Member News
2 September 2009
Blackpool will celebrate with street theatre and cabaret this Saturday (September 5) as a huge party is held to celebrate the completion of St John's square.
The popular public space has undergone a £4.7 million transformation, using investment from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), to create a brand new, high quality public realm at the heart of the town centre. This Saturday will see a fabulous free celebration show with international street entertainers during the day and world-class cabaret acts taking to the stage for a two hour evening extravaganza.
There will also be a touch of the traditional with a beautifully decorated fairground organ and free candy floss, popcorn and doughnuts for the public.
The opening events, which continue the carnival atmosphere of the weekend following the illuminations Switch On of Friday evening, kick off at 1pm and run right through till late in the evening.
In the afternoon there's fun for all the family with daring feats and street theatre featuring acts such as the spectacular Black Eagles with their high energy tumbler and acrobatic show and the popular Danger Boys who will wow the crowd with their mix of humour, acrobatics and stunts.
There'll also be Jon Marshall's Flea Circus, a Punch and Judy show and performance by FY West Coast street dance.
The evening's entertainment will follow on, and includes a spectacular two-hour cabaret show, compared by the fabulous sword-swallowing Miss Behave and featuring famous jive band The Jive Aces, who have previously been booked by John Travolta, alongside cabaret and burlesque artists including the delicious Amber Topaz and talented hula-girl Kalki.
The official opening at the end of the cabaret show (approximately 21.45) will see style guru Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen flicking the switch to bathe the new square in its night-time attire of lights; illuminating the church, sculpture and fountains in stunning style.
St John's church will illuminate both internal and externally; showing off both the beautiful architecture and the gorgeous stained glass.
Cllr Maxine Callow, Cabinet Member for Tourism and Regeneration said: "The St John's square scheme is part of the wider regeneration of Blackpool; creating high quality public spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy.
"We've already seen a lot of people out enjoying the space at lunchtimes and we're confident this new space will be a key haven for visitors and local people to relax and enjoy time in the town centre and this event is really a big thank you for everyone's patience whilst the work has taken place as well as a celebration of this fabulous new public square.
"We are delighted that Laurence is able to join us for the event on Saturday evening and I for one am very excited about the vibrant, top quality acts lined up for the afternoon and evening show and would encourage everyone to come along and soak up the atmosphere."
NWDA Chief Executive, Steven Broomhead, said: "The transformation of St John's Square will help to drive the ongoing regeneration of Blackpool town centre, enhancing its appeal as a visitor and retail destination, as well as helping to attract further investment into the town.
"Reviving Blackpool's economy remains a key priority for the NWDA and we have made a number of investments into key infrastructure and public realm projects to support the growth of the town's visitor economy and enhance quality of life for local residents. The completion of this new public square is another significant milestone in Blackpool's renaissance and I am sure that it will prove popular with visitors and residents alike."
As well as eye-catching new granite paving, circular seating around three mature trees and a new bus shelter; the main features of the square are:
Sculpture - The focal point of the square will be a 10.5 metre high sculpture named The Wave. Designed by artist Lucy Glendinning, the piece was designed to reflect Blackpool's coastal location and resort status. A giant curl of steel representing a breaking wave is studded with coloured resin inserts whose shapes were inspired by detail in the stained glass at St John's Church. These inserts are lit internally by LED colour change lights that give the sculpture a feel of constantly changing when seen from different angles. The top of the wave is pierced by a twice life size figure diving through it and which are internally lit
A series of funky pebbles around the base of the sculpture echo the seaside theme of the main work. Again, internally textured and lit with the same colour change lighting as the sculpture they emit a soft glow of colour through jewel like internal faceting.
Illuminated dancing water flumes that can be programmed to act as simultaneous jets will spring to life at the East/West/South/ North end of the square. The jets are computer controlled and will be capable of a number of functions from dancing jest to Mexican waves of lit water.
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