Author: Viva Blackpool
Blackpool Air Show 2024
8 March 2024
One of the UK’s biggest and best FREE airshows, Blackpool Air Show is scheduled to return for 2024 across the weekend of the 10th and 11th August 2024
Full details of the 2 day festival of all things aircraft, stunts and more flying specials will be announced with the RAF Typhoon display team and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight who are also confirmed for both days of the free event.
The festival also features stalls and ground displays from the likes of the RAF, Blackpool Life Boat and is a real carnival event in the shadow of the Tower.
The best views are from on the Tower Headlands – with the displays mostly taking place over the Irish sea infront of the Blackpool Tower between the Central Pier and North Pier.
If you are unable to make the show, you may be able to watch some of the displays on our live webcam – located on the roof, overlooking the promenade.
Previous Blackpool Air Shows
The history of the Blackpool Air show dates back over 100 years to 1909, when it was first held at Blackpool Airport showcasing some of the first planes ever built. This makes the Blackpool Air Show one of the longest running in the World!
Sadly, the 2020 show was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. But our friends at VisitBlackpool and Live Blackpool compiled some videos of previous displays below.
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Blackpool World Fireworks Championships 2024
Returning once again for 2024, the amazing FREE event in Blackpool Promenade near Coral Island is set to light up the skies with 3 dazzling displays during the World Fireworks Championship!
Blackpool Welcomes The Best Pyrotechnic Displays in the World
SAVE THE DATE. This year, the dates are confirmed as:-
- Saturday 7th September 2024 – Heat 1
- Saturday 21st September 2024 – Heat 2
- Saturday 5th October – Heat 3
Usual Timings of the Event
The crowds will start to build from 7.30pm with the first fireworks fired at approximately 8.30pm
Whilst the famous Blackpool illuminations light up the whole of Blackpool Promenade, these amazing fireworks displays which are choreographed to music will light up the skies.
The stunning displays, which are set to music, will take place over the beach in front of The Blackpool Tower and just a stone’s throw away from Coral Island. All of the displays are free to access.
Getting to the Event
Traffic builds early and roads into Blackpool get very busy due to the sheer volume of traffic – Public transport is recommended.
If you are wishing to travel by car, visitors are advised to park n the southern car parks and use the trams to travel directly to the event.
Please remember all displays are subject to weather conditions, things could change at the last minute.
2021 World Fireworks Championships
The winners of the 2021 competition were Germany – with their amazing display captured from our roof online here
The finale was a stunning display by Titanium Pyrotechnics – captured on video from the roof of Viva Blackpool online here
2019 World Fireworks Championships
The winners of the 2019 competition were Ukraine – Dance of Fire and are still reigning champions beating off competition from Estonia and Canada.
To see the winning display, check out the video courtesy of YouTube / Pleasure Beach Thrills
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Having a Night Out in Blackpool When You’re Disabled
7 March 2024
As a highly popular seaside resort visited by millions each year, Blackpool is a town that caters for everyone, adults and children alike, including people with disabilities.
There are plenty of tourist attractions that have disability access, from Blackpool Tower to the Pleasure Beach. But what about if you want to have a night out? Thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint. From disability-friendly venues, revolution bars, to where to hire a wheelchair, we show you what Blackpool has to offer on a night out when you’re disabled.
Disability-friendly venues in Blackpool
If you’re disabled and looking for a good night out in Blackpool, there are plenty of bars, pubs and clubs that provide good access. This includes facilities that are easy to enter and exit, space for wheel chairs to move and manoeuvre, and disabled toilets. Some venues to consider for your night out, which have such facilities, include the:
- Beach House Bar and Bistro – Sophisticated and stylish, live entertainment, great cocktail selection, breathtaking views of the Irish Sea
- Revolution Blackpool – Referred to as one of the town’s best cocktail bars, good restaurant, smart casual style, huge variety of premium drinks, nice sea views
- The Albert and The Lion – Classic Wetherspoon pub, fun and relaxed atmosphere, good-sized space, large food and drinks menu
- Yates Blackpool Market Street – High-street party pub, said to have Blackpool’s number one DJ, typical English decor, broad drinks menu including cocktails
Where to hire a wheelchair
If you’d like to hire a wheelchair or scooter while you’re at Blackpool, there are a number of places around the town to visit or contact. Shops that offer the option to hire equipment include:
- Access Disability
- Millercare Blackpool
- Blackpool Wheelchair Store
- You can also hire from the British Red Cross
Getting about
It’s also easy to get around in Blackpool if you’re disabled, with accessible trams and buses running regularly across the town. The modern trams have wheelchair access, while buses are designed with a low floor to allow wheelchair users easy access too.
