Alton Towers have today released the first set of opening times for the 2013 season, only days before the park re-opens this weekend. This year has seen the opening times announced much later than usual, possibly in part due to the delays to new ride The Smiler – now due to open in May.
The most interesting thing to come from this year’s current set of opening hours is that the 4 PM close has now gone, with the earliest ride close being 5 PM instead. 4PM closures were announced for a number of off peak days last season, causing a negative reaction from both enthusiasts and park guests. As a result of this, the early closures were eventually scaled back.
The whole season has not yet been announced, but the majority of times seem to be set at 5 PM with a handful of 5:30 PM park closures. Moving into the peak summer months, July and August the park sees a number of 6 PM closures. Ride closes for September and October have not yet been announced, whilst Scarefest and Fireworks will see the park open until 9 PM.
These opening times, taken from July, show the fairly random spread of differing times.
Alton Towers has often adopted a policy of flexibility in park opening times when the park is particularly busy, often extending the time the park closes on the day, and so changes are entirely possible during peak periods or during special events. In addition, amendments have often been made to opening times on the Alton Towers website over the course of the season, and it’s expected this will be the case during the course of 2013.
As always, we will keep you up to date with any changes via our news articles, our popular social media pages on Facebook and Twitter, or over on our forums.
