Cyclists to get Blackpool Illuminations preview

Ride The Lights, which began in 2006, sees the six miles of Promenade closed to traffic except bicycles

Cyclists will get a sneak preview of this year’s Blackpool Illuminations as part of a free annual riding event.

Ride The Lights, which began in 2006, sees the six miles of promenade closed to traffic for one night so families can take to their bikes.

It will take place from 19:00 BST on 27 August, three days before the Illuminations are officially switched on by Spice Girl Mel B.

Council leader councillor Lynn Williams said it was a "wonderful opportunity" for residents and visitors to "enjoy a magical experience".

Cyclists can participate at any time between 19:00 and 22:00 and are recommended to join the event at either the Starr Gate or Red Bank Road gateways to the promenade.

Ride The Lights marks the start of the build-up to the Illuminations season, which has again been extended by two months, ending on 5 January.

Participants will be able to get a first look at some of the new Illuminations in this year’s display, including designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s Disco Donkey Cavalcade.

The celebrity designer's tableau shows 12 donkeys dressed in 1970s-inspired swimwear parading on a 16ft (5m) high platform, beneath a giant ice cream topped with a disco ball.

Another new section has been designed by students at Blackpool Sixth Form College and includes illustrations of alien life, in a nod to a feature that graced the Illuminations display several years ago.

Blackpool Illuminations is one of the biggest and longest-running light-based festivals in the world.

It started in 1879 with just a handful of lamps creating what was described at the time as “artificial sunshine”.

It now extends the entire six miles of Promenade, with more than a million LED lights using only electricity from renewable resources.