Of the town’s famous heritage trams, the Western Train tram has a wheelchair lift. Conductors are also helpful and will assist where possible on trams which have steps.
Providing access for everyone at Viva Blackpool
At Viva, we want all our guests to have an amazing time and we are proud to provide full access to people with disabilities – whatever the requirements. This includes lift access, a disabled washroom and toilet facilities. We’re centrally located, so there’s also plenty of pay and display car parks with designated disabled parking nearby.
Our fabulous entertainment is on five nights a week, and we offer half price show tickets to registered carers with a valid ID. From magicians to musical tribute acts, we present a whole range of spectacular shows. And we offer much more than fantastic entertainment too, including delicious food matched with a stunning service. Our ‘Show & Dine’ packages also allow you to add a pre-show dining experience to your visit, letting you enjoy an impressive two or three-course meal before our shows begin.
For more information about accessibility at Viva Blackpool, see our details on our disabled access & facilities web page. Or to find out more about what else we offer, just get in touch with our dedicated team.
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Viva launches Dynamic Pricing
8 November 2023
Every now and again, we review our Viva seating plans to meet demand, react to feedback and popularity of the 900+ seating positions we have in the venue.
This has recently been undertaken, and we are introducing some improvements to our seating plans for 2024.
– The area previously known as ‘Premier’ has been upgraded to ‘PremierPLUS’ and has been reduced to a focused area in the centre of the room, nearest the stage. These are the BEST seats in the house and will typically be highest priced tickets
– The seating areas previously known as ‘Bar Area’ and ‘VIP/Tall Table’ seating have been combined and renamed ‘Standard’ seating. They offer a great view at an affordable price.Some of our tables/seats have been re-categorised. If for example there is a slight viewing restriction – we’ve moved these seats into the ‘Standard’ seating category to reflect this in the price of the tickets.
There has been no change to the table numbering. So if you have already purchased tickets – this will not change.
Where ticket demand is very high, fewer changes have been made to the price bands, and only the names of the seating areas have been changed (to PremierPLUS, Premier and Standard).
We have also introduced some more information onto the seating plan – such as what the colours mean on the different seats, where venue facilities are etc.
We are retaining our ‘Child (U7) tickets (which are FREE for most in house performances) and Junior Tickets (7-15) but we are combining Adult and OAP tickets into a single ‘Adult 16+’ ticket as we seek to reduce the complicated number of options available, and introduce Dynamic Pricing.
Dynamic Pricing
This is similar to how airline tickets are priced – with prices fluctuating according to demand. So our advice is to BOOK EARLY and get the best price possible, as it is likely it won’t go any cheaper before the performance.To introduce Dynamic pricing, we will be removing the option to book with a ‘Flexible Deposit’ for a trial period – as we will require payment in full in order to manage the dynamic pricing.
FAQs…
What will happen if I’ve already booked? You don’t need to do anything! Your seat will still be in the same position, and the table number/seat number remain the same – so please don’t worry.
I’ve already booked with a flexible deposit, is this cancelled? No – your flexible deposit is still holding the seat/table you’ve booked and you can pay the balance any time up to 7 days before your visit.
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Christmas By The Sea
25 April 2023
Extending Blackpool’s season right up until January, Christmas by the Sea includes a full Christmas log cabin village featuring stalls, bars, ice rinks and rides – right infront of Blackpool Tower on the World famous Golden Mile!
Dates are yet to be confirmed, but Christmas by the sea will be returning this year so you’ll be able to wrap up warm, grab a tasty sweet treat or gift from our charming cabins and spend an evening discovering all what’s on offer in this unmissable outdoor experience.
The event also includes the extension of the Blackpool Illuminations – so extends into the night-time when illuminated displays take over as well as projections onto the Tower building, simulated snowfall and a party atmosphere.
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Lightpool Festival
The award winning Lightpool Festival returns to Blackpool from the 20th to the 28th October 2023.
Running alongside the World Famous Blackpool Illuminations, this FREE series of events, outdoor activities and special illuminated art installations are staged across a wide range of venues and locations across the town.
The programme features a spectacular mix of extraordinary light installations, live performance and 3D projection shows – not to be missed, across one of the busiest weeks of the year in Blackpool.
