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The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time in the seaside resort of Blackpool, England

Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. Also known...

Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire.

Also known locally as The Lights or The Illuminations, they ran each year for 66 days from late August until early November, extended to over 100 days to run until after the Christmas and New Year holidays from 2020, at a time when most other English seaside resorts' seasons had come to an end; for example, Friday 30 August 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025, and Friday 29 August 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026.

The Illuminations are approximately 5 miles (8 km) long and use over one million bulbs, now using LED technology, micro controllers, lasers and video.

Historical Significance

Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire.

Events Before

  1. First US bicycle club, the Boston Bicycle Club, forms

    The Capital Bicycle Club was an early American cycling club based in Washington, D.C.

  2. Thomas Edison is granted a patent for his cylinder phonograph [1]

    A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound.

  3. 53rd UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose (31) weds heiress Hannah de Rothschild (27) at the Board of Guardians in Mount

    53rd UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose (31) weds heiress Hannah de Rothschild (27) at the Board of Guardians in Mount Street, London

  4. W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan's comic opera "H.M.S. Pinafore" premieres in London, their first international success

    H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert.

  5. Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish

    Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78

Events After

  1. Philosopher John Muir (41) weds Louisa Strentzel

    Philosopher John Muir (41) weds Louisa Strentzel

  2. Worcester Ruby Legs pitcher Lee Richmond throws the first perfect game in MLB history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Bl

    Worcester Ruby Legs pitcher Lee Richmond throws the first perfect game in MLB history in a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Blues at the Agricultural County Fair Grounds in Worcester

  3. First performance of "O Canada," the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des C

    First performance of "O Canada," the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français

  4. First Test cricket game in England begins with W. G. Grace scoring 152 on debut against Australia at The Oval

    First Test cricket game in England begins with W. G. Grace scoring 152 on debut against Australia at The Oval

  5. Theodore Roosevelt, later 26th US President marries Alice Hathaway Lee, on his 22nd birthday

    Theodore Roosevelt, later 26th US President marries Alice Hathaway Lee, on his 22nd birthday

More from the 1870s

Belgium disbands its salt tax

Belgium disbands its salt tax

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that tim

The Moerdijk railway bridge over Hollands Diep in South Holland opens, becoming the longest bridge in Europe at that time

Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar

Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the year of the reign of the…

New York City annexes the West Bronx

The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. They are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on September 18, 1879?
Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. Also known locally as The Lights or The Illuminations, they ran each year for 66 days from late August until early November, extended to over 100 days to run until after the Christmas and New Year holidays from 2020, at a time when most other English seaside resorts' seasons had come to an end; for example, Friday 30 August 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025, and Friday 29 August 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026. The Illuminations are approximately 5 miles (8 km) long and use over one million bulbs, now using LED technology, micro controllers, lasers and video.
Why is The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time in the seaside... significant?
Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival that started on 18 September 1879, held each autumn in the British seaside resort of Blackpool on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire.

Explore More

September 18 in HistoryYear 1879