New opening date set for Blackpool's Christmas Wonderland

It follows the decision on Thursday to stop installation of the giant Star Flyer ride at the St John's Square site, which was due to be available from this weekend, and an update on what is happening next with that is still awaited.

John Westhead, Blackpool Promotions' head of operations, said: "As a local lad who was born and raised in Blackpool, I have been passionate about bringing an experience such as this to the town. Blackpool deserves a Christmas offering to rival other local areas.

"We have had a lot of interest relating to the Star Flyer ride and we hope to have a positive update in due course.

"The overarching message for the markets is ‘bringing families together at Christmas’

"The wonderland will be a mixture of traditional food stalls, retail outlets, traditional fairground rides and modern VR experiences whilst also incorporating a Santa’s grotto.

"We have engaged with many local schools to create an artwork competition with displays that will be inside the Winter Gardens.

"We have offered the chance for schools and local clubs to perform at the markets and tried to engage the local community in all aspects of the Wonderland experience.

"All we want is for the town to have a successful Christmas, for businesses to be able to gain additional revenue after a horrendous 18 months, children to be excited for Christmas and for everyone to have a great time.

"We hope that you come and enjoy your time with us and always welcome feedback on how we can improve going forward.

"The intention is to have this event every year to support Blackpool at Christmas.

"As a company, we bring hundreds of thousands of people into Blackpool each year and have done for the last 35 years. We hope to continue to support the town for many years to come."

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