Town's 'little bit of magic' hailed in culture bid

Blackpool has "that little bit of magic" which could help it win the UK City of Culture 2029 competition and "turbo-charge" the town, its regeneration director has said.

The seaside resort is one of nine places which made the long list for the title after the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) also encouraged larger towns to bid.

As the 45th largest place in the UK, with a population of 141,500 and a visitor economy valued at £2bn, the town met the DCMS bidding criteria.

Alan Cavill from Blackpool Council said: "I think we've got something just a little bit different... that little bit of magic that we've got, really makes a difference in terms of the competition."

From comedy legends to showbiz superstars, international dance to the illuminations, the resort's cultural credentials are already well established.

The town is set to light up once again for the annual illuminations, a tradition which music journalist John Robb said was central to the town's cherished British seaside tradition.

"The illuminations for me is the core," Robb, who grew up in Blackpool, said.

"I love the idea of having the first electric street lighting in the world, which turned into the illuminations, because people went to look at the streetlights because it was such a wonderful thing to go and see.

"All that stuff I think is perfect, the narrative of the City of Culture."

In addition to the 150th anniversary of the Blackpool Illuminations, 2029 also marks 135 years since the opening of The Blackpool Tower and the Blackpool Grand Theatre, while Blackpool Winter Gardens will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2028.

"Blackpool's in everybody's heart," Cavill, the council's director of place, said.

"I think we've got a real opportunity to do a city of culture which is much more embracing of the whole population, an opportunity to completely turbo-charge what we do here in Blackpool in terms of sharing popular culture and other kinds of culture as well."

Blackpool faces competition from Inverness, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.

The winner, which will succeed Bradford, will be announced at the start of next year.

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