The Seasiders will kick off their first top-flight campaign for almost 40 years in August after they defeated Cardiff 3-2 in Saturday's Coca-Cola Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Thousands of fans came out to greet Holloway and his players today as an open-top bus parade took them along the town's famous promenade.

The manager then addressed the crowd from a stage to thank them for their support, describing the occasion as the "most unbelievable moment of my life".

Holloway took over at Bloomfield Road last summer and Blackpool were tipped by many to be relegated from the Championship.

But in the space of a year the 47-year-old has led the club to English football's top table, something he feels will not truly sink in until their maiden Premier League campaign gets under way.

"I don't know about being a Premier League club yet, but it feels real that we have done something special," Holloway told Press Association Sport.

"That probably won't be apparent until we play against all these other teams with a lot more than we have got.

"I'm delighted for these people and these lads have deserved it. They have summed the club up really.

"No matter what has happened, if we've let a goal in, we've just carried on and carried on. We have won nine out of the last 11 games to get to this point and I can't tell you how proud I am of them.

"In life, if you make the wrong move or decision, you have to look at it and keep believing.

"These boys have never stopped and I can't thank them enough. It's absolutely magnificent what they have achieved for this whole area."

Holloway has introduced an entertaining brand of football since arriving at Blackpool and although the Bristolian accepts his team may have to curb their attacking style at times, he firmly believes in the system he has developed.

"It (the Premier League) is going to challenge me tactically, which I want," Holloway said.

"You can do some tactics, but if you've got Frank Lampard getting hold of it and flicking it around the corner to Didier Drogba, you might have to think differently about how you deal with it.

"But you have to believe in yourself and a structure. I certainly do and I believe in these guys to go out and give their best.

"They never give up and that's a dangerous opponent. We might not be as good as the opposition but you are going to have to knock us completely out to stop us."

Survival will be a tough task for Holloway's men next term as they rub shoulders with the elite, but goalkeeper Matt Gilks is relishing the opportunity to pit his wits against some of the world's most feared strikers.

"You watch them week in, week out on television and you'll be lining up next to them in the tunnel and facing them on the pitch," Gilks said.

"That is when it hits home, but this is why we want to play football - to compete with the best.

"That is what we will do next season and we will have a good go at it."