September 19th: The Day Blackpool is First Illuminated

Blackpool Illuminations were first established as a lights festival on September 19th 1879. Today they use over one million bulbs stretching for 6 miles and lasting for 66 days from late August to early November. 
   Normally this time of year, the seaside summer is drawing to a close in terms of tourism and attractions, but Blackpool cleverly drew in thousands of people to their annual event. However the Illuminations of 1879 were quite different, regarded as "artificial sunlight", there were only 8 arc lamps over the Promenade. 

Blackpool Illuminations: est. September 19th 1879

   The original event of 1879 came before Thomas Edison's invention of the electric light bulb, by a mere 12 months! The British Royal family visited the Illuminations in 1912, and this event was much closer in likeness to the modern day affair, with a sea of light bulbs over buildings, vehicles and basically anything you can hang bulbs onto. Celebrities and significant people of the time are invited to switch on the lights, and Blackpool make a huge fuss about the build-up to the lights. This year's Blackpool Illuminations cost £2.4 million to stage, and the equipment alone costs some £10 million, which makes me wonder if it is worth it just to keep up traditions. Have you ever seen the Blackpool Illuminations? What do you think about the amount of electricity they will be using over such a long period of time, and with such a vast amount of light bulbs?