The well-supported ‘Ride The Lights’ event, which sees thousands of cyclists of all ages ride along the resort’s famous Illuminations on a traffic-free Promenade a few days ahead of the official Switch-On has been cancelled. The event organisers, VisitBlackpool, say that the popular Ride the Lights, which was this year scheduled for 1st September, sadly cannot take place under current restrictions. This will be a big disappointment to so many people as last year it was estimated that over fifteen thousand cyclists enjoyed this special family-friendly opportunity.
Councillor Gillian Campbell, Cabinet Member for Tourism and Culture on Blackpool Council, said: ‘Ride The Lights has been one of the highlights of our events calendar for more than a decade and it is obviously disappointing that it cannot be staged this year. However, this is a free, mass participation event, and given the restrictions that are in place around large-scale public gatherings, it is sensible to cancel. We know that those who look forward to this unique opportunity to ride under the famous Blackpool Illuminations will be disappointed, but I hope they will understand why we have made this decision. We look forward to the event returning in 2021.”