Ella Henderson to headline Blackpool Illuminations switch-on concert

Award-winning singer-songwriter Ella Henderson is to headline the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On celebrations.

Ella, who last year joined the prestigious list of Brit Billion winners having achieved more than a billion digital streams of her music, will perform an extended set from her extensive catalogue of hits in a free-to-access outdoor concert on the Tower Festival Headland on Friday 30 August.

Staged in association with Hits Radio, the show will also feature Grammy-nominated artist and founder member of The Pussycat Dolls, Kimberly Wyatt, and the Massaoke show performed by Rockstar Weekend, described by critics as “the greatest party band of all time”.

Ella’s music career started as a contestant in The X-Factor before she went on to release her debut album Chapter One, which topped the UK albums chart and spawned several chart successes including the huge hit single, Ghost, as well as Glow and Yours. Three times Brit-nominated Ella has ten Top 10 singles to her name.

In addition to her solo material, she has recorded a string of successful collaborations with the likes of Sigma, David Guetta, Becky Hill, Jax Jones, Tom Grennan, Joel Corry and Rudimental. A few months ago, she released her latest single, Under The Sun, a collaboration with Alok and Switch Disco.

Ella first appeared on the Switch-On stage in 2021 during the pandemic when a live concert in the Tower Ballroom was performed in front of a small audience and streamed on YouTube.

This year, she returns to the resort to perform on the outdoor stage, which last year attracted a record audience of around 80,000 people. Her performance will be followed by the iconic Switch-On moment, which will trigger four months of Illuminations. The name of the Switch-On celebrity will be revealed in the coming days.

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Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ella back to Blackpool to headline what is going to be an amazing night. She is the perfect performer to headline a concert that will feature the very best of local, national and international talent.”

The Switch-On celebrations will start with some of Blackpool’s brightest young musicians taking to the stage in the run-up to the main event with a non-stop series of performances.

The Upbeat Rock Academy, which organises rock music tuition for more than 300 students from across the Fylde Coast, will present Blackpool Introduces, a 90-minute-long showcase of local talent.

The young people will be joined by Blackpool-based House of Wingz, an award-winning hip hop dance crew that has already been featured on prime time national television.

They will be followed by the main event: A two-hour show hosted by Leanne and Joel, presenters of Hits Radio breakfast show.

It will open with the Massaoke show performed by Rockstar Weekend, a unique mass participation touring production featuring lyrics from some of the greatest crowd-pleasing hits of all time projected on the giant LED screens. It’s the show where you, the general public, become the stars, with the aim of creating the biggest family singalong that Blackpool has ever seen!

They will be followed on stage by American-born Kimberly Wyatt, who is now settled in the UK as a singer, dancer, actor and TV personality. Kimberly achieved worldwide fame with The Pussycat Dolls, selling more than 15 million albums and 40 million singles worldwide, becoming one of the biggest-selling girl groups of all time.

She will bring her high energy, fun DJ set, featuring some of the biggest tracks of the Noughties, dance hits and other pop classics, as part of an outdoor celebration on the Tower Festival Headland on the evening of Friday 30 August.

For more information on Blackpool Illuminations and the Switch-On event, head to visitblackpool.com