Leeds-born Spice Girls star Mel B to switch on this year's Blackpool Illuminations at historic UK event

The Leeds-born Spice Girls singer will make a nostalgic return to the resort where her career first started as a 16-year-old dancer in the Mystique show at Pleasure Beach Resort.

The Switch-On ceremony, which is a free to access event, will take place on the Tower Festival Headland on the night of Friday August 30, providing a spectacular finale to a two-hour concert. Last year’s switch-on event was watched by an estimated 80,000 people.

Mel will pull the famous switch to trigger four months of Illuminations at the end of a show that is being headlined by Ella Henderson and featuring former member of The Pussycat Dolls, Kimberly Wyatt.

Mel, who joins a Switch-On roll of honour that includes national and international celebrities down the years, said: “I’m so thrilled to be turning on the Illuminations because Blackpool has played a big part in my life and career.

“I was just 16 when I came to Blackpool to be part of the Mystique dance group. To me it was the most glamorous place in the world - the Vegas of Britain. 

“I had so much to learn, so fast and it stood me in good stead for everything that came later. I love the people, the place and of course the fish and chips - with plenty of scraps.

“So to have the opportunity in 2024 to come back and turn on the Illuminations means so much to me. I’m really excited to get the party started!”

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Mel rose to global fame in the 90s as a member of the Spice Girls in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, they became the best-selling female group of all time.

She has since gone on to work as a solo singer-songwriter, TV personality and actress, working on numerous shows in the UK, Australia and the United States.

Last month, she received an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University, which recognised the star for her work with domestic abuse victims and her global influence as “a music icon”. Mel – who is patron of Women’s Aid - was also made an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours list for her charitable work.

The Blackpool Illuminations is an annual lights festival founded in 1879 and held each autumn from August until November for 66 nights. In 1934, the town began a tradition of marking the start of the festival by hosting a public figure to perform the inaugural switch-on of the lights.

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