Pleasure Beach Resort’s Hot Ice Show is returning for its 90th year with a brand new production: Hot Ice XC.
2026 will mark nine decades of Olympic and world champion skaters travelling to Blackpool, to perform in what is said to be the most physically demanding ice show in the world.
Stars on show at Hot Ice
Recognisable performers from previous years include Dancing On Ice stars Dan Whiston, Sylvain Longchambon, Simon Proulx-Sénécal, Stuart Widdall, Natalia Pestova and Katie Stainsby. The cast has also featured multiple Olympians such as Xiaoyu Yu and Shawn Sawyer, who both starred in this year’s show.
Olympic gold medallist for Great Britain, Robin Cousins MBE, starred in Hot Ice in the 1980s and went on to be head judge on Dancing on Ice, while the show is choreographed by Oula Jaaskelainen, another former Olympic athlete.
“This show is part of Blackpool’s cultural DNA”
“Reaching 90 years of Hot Ice is something truly special,” says Amanda Thompson OBE, CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort and director and producer of Hot Ice. “This show is part of Blackpool’s cultural DNA and is a place where exceptional technical skill and theatre come together in a way that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.
“Hot Ice XC will celebrate our incredible 90-year history while continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible on the ice. We’ll also be announcing something a little different this year, but you’ll have to wait a little longer until all is revealed.”
As the UK’s only fixed seasonal ice show, Hot Ice has become a global benchmark for excellence in performance. It attracts elite skaters from around the world, each selected for their artistry, athleticism, and ability to perform under the show’s famously high standards.
“In the ice-skating world, Hot Ice is probably the most famous show on earth,” adds Amanda. “Our skaters train and perform with the discipline of a ballet company and it’s technically demanding and physically relentless, but those are some of the things that make it so beautiful to watch.”
Performers undergo intense preparation to master the show’s routines, often making more than a dozen costume changes mid-performance. The on-site wardrobe department – which creates costumes for shows across the world and even supplied a costume for Kate Moss to wear on the cover Vogue – hand-makes every rhinestone-studded outfit and headdress.
Each production also features original music, intricate lighting design, and cutting-edge special effects.
Hot Ice XC will take place in the summer of 2026, from Thursday July 9 to Saturday September 12.
Image: Pleasure Beach
