We enjoyed a great weekend and lots of things went extremely well but a traffic jam like that takes away all the enjoyment to be had from a Light Parade and there’s no pretending otherwise.  As one newcomer to our Event said to me as we got back to the Hotel, that’s the first and last time I do a ride like that – and at that particular time I felt exactly the same way myself.

But where there’s life there’s hope and a new opportunity has already popped up to try to persuade Blackpool Council that a full Road Closure of the Promenade to run Parades such as ours is worth considering – so that’s the agenda for next year.  We’ll brainstorm any other ideas that anyone can come up with as well but taking pot luck with Blackpool Illuminations traffic is clearly a non-starter, no matter how clever we try to be about the way we go about it – it has to be a Road Closure or nothing.

The Hotel side of things worked very well indeed, far better than I expected and the new venue for the Event clearly did turn out very well and the general feeling was that it was exceptionally good value.  The Crescent worked out well as a Parade Mustering Area too.  The Band on Saturday night went down well and the Warwick’s bar stayed open (so I’m told)  until 4am on Sunday morning, so someone must have been enjoying themselves.

So thank you to everyone who came along – especially for the friendliness which permeated the whole weekend.  It was really heart-warming to see Wingers getting on so well.  It was a great weekend in spite of the traffic jam, so let’s hope we can find a way around that problem for next year and make it even better.

Candle Power wins the day!

The Best Lit Bike Competition went well and, considering that we have deliberately chosen a quieter part of the promenade for our venue this year (to make the Parade Muster safer), we collected quite a crowd too.

There were three Prizes this year, awarded to the best and second best bikes, regardless of how many wheels they had, and a special prize for what can best be summed up as a noble effort with a bit of something about it – which went to a complete newcomer to Light Parades, and indeed to GoldWing events at all.  They have associated with local bike clubs in the Derby area, where they hail from, and had considered joining GWOCGB but thought it might be too posh for them (really) so they were complete GoldWing event virgins, as it were.

Micky and Phyl, lacking any display lighting of nay kind on their bike, were resourceful enough to borrow a couple of candelabra from the Hotel and illuminated their GL1800 by candlepower.  The judges, briefed to look for something slightly innovative for the third prize, were unanimous in selecting this effort.  So Micky and Phyl are this morning grinning from ear to ear with delight with their watch, trophy and fleece.

The second prize went to Bob Summers for his blue GL1500, which he has theme in blue lights very cleverly and elegantly over the past year.  No one was more surprised than him and there were of course cries of “fiddle” when he, as the originator of the BLP, won something at last, but it was a a stylish effort and although his bike was one of four which the four judges proposed among themselves for second place, so it was a close run thing, Bob’s bike got the consensus vote.

Perhaps inevitably since Garry Wheat’s GL1500 was not here this year, the first prize went to Bill Squires for his immaculately presented GL1800.  As the judges remarked the lighting on this bike is so well crafted and presents such a stunning impact that it really is difficult for anyone else to come close.

Interestingly however the judges, although unanimous in their view that Bill’s bike should be winner, forgot to record the number plate before Bill whipped it away to park it.  No problem, Randy Rodriguez, Chief Judge was able to identify Bill’s bike as the First Prize Winner by referring to it’s unique colour, which he described as “Last Weeks Underpants”.   Bill took this in good heart and has been asking people if they would like to know the time and to admire his Appleyards Fleece ever since.

A good time was had by all in the bar afterwards and the Hotel told me this morning that they took more money last night over the bar that they usually do in a month!  We’re enjoying a great weekend here in Blackpool and the sun is still shining.  As I write this, on Saturday afternoon the static Display of GoldWings at South Pier is reported to be heaving with people and our Collectors for North West Air Ambulance will hopefully be doing a brisk trade.

Early arrivals enjoying the sunshine outside the Warwick Hotel

The early birds arrived yesterday (Thursday) and enjoyed a fine and warm evening in the sunshine after an excellent dinner at the Warwick, watching the world go by along the Promenade past the Hotel.

The weather here this afternoon (Friday) is also lovely and the forecast is set fair for the whole weekend.  It’s almost too warm to sit out for long – in UK, in September!

