All-Star Artist Line Up Revealed For Virtual Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On!

The line-up for Blackpool’s first ever virtual Illuminations Switch-On event has been revealed.

Spice Girl Melanie C, Fleur East, Becky Hill, Tom Grennan, Diversity and Blackpool’s very own Rae Morris will all perform in the hour-long streamed event which is being staged by MTV at 8.30pm on Friday 4 September.

The virtual show, which will be hosted by Diversity’s Ashley and Jordan Banjo, will also feature the UK's current chart-topping DJ, Joel Corry.

It will be free to access on MTV and VisitBlackpool channels, and will feature a mixture of exclusive pre-recorded performances at home and live performances filmed inside the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, as well as the all-important Switch-On moment, details of which will follow over the coming weeks.

The Switch-On, which normally takes place on the Tower Festival Headland in front of a 20,000 strong audience, will act as the curtain-raiser for Blackpool’s Illuminations season which has been extended by two months and will now run from September 4 to January 3, 2021, 

It will be the first time in more than 70 years that the resort has been unable to hold a live Switch-On celebration – but also the first time that a Switch-On event has been accessible to a national and international audience.

The show hosts, Diversity’s Ashley and Jordan Banjo, have been an integral part of the Illuminations Switch-On night for the past four years, wowing crowds with the extraordinary routines that have cemented their position as the UK’s most accomplished dance group for more than a decade.

Diversity will perform an exclusive routine produced especially for the virtual Switch-On event.

Ashley said: “Jordan and I are delighted to be hosting Blackpool’s virtual Switch-On.

“Blackpool is very much our second home and we cannot wait to return to the resort to host what will be an amazing experience that people will be able to watch, wherever they are.”

Rae Morris, who will return to her hometown to do a live performance on a closed set in the magnificent Tower Ballroom, said: “Being a part of the Illuminations Switch-On is a huge deal for me. It was always the highlight of my summer as a kid, a magical ending.

“This year will be slightly different, but an extended period of Illuminations on the seafront is a silver-lining that’ll bring much-needed joy!  I’ll be performing from inside the ballroom and will do my best to channel its spirit out into your devices!”

The show will start at 8.30pm on Friday 4 September and can be viewed at: visitblackpool.com/switchon, youtube.com/mtvinternational and facebook.com/mtvmusicuk

Go to visitblackpool.com for regular updates.