You can visit the Strictly Come Dancing Blackpool tower – and even have afternoon tea and dance lessons

The Wurlitzer organ serenades us as we make our way to the gilded ballroom where smartly dressed people practice their ballroom steps.

Tables laden with finger sandwiches and big scones surround the main dance floor and waiters weave their way among guests, filling prosecco glasses and pouring tea from sleek painted cups.

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We enjoy a glamorous afternoon tea experience at Blackpool Towerthe very location that features in tonight’s episode of BBC1 Come dance strictly.

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

But this time, I had taken my mother with the promise of a Diana Ross gig to lure him there.

A changing tide in the northwest town means the strict casting aren’t the only celebrities to add a showbiz shine to the illuminations.

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

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

Blackpool bed and breakfasts could conjure up visions of Fawlty-Towers-On-Sea but rest assured, the £12million Boulevard Hotel, nestled in the arms of Blackpool Pleasure Beachgives most London hotels a hard time.

And in its lobby, celebrity watchers can spot the festival headliners, who are known to stay at the hotel.

During the day, the occasional blood-curdling scream can float past your window of thrill-seekers on roller coasters, but the hotel is set back enough from the Strip to provide you with restful sleep at night.

Its sister hotel, The Big Blue, is where Strictly professional and their celebrity partners will stay this weekend and party afterwards.

They rent out the entire building, so staying at the Boulevard is your best chance of getting a last-minute invite to the afterparty.

Blackpool Towerwhere an episode of the BBC1 dance hit is filmed every series, is open all year round and hosts a decadent Strictly themed afternoon tea that is a must for fans.

After a glass of bubbles, we are invited to try the basic ballroom guided by the organist.

I am Anton du Békémom is Ann Widecombe (sorry mum!) and like Craig Revel Horwood would say, “That was a dis-ahhhh-ster dahhhhhling dance!”

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

For Strictly superfans, there’s also a Madame Tussauds down the street where you can get up close to Wax Craig (try to tell the difference!) and endure a barrage of insults – if you like that.

We belted

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

Lytham St Anne’s, where we watch Diana perform, is a 15 minute taxi ride from our hotel – be sure to book ahead.

Most visitors to Lytham Festival are day-trippers, so the atmosphere is much calmer than your ordinary festival – and best of all, there are no stinky revelers or hour-long queues for loos.

The week before her Lytham gig, the Chain Reaction singer played the Legends slot at Glastonbury in front of an audience of over 200,000 – at Lytham she serenades 20,000 of us and we all got a much better view of her too.

One of the best things about Lytham Festival, however, isn’t just the performer, it’s the location.

Right in the city center, festival-goers have everything they need nearby like convenience stores 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 went along, but Diana was in top form with hits like Ain’t No Mountain High Enough and Baby Love resonating all the way to Pleasure Beach.

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

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