BLACKPOOL Pleasure Beach has revealed plans for a £14 million spending spree to coincide with its centenary celebrations.

The money has been earmarked for the building of two exciting new rides at the country's top fun park and both have been specially commissioned by director Geoffrey Thompson.

Exact details have yet to be finalised, but they will both be white-knuckle rides, the first costing £2 million and the second, codenamed Project X, worth £12 million and described as a dark ride.

Work on the projects is expected to start early next year and Pleasure Beach director of marketing and public relations Helen O'Neill commented: "Both these rides will ensure that Blackpool Pleasure Beach remains in the forefront of the tourist industry going into the year 2000."

The announcement came on the eve of the park's Big 100 party which kicks off at 4pm today (August 29), opposite Coasters.

The line-up will provide constant entertainment for all partygoers - beginning with Benz at 4.15pm - and there will be hundreds of giveaways and competitions.

Cannon and Ball, the Stageworks Dancers, Ross King and Faith Brown will all appear within the following hour, ready for Frank Carson at 5.30pm, then Ashley Morton and Duncan Norvelle.

The musical line-up begins at around 6pm, with JX, Undercover and Mosaic - Crush will enter the Blackpool limelight at around 6.30pm.

Rebekah Ryan, Menswear, Kavana, and Clock will all be on stage before 7.40.

Top musicians Upside Down, Bizarre Inc and Suggs will all be leading up to the evening's climax band - Boyzone at 8.45pm, before a huge firework display.

The running order may be subject to last-minute changes.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.