Illuminations named best event for group trips

Blackpool Illuminations has been named the best event in the UK for group trips and holidays.

The winners of the Group Leisure and Travel Awards were voted for by readers of Group Leisure & Travel, Britain’s best-read magazine for people who organise group trips and holidays.

The Blackpool event, which attracts millions of visitors to the resort during the autumn and winter months, was voted Best Event For Groups ahead of competition from other finalists including Royal Ascot, the BBC’s Gardeners’ World Live, Bournemouth Air Festival, RHS Malvern Spring Festival and the historical stage show, Kynren.

The result was announced at a ceremony at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London, in front of an audience of more than 300 coach and tour operators. 

A VisitBlackpool spokesperson said: “We are thrilled that tourism operators have recognised the universal appeal of what is one of the UK’s most enduring visitor attractions.

“For more than a century, the Blackpool Illuminations display has attracted groups and individuals from across the globe, and it has never lost any of the magic and sparkle that brings so much joy and pleasure to people of all ages.”

Last year’s Switch-On event, which marked a return to the outdoors after three years of being staged indoors due to pandemic restrictions, attracted a record crowd of 80,000 on to the seafront to watch Sophie Ellis-Bextor pull the famous switch.

This year’s display, which includes new tableaux from designers Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Leigh Francis (aka Keith Lemon) will be triggered at the annual Switch-On celebration on Friday 30 August.