Illuminations Travel 2024
2 months ago
It’s that time of year again – Blackpool Illuminations kick off on Friday 30th August 2024!
This exciting time means we’ll be using diversions throughout to keep you moving during Illuminations season. This is due to congestion in Blackpool Town Centre and surrounding areas.
Will my bus be affected?
The affected services will be 1, 1A, 3, 3A, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 7 & 11A, 7A, 11, 11B, 14 & 18.
Services 5C route will be unaffected, however the bus stop in the town centre will change.
Don’t worry though! Here’s everything you need to know about our routes between 30th August and the end of the season.
When do the diversions start?
We’ll be adjusting our diversions in line with the Illuminations as we get further into the season.
- Friday 30th August: From 3pm (Illuminations Switch-on)
Services will be diverting on Friday and Saturday nights only until 27th October.
- Every Friday and Saturday night between 31st August and 28th September: From 7pm
- Every Friday and Saturday between 4th October and 12th October: From 6pm
- Every night from Friday18th October until Saturday 26th October: From 6pm**
- Every night from Sunday 27th October until Saturday 2nd November: From 5pm
Normal service will resume from Sunday 3rd November.
**There will be no diversion in place on Sunday 20th October due to an event taking place in St Johns Square.
Illuminations Switch-on (Friday 30th August)
For the Illuminations switch-on event, we've got specific diversions in place to keep our services moving around the Town Centre and Promenade.
For buses, diversions will be in place from 3pm until the end of service. All buses will follow the routes below, so please check if your service is affected before you travel.
For trams, on Switch On day, we’ll be running a special service with a 15-minute frequency starting at 9am. This will travel from Starr Gate to Fleetwood, via North Station, ensuring a smoother journey for those arriving in Blackpool and getting around town.
From 3pm, we'll be running a 'split service' until 10pm due to the amount of people on the Promenade. Our trams will not operate between Central Pier and North Pier, which means you can only travel uninterrupted from Starr Gate to Central Pier and North Pier to Fleetwood. You can still purchase a ticket for a full tram journey (i,e. Starr Gate to Fleetwood) but you will need to get off the tram between North and Central Pier to board again. Trams will not serve North Station after 3pm.
- Last full tram journey northbound (Starr Gate to Fleetwood via North Station) leaves Starr Gate at 14:30
- Last full tram journey southbound (Fleetwood to Starr Gate via North Station) leaves Fleetwood Ferry at 14:05
If you need any help with your route, members of our team will be around to help.
You can also find updated tram times here for Friday 30th August.
Where can I catch my bus in Blackpool Town Centre?
If you usually catch your bus around the Town Centre, this table has every stop change during the Illuminations.
We’ll also be signposting temporary stops and any closed stops with large signs to help you.
Bus Diversions:
Service 1 – Diverting from 4th October!
Northbound: From Queen Street, onto Dickson Road, Warbreck Hill Road, Warbreck Drive, at Bispham Hotel left onto Red Bank Road, then onto Promenade, to be back on route.
Southbound: At Bispham traffic lights left onto Red Bank Road, onto Warbreck Drive, Warbreck Hill Road, Dickson Road, Springfield Road, left onto Abingdon Street, and then onto Queen Street where the Service will terminate.
During the Illumination period, Service 1 will be adjusted as the earlier diversions come into place with stopping locations changing during the 6pm and 5pm diversions. Until then the service will run as normal but will be monitored throughout.
Northbound: Normal route.
Southbound: Normal route to Dickson Road, this is where you can catch the Service 3 from. From there it will use Talbot Road, Buchanan Street, George Street, then left onto Grosvenor Street to resume its normal route.
Northbound: Normal Route to the mini roundabout at Gymnasium stop then turn right onto Grasmere Road, left onto Condor Grove, left onto Park Road, left onto Church Street and into St Johns Square, temp stop outside the Co-op on Abingdon Street then, turn right out of Abingdon Street and continue along the normal route.
Southbound: Normal route to Talbot Road, turn left at Bickerstaff Square using the stop outside the Post Office. Then left at the lights and right onto Grosvenor Street then via Park Road and Reads Avenue before the normal route at Central Drive.
Service 5C will use St Johns Square as its terminus.
Northbound: Normal route to Condor Grove, then Park Road, Church Street and into St Johns Square, Service 6 will use the stop outside the Co-op on Abingdon Street, then continue out of Abingdon Street and along its normal route.
Southbound: Normal evening route to Church Street, then Cookson Street, George Street, Buchanan Street, and Talbot Road turn left at Bickerstaff Square, where it will use the stop outside the Post Office. Then onto Grosvenor Street, Park Road and Reads Avenue before returning to the normal route at Central Drive.
Northbound: Normal Route to the mini roundabout at Gymnasium, right onto Grasmere Road, left onto Condor Grove, left onto Park Road, left onto Church Street and into St Johns Square. Continue Abingdon Street, Right Talbot Road and continue along the normal route.
Southbound: Normal Route to Talbot Road, left onto Buchanan Street, continue onto George Street, left onto Grosvenor Street, right onto Church Street, continue into St Johns Square.
Northbound: From St Johns Square, onto Abingdon Street, right onto Talbot Road, back on normal route.
Southbound: Normal Route to Talbot Road, left onto Buchanan Street, continue onto George Street, left onto Grosvenor Street, right onto Church Street, continue into St Johns Square.
Northbound: From Lytham Road, it will use Tyldesley Road, Rigby Road, Central Drive at the mini roundabout onto Grasmere Road, Condor Grove, Park Road, left onto Church Street to terminate in St Johns Square.
Southbound: From St John’s Square, up Talbot Road, Buchanan Street, Park Road, Reads Avenue, Central Drive, Rigby Road and Tyldesley Road onto Lytham Road returning to its normal route.
Northbound: Normal route to Condor Grove, then Park Road, Church Street and into St Johns Square, where this Service will terminate.
Southbound: From St John’s Square, Talbot Road, Buchanan Street, George Street, Grosvenor Street, Park Road, Reads Avenue, and normal route from Central Drive.
Northbound: From St Johns Square, onto Abingdon Street, right onto Talbot Road, back on normal route.
Southbound: Normal Route to Talbot Road, left onto Buchanan Street, continue onto George Street, left onto Grosvenor Street, right onto Church Street, continue into St Johns Square.
Service 18 – From Sunday 27th October only.
Northbound: Normal route to Topping St, continue along Dickson Rd, left onto Springfield Rd, left onto Abingdon St, and left onto Queen St to terminate.
Southbound: From Queen St turn right onto Dickson Rd, left onto Talbot to resume normal route.
Need a hand?
If you need help planning your journey, feel free to check out our Journey Planner.
Alternatively, get in touch with our friendly Customer Experience team who are on hand to help!