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King’s Coronation Celebrations in Blackpool
16 April 2023
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Ball & Boe head to Viva Blackpool for new album launch
15 October 2022
To celebrate the release of their new album titled ‘Together In Vegas’, Michael Ball & Alfie Boe will be coming down to Viva Blackpool on Friday October 28th to host a special launch Q&A plus they’ll be performing some of the new songs from the record! There will also be a chance a chance to Spin The Wheel on the giant Video Jukebox to win prizes and special merchandise, plus there will even be a specially curated “Together in Vegas” Menu
They have become known as the UK’s favourite entertainers, and together form the ultimate musical duo: Michael Ball & Alfie Boe never fail to raise spirits with their unique combination of powerful voices and tongue-in-cheek charm. The perfect pair join forces yet again for a brand new album, their fifth studio album together where they take us to The Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas. They are ‘Together In Vegas’. Armed with all the charisma and panache needed for such an excursion, together with suitably dazzling vocal skills, the couple present the most exciting music they have ever recorded together, featuring classic Rat Pack numbers such as ‘Luck Be A Lady’ (Frank Sinatra) and ‘Sway’ (Dean Martin) as well as showstoppers ‘Viva Las Vegas’ (Elvis Presley), ‘A Man Without Love’ (Engelbert Humperdinck) ‘The Gambler’ (Kenny Rogers), and many more.
In addition to the launch event the Viva Vegas Diner is hosting a unique pop-up store selling a full range of amazing Ball & Boe merchandise, some of it exclusive to this store. The store is open all day, right on the Promenade.
Viva is the Vegas Venue in the Heart of Blackpool! Located right next door to Blackpool Tower, and in the centre of the famous Blackpool promenade amongst the hustle and bustle of the World famous illuminations, Viva is a huge cabaret lounge hosting amazing resident productions and it’s the venue where the big stars come to play when they’re in town! So we can’t wait to welcome you for some delicious dining, pre-show drinks and an exciting atmosphere in the build up to ‘Ball & Boe – together in Vegas!’.
Tickets are available NOW – right here – https://BallandBoe.lnk.to/blackpoolFI
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Happy 10th Birthday To VIVA!
5 August 2022
The last couple of years have proven to be an unpredictable bag of emotional highs and lows for all. Yet true to human nature, despite any adversity, we tend to come out at the other end with our heads held high; stronger than ever.
This is also true for Blackpool’s very own entertainment gem: Viva Blackpool.
This year we celebrate 10 fabulous years of establishment as the go-to performance venue of the ‘Vegas of the North West’. We have come far since we opened all that time ago and still continue to wow visitors and locals alike with our unique take on the glitz and glamour of show-bar entertainment.
Taking a stroll down memory lane, we find ourselves in June 2012 where Martin Heywood (Managing Director) and Leye D Johns (Entertainment Director and Resident Host) first held the keys not only to the building, but to the doors of an exciting and ever evolving future. With fire in their bellies and endless ideas ready for fruition, it took them no more than 5 weeks to turn the old Mecca Bingo site into the beautiful Purple Palace of present. The opening night was an astounding success and of course, the rest is history. Now, they look back with pride at how far they have come and how their achievements have exceeded even their own expectations.
Viva have had no issues with producing spectacles of the highest caliber for an entire decade – taking your breath away with mesmerising visuals, vocalist and dancers of superb excellence, hilarious antics from the outrageous yet loveable Leye D Johns and of course stunning costumes; all peppered with an overall compilation of utmost professionalism within our glamorously dressed purple themed setting. It is clear that Viva have never compromised their aspiration for quality no matter what we may have faced.
With a hunger for progression, Viva have never remained the same over their double digit timeline. As we gained admirable popularity both locally and across country, we also became a platform for shows outside of our vicinity. Sharing our stage with visiting shows, we opened our venue to be a place of opportunity for entertainers worldwide. To this day, acts from all around the globe travel to perform at Viva, staying true to the concept of diverse entertainment and catering to all demographics. Viva’s prestige has even extended as far as celebrity performances, the venue seeing a number of reputable entertainers such as Joe Longthorne MBE, Cannon and Ball, Roy Walker, Billy Pierce and even the likes of Tyson Fury.
