Blackpool’s Showzam! Festival is BACK!

Something magical is happening at February Half-term! Blackpool’s Showzam! Festival is BACK! Make a date in your diary for an exciting blend of live performances, incredible illusions, and show-stopping variety!

Showzam! Festival 2025 – From 14-22 February

There’s something magical in the sea air this February half-term as Blackpool kicks off the Tourism season with Showzam!, a festival of circus, magic, live entertainment and fun for all the family.

Enjoy a festival of free show-stopping performances, enchanting entertainment, dazzling street shows, and incredible illusions as the resort welcomes visitors to a magical spectacle like no other. A packed programme of dazzling events will be supported by free unmissable headline performances on Blackpool’s Comedy Carpet from global superstars Andrew Basso and Cillian O’Connor.

Enjoy cutting-edge street acts, mind-blowing tricks from world-class magicians, and fun-packed entertainment for all the family. Take a look at the schedule below. Plus magic and fun shows and entertainment at some of Blackpool’s best attractions! All arranged to coincide with Blackpool Magic Convention.

The curtain will be pulled back on Friday 14 February when Britain’s Got Talent finalist, and multi-award winning magician, Cillian O’Connor, performs his eye-catching magical performances that have captivated audiences across the UK, Europe, US and South Korea whilst amassing over half a billion views online and gaining global superstardom along the way!

The magic doesn’t stop there either, on Monday 17 February, record-breaking and world-renowned escapologist Andrew Basso delivers a death-defying live performance on the Comedy Carpet as he attempts to escape from a water tank whilst restrained and upside down! Andrew has been described as the natural successor to Harry Houdini, with Blackpool audiences set to be wowed by the performer named by CBS as the World’s Greatest Escapologist.

The return of Showzam! is being supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and proudly delivered by the Blackpool Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), and the team behind the 8 day extravaganza have plenty of tricks up their sleeves to ensure it’s bigger and better than ever before!

Showzam Schedule

Friday 14 February
From 5pm – Cillian O’Connor at the Comedy Carpet

Saturday 15 February
12pm & 3pm West London Magic Street Theatre

Sunday 16 February
12pm & 3pm Street Theatre

Monday 17 February
11am & 1pm Showtime with Steve Hewlett at Showtown
From 5pm Andrew Basso at the Comedy Carpet

Tuesday 18 February
12pm & 3pm Street Theatre
1pm Showzam Magic School at Russ Browns House of Secrets

Wednesday 19 February
12pm & 3pm Street Theatre
1pm & 3.30pm Showzam Magic School at Russ Browns House of Secrets
5pm Showtram with Harry Moulding
7pm Ryland and Craig Pettys Magic Show at Russ Browns House of Secrets

Thursday 20 February
12pm & 3pm Street Theatre
1pm & 3.30pm Showzam Magic School at Russ Browns House of Secrets
2pm ‘Tricky Business’ Joke Shops talk at Showtown
7pm Ryland and Craig Pettys Magic Show at Russ Browns House of Secrets

Friday 21 February
1pm & 3.30pm Showzam Magic School at Russ Browns House of Secrets
From 5pm Spectacular Spectacular at the Comedy Carpet
7pm Ryland and Craig Pettys Magic Show at Russ Browns House of Secrets

Saturday 22 February
12pm & 3pm Street Theatre
1pm Showzam Magic School at Russ Browns House of Secrets
7pm Ryland and Craig Pettys Magic Show at Russ Browns House of Secrets

Showzam! Festival over the years

On 29 January 2008, escapologist Danny Hunt helped to launch Blackpool’s first Showzam! Festival of magic, circus and new variety, by escaping from a water torture cell.

From 2009-2011 Carnesky’s Ghost Train was part of the Festival, indoors at Olympia in the Winter Gardens. Olympia was also where you could wonder at Mademoiselle Yvette the Headless Lady and Cleo the Girl in the Goldfish Bowl! Both supplied by preservationist Jon Marshall.

Yvette, The Headless Lady moves, breathes and lives! She’s kept alive by the miracles of modern medicine. The talented Dr Van Bergh attempts to recreate his original experiment by keeping a body alive without a head!

Then in 2018, the traditional Showzam! festival at February half-term was replaced by a programme of circus-themed activities across the whole year. It tied in nicely and reflected Blackpool’s new status as one of six Cities Of Circus in 2018.