Mariah Carey has surprised her British fanbase by announcing a festival appearance in Blackpool later this summer, swapping her lucrative Las Vegas residency for the delights of the English seaside.

The 48 year old diva, one of the most iconic figures in pop and who has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, will headline the Livewire Festival at the Tower Headlands Arena in Blackpool on August 24th, with a handful of support acts, yet to be confirmed.

She’ll be jetting over from her upcoming ‘The Butterfly Returns’ residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to perform at the five-day event, which is being held from August 23rd-27th and will also feature Matt Goss and Boyz II Men.

Mariah CareyMariah Carey is headlining Blackpool's LiveWire festival in August

Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, told BBC News on Thursday (May 10th): “We are thrilled at the prospect of Mariah Carey performing live in Blackpool. She is a world-class artist and this promises to be another sensational Livewire event over the August Bank Holiday weekend.”

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Carey last toured the UK last winter, promoting a series of Christmas-themed shows around her legendary seasonal tune ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’.

Last month, mother-of-two Carey revealed that she had been suffering from bipolar disorder for almost two decades.

“I didn’t want to believe it,” she told People magazine of her initial diagnosis back in 2001. “Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore. I sought and received treatment, I put positive people around me and I got back to doing what I love — writing songs and making music.”

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