SWITCH-ON FESTIVAL – HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!
26 June 2014
by Visit Blackpool
Exclusive highlights from the record-breaking smash-hit Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage will feature in a West End-themed extravaganza on Saturday 30 August 2014 as part of the new Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On Festival Weekend.
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The tantalising dance sequences and brand new choreography come alive on stage, set to the hits from the unforgettable soundtrack, including ‘Do You Love Me?’, ‘Hungry Eyes’ and the Academy Award winning ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’.
Dirty Dancing –The Classic Story On Stage originally opened at the Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with a record-breaking advance of £15 million, making it the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history. The first ever UK tour took an unprecedented £42,000,000 and received standing ovations and 5 star reviews, smashing box office records across the country. The production subsequently ran at the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End, prior to launching a new UK and Ireland tour in March 2014.
Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage is the latest production to join the West End showcase for the night of Saturday 30 August on the Tower Festival Headland. VisitBlackpool has already announced that the showcase will be headlined by Thriller Live and will also include extended highlights of Chicago, Priscilla Queen Of The Desert and the songs of Jersey Boys.
The weekend festival opens with the traditional Friday night switch-on event which will be staged in association with media partner Rock FM and their breakfast presenters Hywel and Jamie. Acts already lined up include Pixie Lott, Union J, Neon Jungle, George Ezra and Matt Cardle with the headline music acts and the celebrity switch on star yet to be announced.
Singing star Rebecca Ferguson will headline the Sunday night finale, with special guests Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, 911 and Damage.
Rebecca, who was an X-Factor runner-up ahead of One Direction, sold more than half a million copies of her debut album and is currently coming to the end of a UK-wide tour.
Early bird tickets for the weekend are now on sale at £20 per adult, £10 per child, with the first 5,000 purchasers guaranteed a wristband to the free Friday night Switch-On event.
Cllr Graham Cain, Cabinet Member for Tourism and Leisure for Blackpool Council, said: “The addition of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage has added another dimension to the Saturday night of the festival weekend.
“Never before has Blackpool been able to showcase the very best of what the West End has to offer all in one place at one time.”
Entrance to this year’s free Friday night Switch-On will be strictly by wristband only and there will be no wristbands available on the day. Wristbands will be allocated at random through an online ballot with a maximum of four wristbands per household. A total of 6,000 of these will be allocated to applicants from the Blackpool area.
Wristband registration closes at 12 noon on Wednesday 23 July 2014 and successful applicants will be notified on Tuesday 29 July 2014.
For full event information, including ticket & wristband information, go to www.visitblackpool.com/switchon