Fireworks and Street Lights

We'd been saying for weeks that we'd like to go to see the fireworks on a Friday night in Blackpool.

For three weeks they have been holding heats of a World Championship. This weekend saw the last of the the heats and the fireworks were created and displayed by an Australian team.

The North Pier was usd as a base which meant that you could watch from anywhere between the Central Pier and North Promenade stretching off towards Gynn Square. We found a spot between the North Pier and the Metropole Hotel and, along with a few thousand others enjoyed a spectacular display.

The finale was absolutely brilliant. A section of sky above the pier was just totally criss-crossed with white streaks as a score of bursting lights overlaid each other.

We had parked the car behind the old Post Office and set off to walk back up Birley Street with its new light and sound system.

Now why would a street need a sound and light system, I hear you say. Indeed I do know someone who lives in a flat above one of the many shops and he absolutely hates it...

But the effect of these massive archway gantries with their projection systems floating circular designs of colour up and down the street is spectacular.

Birley Street comes out onto Abingdon Street, opposite the Yorkshire Bank on the corner of St John's Square.

Which open space we see in this view, looking back down towards the coast. Blackpool Tower's new light show is currently confined to the tower top but is very good, ever-changing colours and swirling designs. The legs of the Tower are still being painted but apparently the light show will extend up and down them once the work is complete. I suspect it will be worth waiting for.

Also we can see the dome of the Winter Gardens. This hasn't been seen at night for many years, but the recent refurbishment opened up the ceiling of the foyer so you can look up to the dome and it means that at night the light escapes that way and it looks wonderful!

A new Pizza Express has opened on the site of the Next shop on the corner - we had our tea there at the beginning of the night and weren't disappointed.

Now, though, we have to cope with several thousand people returning to cars and dealing with Blackpool's one-way system, which funnels everywhere in the town centre to a very limited number of exit routes! An hour after setting off, we managed to escape the town centre to drop David and Miss Jeannie off at home!

Large versions of the photos can be found with many more in the Blackpool at Night set at my Flickr account.