Christmas by the Sea

Christmas by the Sea is Blackpool’s annual festive extravaganza, just in front of Blackpool Tower. The tower gets a literal glow up and there are other light installations along the Tower Festival Headland. Save your selfies for Spiro, the illuminated walk-through tunnel. This is all just part of the festive village transformation

There’s a free skating rink with free skate hire too. You can’t book in advance, just wait to skate. If the queues are too long, you can always while away some time in the Christmas chalets which offer mulled wine, hot chocolate, sausages, churros and, most importantly, shelter.

Even though the rink is free, it still has everything you need with skate aids for little ones, rails to cling on to for nervy novices and 20m of ice to zig-zag up and down, twirling like a seasoned pro.

The rest of the festive village includes simulated snow bursting from Christmas cannons, cute children’s fairground fun and adrenaline-packed attractions including one of Europe’s tallest aerial swing rides.