In true Viva form, we did not stop at prominence. With expansion in mind, the brand continued to grow within the hospitality industry, opening the doors to ‘Viva Vegas Diner and Bar’ in 2017. Focusing on an authentic American style diner experience, within the last few years ‘Viva Vegas Diner’ have established themselves as one of the most popular comfort food and drink destinations in Blackpool. With a fantastic location at hand; situated next to our sister venue, the restaurant looks directly onto the sea front, creating an atmospheric dining experience like no other. A must visit spot of high-end novelty.
Coming up to present day and reopening our doors to the public after lockdown – Viva have come back with full throttle! With a refurbished interior, and a take on an entirely new line-up of productions for the season, the show-bar never fails to surprise with our refreshing approach to keeping our visitors engaged and stimulated; from pre-show dining to post-show entertainment. This season Viva sees its very first West End Musical as one of its resident shows; bringing ‘Boogie Nights’ to the stage, starring none other than the original lead Shane Richie’s son: Shane Nolan. With impressive success so far in regards to what we have to offer this year, it is clear that Viva is a prime example of triumphant risk-taking. No rest for the creative!
We truly see Viva Blackpool as a powerhouse role-model for independent businesses everywhere – with constant nurturing, hard-work and a little bit or dazzle dazzle it seems anything is possible! 10 years of success stories and a name that now holds a solid ground in Blackpool’s entertainment history, Viva will not be going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, we are eager to share with you the surprises that we have in store for you over our next fabulous decade to come. Keep your eyes peeled -10 years may have passed, but we’ve only just begun…
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Viva Celebrates 10th Anniversary Season
1 May 2022
Blackpool’s Viva Showroom celebrates its 10th anniversary with a action-packed calendar of brand new shows, it’s first ever West End Musical, top-class comedy and much more.
Opened in 2012, Viva has been entertaining 150,000 visitors annually with a top-class programme of live entertainment produced in house by owners Martin Heywood and the ever-popular outrageous host Leye D Johns.
This Summer sees the most exciting new line up of shows ever produced in its unique cabaret style theatre with a different attraction every night from June through November.
For the first time ever, Viva will stage a full West End musical, ‘Boogie Nights The 70’s Musical’. The hilarious and heart-warming musical featuring a hit soundtrack of our lives will feature
Shane Nolan as the lead. Jon Conway, the show’s original London director and will stage this Viva version, said, “Boogie Nights always had a terrific party atmosphere on previous Blackpool visits and I’m really excited we have secured a large and talented cast of established musical theatre performers to stage the show at Viva.”
Resident host Leye D Johns will headline ‘Viva The Show’ a vibrant new spectacular production with a glamorous cast of singers and dancers showcasing the very best of showbiz glitz at the heart of Blackpool’s Golden Mile.
New for 2022 ‘Viva Country Legends’ starring Danni Graham as Dolly Parton features a foot stomping live band onstage in a tribute to country icons including Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Glen Campbell and many more.
Seasonal favourites return by popular demand including hit shows ‘Oh What A Night’ starring The Jersey Beats, celebrating the hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and ‘Voulez-Vous’, a true celebration of Europe’s original pop four-piece Abba!
Viva will become the home of family entertainment as part of it’s 10th anniversary celebration welcoming the hilarious ‘Crazy Comedy Company’. An exciting new show which has been a hit at Butlins resorts for the last two years and the Edinburgh Festival. The show brings a zany mix of cirque skills and family comedy in a perfect teatime show during all school holiday breaks.
Big name stars will return including top comedians Joe Pasquale and Billy Pearce. For those who like the comedy a little more adult, the legendary Joey Blower is set appear every weekend lunchtime from April until October.
In a nonstop year of celebrations, Viva is set to welcome more new attractions, shows and events including Bingo Loco the ultimate party night and a range of terrific tributes to artists including Amy Winehouse, George Michael and many more.
Viva will hold a celebratory ‘10th Anniversary Command performance’ on 12th August 2022, welcoming a star-studded line up 10-years to the day since opening its doors for the very first time.
Owners Martin Heywood and its popular outrageous host Leye D Johns, comment.
“It’s been a spectacular 10-years and an amazing privilege to play an integral role in Blackpool’s resurgence as the UK’s favourite family destination. Through hard work, dedication and a huge wealth of talent Viva has become an entertainment mecca, welcoming thousands of visitors each season.”
“As well as a top-class programme of entertainment featuring a wide range of brand-new shows and returning favourites, over £250,000 with the support of the Arts Council is set to be invested to ensure we continue to grow, producing the best in live entertainment in the heart of Blackpool”
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