Taking over the town of Blackpool for 10 days each February, Showzam! is the UK’s only festival dedicated to the dazzling worlds of circus, magic and new variety.
Now in its third year, Showzam! will again celebrate and showcase some of the world’s most creative and original performers in a fantastic selection of shows and spectacles. These include the Queen’s of Magic - featuring the very best female conjurers and illusionists (and their glamorous male assistants) and Ukulelescope – with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain accompanying rare and unseen black and white movie footage with their unique ‘uke’ soundtrack.
There will also be Mooky’s Star Parade, featuring some of the best young international circus performers (drawn from as far afield as Moscow, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Moldova) and the stunning aerial theatrics of Ockham’s Razor’s in their new show The Mill.
In addition to these (and lots of other top performers still to be confirmed), Showzam! will see Blackpool’s historic Winter Garden’s transformed into Showzam Central. Here visitors will get to experience traditional sideshows from the 1950s, cabaret and new variety performances, film screenings and an exhibition focussing on the infamous American showman and circus founder PT Barnum.
Another fascinating glimpse into the past comes in the form of Cine-Variety – a collection of vintage films that document the history of the North West’s legendary entertainment industry. This will include never-before-seen home-movies of Blackpool Pleasure Beach captured in the 1920s and 1930s and painstakingly digitised especially for Showzam! from the Thompson family collection.
A further highlight will be Showzam!’s sizzling Carnival Ball. This will see Blackpool’s historic Tower Ballroom filled with Brazilian beats and risqué rhythms courtesy of salsa superstars Coco Xpress together with appearances from some of the UK’s very best new variety performers. Burlesque beauty Amber Topaz and calypso queen Marawa will be joined by the outrageous ballroom banter of the Sugar Dandies and the teasing trickery of Romany - Diva of Magic while the irrefutable Miss Behave will be in attendance to ensure none of the evening’s strictly-for-adults antics get out of hand.
All the energy and excitement of Showzam! will build into Heat The Streets on Saturday February 20th. In the afternoon a lively, colourful parade will snake its way around the town centre - but by night Blackpool will be transformed into a cauldron of flames, music and light.
France’s acclaimed La Machine will be at the heart of this fiery furnace, generating explosive sights and sounds via their mysterious mechanical devices whilst the surrounding streets will come alive with some of the country’s finest street theatre Complementing this will be a thrilling display of lights, fire and pyrotechnics designed by the UK’s premiere light and firework producers Walk The Plank.
With a mix of ticketed and free events, family friendly and adult only shows Showzam! has something for everyone - and offers the biggest, brightest and liveliest line-up of entertainment found anywhere in the UK this February, if not this year.
Showzam! ‘10
Friday 12th – Sunday 21st February 2010
Venues across Blackpool
Many events free