The Road Closure is in effect, we have the Crescent to ourselves, the bikes are already lining up along the roadway and the public are already enjoying the spectacle as they stroll by.

It’s going to be a great weekend!

Three will be awarded for the Best Lit Bike Competition on Friday Evening at the Warwick Hotel and two more on Saturday Evening (also at the Warwick, after the Parade) for the Best Solo and Best Three Wheeler displayed at South Pier on the Saturday afternoon.

The watches were kindly supplied by Knutsford Honda and the Trophies and Fleeces by Appleyards.

Raffle prizes will include as usual a cash prize sufficient to pay for your accommodation at next year’s Blackpool Light Parade and many other prizes too.  There will also be an opportunity to buy a piece of  Karen Kay’s Light Parade Cake as usual too.  It’s going to be a Great Weekend!

The BLP has always been fairly lucky with the weather, even in the years when we’ve had rain (or gales, or floods at Pontin’s!) it’s always cleared up nicely for the Parade.

This year it’s looking like we’ll enjoy fair weather for the whole weekend so even if you’re not planning to come and stay in Blackpool, why not treat yourself to a nice day out on the Wing to join us for the Static Display or the Parade anyway?

There’s no charge this year, just an opportunity to chuck a donation in the bucket for the North West Air Ambulance and you’ll be in with a chance of a handsome prize if you display your bike at South Pier on the Saturday afternoon.

It’s going to be a Great Weekend!

This will be particularly interesting for Wingers who are interested in being part of the GoldWing Drill Team which is being formed here in UK but it should also be of interest to other Wingers too – all welcome.

The talk will take place in the Hotel’s bar area – and coffee should be available for non-residents on request.

His reservation is for 2 double rooms and two singles, so he was presumably intending to bring quite a team of supporters along to ensure he got a prize this year!

If anyone would like to take over part or all of Joe’s reservations (and save him some money) it will warm his Scottish cockles a treat.

Please Contact Joe directly on 07879 818815 to give him the good news and arrange for the booking to be transferred to you.

It cost £5 for a Pass to get in and then you have to buy a wrist band to enjoy most of rides, although the odd one is free once you’ve  got your Pass.  A variety of wristband packages are available to cover different appetites and levels of courage and stamina;  the prices also vary according to the season and the day of the week.  And there are reduced prices for Juniors and Seniors.  It’s a bit complicated.

As a general rule however it’s worth buying on line before you go (and then collecting your Pass or Wristband on arrival) because it’s significantly cheaper.

For further information visit the Pleasure Beach website by clicking here. (This link has been amended to take you to the Pleasure Beach’s Home Page, sorry I sent you somewhere else by mistake!)

Thanks to Sponsorship – mainly from Knutsford Honda but also from Colin Appleyard Motorcycles and with the help of the Hoteliers who are hosting the Event this year, the Organisers are able to waive the  Event Registration (Inscription) Charge altogether and will instead be inviting participating Wingers to make a donation to charity.

The nominated charity this year will be North West Air Ambulance.

Blackpool Light Parade has been run on a low-cost and not-for-profit basis throughout its history and surpluses have generally gone to charities of one sort or another.  This year the modest expense of the Event are even more modest than usual, so the Federation is waiving the Registration Fee (last year it was £3 per bike) in favour of providing collection buckets for donations – all of which will go to charity.

There will be collection buckets at Event Registration at the Warwick Hotel and Collectors will also be active at the Static Display on the Promenade (to collect from the public) and in the Parade mustering area to allow Day Visitor Wingers to contribute if they wish.

The suggested donation is £3 per bike but no one will object if you round yours up to a fiver!

To be on the safe side ride to the Mustering Area (which is outside the Warwick Hotel, Saturday 6pm onwards) with your display lights switched off and attach any flags you want to display when you get there.

Hand held flags (and light sabres etc, the more the merrier) are OK within reason but any flags which are attached to the bike must be securely fixed and unlikely to drag or snag anything else.

You can keep your lights on within the Mustering Area when we return to it for as long as you wish but please switch them off for your ride home.