Visit the Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool Tower – and have dance lessons

THE Wurlitzer organ serenades us as we make our way into the gold-dipped ballroom where elegantly dressed people are practising their ballroom steps.

Tables loaded with finger sandwiches and chunky scones surround the main dancefloor and waiters are weaving among the guests, topping up prosecco glasses and tipping tea into stylish painted mugs.

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We’re enjoying a glamorous Afternoon Tea Experience in Blackpool Tower, the very venue that ­features in tonight’s episode of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing.

I became a Blackpool convert three years ago when I visited to watch Rod Stewart at Lytham Festival.

But this time I’d brought my mum along, with the promise of a Diana Ross gig to lure her there.

A changing tide in the North Western town means the Strictly cast aren’t the only celebrities to add showbiz sparkle to the illuminations.

The likes of US legend Diana and Lewis Capaldi join a growing list of A-listers all visiting the area on tour dates.

And next year’s flock of Blackpool tourists will include Lionel Richie, Sting and Jamiroquai, all slated to perform at the nearby The Lytham Festival.

Blackpool B&Bs might conjure up visions of Fawlty-Towers-On-Sea but rest assured the £12million Boulevard hotel, nestled in the arms of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, gives most London hotels a run for their money.

And in its lobby, celeb spotters can catch a glimpse of the festival headliners, who have been known to stay at the hotel.

During the day, the occasional blood-curdling scream might float past your window from the thrillseekers on the rollercoasters butthe hotel is set back far enough from the strip to give you a restful sleep at night.

Its sister hotel, The Big Blue, is where Strictly professionals and their celebrity partners will be staying this weekend and then partying afterwards.

They rent out the whole building so staying at The Boulevard is your best chance of snagging a last-minute invite to the afterparty.

Blackpool Tower, where one episode of the BBC1 dance hit is filmed each series, is open year round and hosts a decadent Strictly-themed afternoon tea that is a must for fans.

After a glass of bubbles, we’re invited to have a go at basic ballroom guided by the organist.

I’m Anton du Beke, Mum is Ann Widdecombe (sorry Mum!) and as Craig Revel Horwood would say: “It was a dance dis-ahhhh-ster dahhhhhling!”

I can safely say I won’t be getting a call from BBC bosses any time soon.

For Strictly superfans there’s also a Madame Tussauds down the road where you can get up close to the waxwork Craig (try to tell the difference!) and endure a barrage of insults — if you’re into that.

We belted along

We’ve just enough time to tick the Blackpool Tower 4-D experience off our list and sip a cocktail at 500ft before getting ready for the gig tonight.

Lytham St Anne’s, where we’re watching Diana perform, is a 15-minute taxi drive away from our hotel — be sure to book in advance.

Most visitors to Lytham Festival are daytrippers so the vibe is much more sedate than your run-of-the-mill festival — and most importantly there’s no stinking revellers or hour-long queues for the loos.

The week before her Lytham gig, the Chain Reaction singer played the legends slot at Glastonbury to an audience of more than 200,000 — at Lytham she serenades 20,000 of us and we’ve all had a far better view of her too.

One of the best things about Lytham Festival, though, is not just the performer, its the location.

Right in the town centre, festival-goers have everything they need nearby like corner shops and restaurants and there’s no schlepping to a campsite in the middle of nowhere.

I can’t say we hit all the high notes as we belted along, but Diana was on top form with hits like Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Baby Love ringing out all the way back to the Pleasure Beach.

And Mum? Well, I’ll bet she’ll be Dancing On The Ceiling next year.

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