Published Wednesday 22 October 2025 at 14:45
With just one month to go, the full line-up for Blackburn’s Christmas lights switch-on has been revealed – and it’s a cracker!
This year, Blackburn BID has teamed up with Blackburn with Darwen Council, Crafty Vintage and BBC Radio Lancashire for the popular event on Saturday, November 22nd.
And, for the first time, the festive fun will start early with a brand-new Christmas market under a marquee in King William Street, opening on the Friday afternoon and running throughout Saturday.
After Storm Bert forced the event indoors last year, the main stage is set to return close to the Old Town Hall with a packed programme including:
- Fire dancers and stilt walkers
- A spectacular ice show performed by Ice Glitz
- Singing sensation Darrell Smith of BBC Proms fame
- Blackburn Rovers legend David Dunn
Plus, so much more!
From 11am on the Saturday, there’ll be everything from free festive face painting to a magical, wandering yule goat with Elvish handlers and fairground rides, including an helter skelter.
And, after Culturapedia pulled a few strings, Father Christmas himself will be paying a special visit from the North Pole to tell jokes on stage.
Also hosted by Culturapedia, in Blackburn Market there’ll be Christmas crafts too with a ‘Winter Windows’ session.
Back outside and BBC Radio Lancashire favourite Sharon Hartley will host the full line-up, including performances throughout the afternoon from Bernese Theatre School, Katrina’s Dance Academy, Blackburn Musical Theatre Company, Lancashire Dance Academy, Ella Shaw Academy of Arts, Begin2Sing and Made for Stage.
And to top the day off, an impressive projection show on the Town Hall will officially start the countdown to Christmas as well as new lights for Blackburn Town Hall.
Nicola Clayton, Chair of the Blackburn BID Board, said:
We know just how much Blackburn’s residents and visitors love our Christmas lights switch-on, and this year we’re offering more than 12 hours of festive fun over two days.
We’ve teamed up with Blackburn with Darwen Council, BBC Radio Lancashire, Crafty Vintage and Culturapedia to bring a packed line-up filled with festive favourites to get everyone in the Christmas spirit with Sharon Hartley hosting.
With so much planned, come and spend the day here – enjoy the free live entertainment, Christmas markets and all that the town centre has to offer, including fantastic Christmas shopping and fabulous festive food and drink.
What a way to officially start the countdown to Christmas!
The new festive markets will feature everything from unique gift ideas to food stalls and more – and being undercover means you can browse at your leisure, whatever the weather.
Meanwhile, on stage, Darrell Smith is sure to help get the Christmas party started.
Darrell, who lives in the borough, wowed audiences at the BBC Proms with his sensational take on Northern Soul classics, including Dean Taylor’s There’s a Ghost in My House.
The performance earned him wide critical acclaim and a host of new fans, leading to sold-out shows both in the UK and abroad.
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Deputy Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
Every year, thousands of people turn out for our lights switch-on events, and they’re a great way to showcase all there is to offer in our towns.
Like Nicola says, come and make a day of it. As well as the festive markets and the fantastic line-up on the main stage, we’ve got The Mall, Blackburn Market, a great mix of independent businesses and plenty of places to eat and drink.
This is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with loved ones while enjoying all that the town centre has to offer – Christmas cheer is guaranteed!
Come to Blackburn and discover something new.
Switching on the lights will be Blackburn Rovers legend David Dunn, in a fitting appearance as the club celebrates its 150th anniversary this November.
Laura Johnson, owner of Crafty Vintage, added:
We like to pull out all the stops when we organise a Christmas lights switch-on, and we’re thrilled to be supporting the 2025 Blackburn event.
The town centre will be packed with festive cheer, and we’re especially excited about the new light projection show – it’s something completely new for Blackburn.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Blackburn BID has its own Discover Blackburn website with an all you need to know guide to the town centre and what’s on – you can check it out now at: www.discoverblackburn.co.uk
And, for all of the latest updates, including for the lights switch on, you can also follow Discover Blackburn on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.