April Festivals
The Blackpool International Spring Festival: is held each year in April, in cooperation with Lancashire’s Football Association. The team events are open to young footballers in the under-10 age group, and also in the under-15 age group. This is a great opportunity for up-and-coming footballers of both sexes to get together with fans of the sport for some friendly competition. The event brings in participants and spectators from a number of European countries. The Blackpool Marathon & Half Marathon: is the premier event of its type in Britain. The route begins just outside the Hilton Hotel, and heads in a southerly direction, down the Golden Mile, passing by the Tower, the resort’s piers and Pleasure Beach – continuing on to St Anne’s and Lytham, before doubling back, paralleling the promenade to the finish line. On the evening before the event, all competitors are invited to enjoy a pasta feast and party. Categories in the competition include ballroom and Latin dancing - with classes for amateur couples, professional couples and dance formation teams. A new category that was recently introduced is the British Rising Star Amateur Ballroom class. Two invitational events are a particular highlight, generating a great deal of interest: the Exhibition Competition and the Professional Team Match. Other dance festivals held in Blackpool each year include: the Blackpool Sequence Dance Festival, the British National Dance Festival, the Junior Dance Festival and the World Professional Dance Sport Championship. Today, more than 3.5 million visitors come to the town during September and October to see the spectacle – which costs around £2.4 million to stage. A series of lighted displays are arranged along seven miles of seafront, attracting many visitors at a time when most resort seasons have come to an end. | 
