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40th Anniversary 2020 - ideas

I think one issue is - what exactly is 2020 the 40th anniversary of?
It was quite a significant year just for being the time it changed to a pay-once leisure park, whereas before it was a garden park with some pay-to-ride funfair rides. You're right it was a gradual change and there wasnt really a proper park offering built until 1981, but 1980 was 'technically' when it opened as a park.

There was a famous day in 1980 when crowds shot up all a sudden to ride the Corkscrew after it got on TV, which really kickstarted Alton Towers as a park. That was the day Alton Towers' future became a theme park really!
 
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It was quite a significant of the whole park as a pay-once leisure park, when before it had long been a garden park with just some seasonal funfair rides. You're right it was a gradual change, you could argue there wasnt really a park built there until 1981, but 1980 was 'technically' when it opened as a leisure park.

There was a famous day in 1980 when crowds shot up all a sudden to ride the Corkscrew after it got on TV, which really kickstarted Alton Towers as a park. That was the day Alton Towers' future became a theme park really!
I totally agree - just from a marketing perspective what is that the anniversary of? I guess they'd probably just refer to it as the 40th anniversary of the theme park, even though it isn't.
 
Depends how you define "theme park" tbh.

.... /me opens the every gate on the staircase lock of geekery, from the bottom up, then runs away...
 
That's when it opened as a proper theme park for the first time :p

They did their 30th celebrations in 2010.

2010-30=1980.
They didn't describe themselves as a theme park until Pearson took over (or not very long before). There certainly wasn't much of a theme to speak of in 1980!

Fair enough if they celebrated 30 years in 2010 though.
 
They did indeed - it was on the 2010 park map: https://towersstreet.com/history/maps/

/me opens the every gate on the staircase lock of geekery, from the bottom up, then runs away...

That's not possible - after the bottom gate you can only open them when the lower lock is full. You can go top down though if you drain the entire canal first. Please do not do this. [/genuine canal geekery]
 
Actually.... It has happened.
... OK, not the "gates", but the "paddles". Was about a year ago, one of the many massive staircases of locks near Manchester. Some young skallywags got hold of the master keys for the locks, and opened a whole flight of them. Emptied several miles of canal upstream, and flooded smeg knows how much land downstream.
@Kelpie, back me up here?
 
Look, I was just pointing out that you can drain a whole section of canal. I only said "gates" because of the parallel with "opening the flood gates".

John H Wardley, I didn't expect some kind of Spanish Inquisition!
 
Weren't most of the attractions in 1980 introduced new for that year, or did I imagine that? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the main milestone with 1980 was that it was when the park upgraded from a small pay-per-ride funfair behind the Towers to a full-fledged amusement park.
 
By amusing coincidence, my punter who used to be a h&se mamager, is also a gaffer on whatever the inland waterways is called these days.
Draining sections of canal by naughty people happens all the time.

Back on topic, my long dead gran did Alton towers on a very long day trip back in the thirties, on the veg wholesalers "charabanc".
Water rides, flower show, jugglers, ten different bands played, secret fountains.
Massive fun fair, car show and boxing.
The only thing missing was kids!
Eighteen hour round trip, five hour drive each way on the A6.
Those were the days.
 
The theme park opened on Saturday 23rd March 1980. I just asked my grandad and he confirmed it. There was a big banner outside saying THEME PARK OPENING TODAY and when you went in John Broome shook your hand and said "welcome to my theme park, which is opening today".
Did it really? Everywhere else says 4th April 1980, so it would be interesting if it actually did open on 23rd March!
 
I hate to burst your bubble, but if I'm being pedantic, the 23rd March was also a Sunday in 1980!
 
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