Vintage fairground rides dotted around the town centre will be a key feature of this year’s Blackburn Heritage Festival as part of a drive to encourage visitors to explore different parts of the town on foot.
The Blackburn Business Improvement District (BID) has subsidised the cost of a 40 foot Victorian Carousel, a vintage helter-skelter and an old fashioned big wheel, which will be split up in locations including King William Street and Sudell Cross to encourage a spread of footfall.
Last year’s Blackburn Heritage Festival attracted additional footfall of 29,000 to the town centre compared to an average weekend.
Harriet Roberts, BID Manager and festival organiser explained, ‘The iconic wooden red and white helter-skelter towering next to the clock tower on King William Street was an amazing sight last year and a real hit with the families. We have listened to visitors who say they want low cost things to do with children. Most of the festival activities are completely free and thanks to the BID businesses, the rides are only £1 again this year.’
A number of new attractions are joining the line-up for this year’s festival including a classic car show, a mobile museum featuring obsolete technology and four ‘hop-on hop-off’ vintage buses to transport visitors around the venues.
The festival takes place on Saturday, 12th and Sunday 13th of September at venues across Blackburn. Discover a full list of activities taking place on the Blackburn Heritage Festival’s website www.blackburnheritage.com
