Blackpool Celebrates a Fantastic Start To The Season With Guinness World Record For Biggest Beach Ball

Already famous, Blackpool now holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest beach ball in history.

The iconic seaside resort had its achievement validated by independent adjudicators as it inflated its huge #BlackpoolsBack beach-ball – three times the height of a house or the same height as the Whitehouse in Washington DC, USA – on Blackpool Beach today.

Measuring a staggering 18m in diameter, the orange and white beach ball was custom-made, weighing in at 400kg – about the same as an adult horse.

Previously, the largest inflatable beach ball in the world measured 15.82 metres in diameter and was created by supermarket group Real in Poland on 8 May 2012.

The #BlackpoolsBack beach ball is being used to highlight a new drive to encourage families to try out a holiday or short break at the iconic seaside resort.  The initiative aims to challenge any negative perceptions of the resort, by reminding families of everything Blackpool has to offer.  This includes an unrivalled concentration of world-class family attractions, an award-winning beach as well as a season packed with exciting events including the iconic Illuminations switch on later this month.

#BlackpoolsBack spokesman Iain Hawkins said: “We wanted to create something special, something unique that illustrates both Blackpool’s legendary sense of fun and the fact that there has never been a better time for families to visit the most iconic seaside resort in the UK.

“The giant #BlackpoolsBack beach-ball, the biggest ever made in the world, does all of that and more.”

Councillor Graham Cain, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member for tourism and leisure, said: “Blackpool attracts 13 million visit a year and is the UK’s most visited seaside resort by some distance.  Blackpool’s certainly back and it’s perfect for families.

“We’ve gone through years of regeneration and we’re now at a point where we can be very proud of the holiday area we have to offer.  We’ve achieved an amazing coup in getting Mamma Mia here for the summer season, we have a brand new Promenade and seafront and we’ve got a world class operator – Merlin Entertainments – running The Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussauds, the Sea Life Blackpool and many of our other new attractions, including Illuminasia.

“We had more than 70,000 applications for tickets for our annual illuminations switch-on starring Peter Kay, Little Mix and a huge host of top acts and the Blackpool Air Show last weekend was also extremely well attended.

“The summer season has gone really well so far and we’re gearing up for a bumper weekend again this weekend and next.”

The manufacture of the ball took an entire fortnight to complete and transport to Blackpool.