Olympic Torch Comes to Blackpool 2012
London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay and Evening Celebration comes to Blackpool.
Blackpool will have the opportunity to celebrate the Olympic Torch Relay when the torch passes through the resort on Friday 22nd June next year.
Awarded an Evening Celebration, the event will take place on the newly opened Tower Festival Headland, which is located on the famous Promenade opposite The Blackpool Tower.
The celebrations will culminate in the arrival of the Olympic Flame with a Celebration Cauldron being lit on stage to mark its arrival, giving both residents and visitors in resort an opportunity to see the famous Torch and celebrate and share in the Olympic Spirit.
The Olympic Flame will travel for approximately 12 hours each day, concluding on 66 of the 70 days with an exciting early evening celebration event that will enable thousands of people to enjoy a variety of entertainment staged by London 2012 and its three Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partners. Blackpool will play a key role in providing entertainment as part of the show.
Natalie Wyatt, Head of visitBlackpool comments: “We are delighted to be able to welcome the Olympic Torch Relay to Blackpool and hope that many residents and visitors will join us at the Evening Celebration taking place. As we are the midway point on the route, the eyes of the world will be on Blackpool which provides us with an opportunity to showcase our resort but also show that we can deliver an amazing spectacle.”
Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: ‘We have no doubt that visitBlackpool will stage an evening celebration event that captures the excitement, passion and spirit of the Olympic Torch Relay as it comes to rest at the Tower Festival Headland. The event will provide the perfect opportunity to invite the local community and visitors to the resort, to welcome the Olympic Flame and shine a light on the culture and heritage of the area.’
The Olympic Flame will arrive in the UK from Greece on Friday 18 May 2012 and the 70 day Torch Relay will start at Land’s End, Cornwall on the morning of the 19 May 2012. On leaving Land’s End, the Olympic Flame is expected to travel an estimated 8,000 miles across the UK, giving thousands of communities and individuals their moment to shine as the Olympic Flame comes to their doorstep. The Olympic Flame will arrive at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Details about the timing of the event and who will be performing are currently being finalised