 Stanley Mathews
    1950 Wilfred Pickles
    1949 Anna Neagle
    1939 Cancelled when war broke out, no display during War years or indeed until 1949
    1938 Councillor Mrs Quayle
    1937 Alderman Ashton and the Duke of Kent
    1936 Sir Josiah Stamp
    1935 Audrey Mossom (Railway Queen)
    1934 Lord Derby

The concert during which the guest will throw the switch marks the start of Blackpool´s Big Switch On Weekend. We hope that thousands of fans of the celebrity, and of Blackpool, will join us in the celebrations and that they stay to enjoy all the free events Blackpool will be hosting throughout the weekend and indeed during the Illuminations Season.