Blue to headline Blackpool Illuminations switch-on concert

Blue have been announced as the headlining act for the Blackpool Illuminations switch-on concert later this year.

The boy band – made up of members Antony Costa, Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Simon Webb – will perform at The Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Friday September 2nd, just days before the release of their new album ‘Heart & Soul’ on September 9th.

The concert comes ahead of a major arena tour, with dates scheduled in December for locations such as Manchester AO Arena, Liverpool M&S Bank Arena and Leeds First Direct Arena.

Singer-songwriter Tom Grennan will be joining the band on the lineup for the switch-on concert, with more talent to be announced in the coming weeks.

The concert will also welcome a 2,000-strong audience, which will be made up of the winners of a free-to-enter ballot.

The ballot will be split equally between Blackpool residents and visitors with a maximum of four tickets per person. The ballot will close this Friday, July 1st. 

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A VisitBlackpool spokesperson said of the concert: “We are thrilled to announce that Blue will be part of this year’s Switch-On concert line-up.

“They are one of the most successful and best-loved bands this country has seen over the past twenty years and we cannot wait to see them perform in the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom.”

The annual Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On event is one of the biggest in Blackpool’s calendar, and was moved indoors during 2020 and 2021 due to Covid restrictions.

However, the indoor event proved to be a huge success, and will be repeated for a third successive year, this time with a full-capacity audience in the ballroom.

Last year’s Switch-On concert saw Shirley Ballas, the head judge of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, pulled the famous switch infront of a global audience of more than 160,000.

You can enter the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-on Concert audience ballot here.