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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2025 Discussion

shakey said:
They could but they wont. Thats the effect of POP.

No need for filler rides, they don't attract punters into the park and they incur extra staffing for very little benefit.

Now with a PPR system they would be plonking rides everywhere.
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Spot on. Can't market the dodgems or a Breakdance as a new attraction (well, BPB can't).
 
Enter Valhalla said:
What doesn’t help with the dodgems is that there’s a massive loud speaker in the dodgems ride area blasting out music.

Every time I walked past it the other week, the music blaring out made me look, only to see an empty track with no dodgems. Not a great look. Just turn the speaker off surely?
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The sound near Dodgems is bizarrely some of the clearest, loudest audio on park these days. Not that they make much use of PB Radio these days, it's the same handful of tracks badly mixed. Meanwhile, Big One sits there with only one outside speaker working, and nothing on the ramp. Icon's speakers are weather damaged, and some are missing entirely now. There should really be a project to work on this, audio is a really key part of the experience, and would go some way to compensating for the limited atmosphere.

As for the Skyforce area, I will be shocked if that doesn't become a car park extension or something equivalently useless.

I made a midweek visit last week, and nearly all the catering and retail units were closed. Never seen so many closed at once before. Typically it was on one of the very few occasions I'd intended to eat in the park :rolleyes:. Sure, they will need to cut costs on the quiet days, but everyone will need to eat, and unfortunately with a large Weatherspoons directly outside, the nice easy F&B earner is already difficult.

It's like they're running on life support, with all nice-to-haves switched off. I echo a lot of the sentiment on the previous page. In the past I would defend a lot of things BPB do, but it's extremely difficult now. It is quieter than ever, even with all the offer gimmicks. People just aren't interested anymore, and why should they be?

Anecdotally, I have seen far fewer 'regulars' this year than I normally would.
 
I’m a bit confused that people are moaning about Pleasure Beach not installing flat rides when they are literally adding a gyro swing next year. Have I missed something?
 
So you can call that one a replacement for skyforce, and we can call it even.

The new flat is a headline attraction, I think people are moaning about the loss of a dozen or so lesser rides vanishing and not being replaced.

Especially the dodgems for some of us, which was not only a good flat that is sorely missed, but it also had a roof, handy for the coming weekend.
 
The Gyro Swing will be a great addition to the park for us thoosies and I have no doubts will be the best flat ride in the UK once it opens.

Will it pack the park out though and get people visiting again in huge numbers? I honestly don't think it will. I'm sure there will be an initial craze when it first opens for the first few weeks but that will by and large be created by existing visitors and vloggers.

PB has been dying for a long long time and I genuinely think without the success they got off the back of Covid where people couldn't go abroad.......they'd be an even more dire situation than they are now.

I have been hoping for a long time that a major name from the industry buys the park and gives it a new lease of life. However every year this doesn't happen, the more I worry for the future. Will we still have a Pleasure Beach in 10 years time? I'm not so sure.
 
It’ll be another Icon situation, something modern the park needs to keep the momentum of Pleasure Beach going, but it’s not going to bring people in on-mass. No doubt the ride will be fantastic for a flat ride and compliments Pleasure Beach’s lineup perfectly! I can’t wait to swing towards Blackpool Tower upside down and at a weird angle experiencing airtime!!

Before I went to Liseberg everyone online was raving how good raving online about how good Loke was, yet when I visited on a fairly busy day, both times I rode Loke weren’t a full load. My first go maybe had less than 10 people on it and I’d say my second was still less than half full. I spent more time waiting on the ride than I did in the queue, waiting for more people to come.

Pleasure Beach will need a marketing push showing off all its modern rides, Icon, Valhalla, Launchpad and Aviktus. And they need to keep on investing in new additions to pull people in, ideally they need another big coaster to do it, doesn’t need to be a big expensive B&M or Mack, just something of substance that’ll draw people over.

I’ve said it before but my ideal scenario would be a Vekoma Tilt & Famerang. Something for the family and something for the big kids. Have that 1920’s art deco style that Blackpool was known for and just make them showpiece coasters. Amanda loves her shows so why can’t she transfer that philosophy over more with some lateral thinking.
 
I'm not shocked to hear Loke sometimes doesn't get the queues you'd anticipate it would do. They are very intimidating attractions to watch off-ride and I can see this one being no different. You'll get loads who chicken out and don't ride.

The thrill level is through the roof too with only a lap bar restraint. Major airtime guaranteed and some people don't like that sensation on a giant swing ride 150ft up in the air I'm sure.

I'm hugely looking forward to experiencing it as they are my favourite Flat ride types but as i said above.....I don't see this being a financial success for the park at all.
 
I think that Aviktus, even though I don’t like flat rides, will be a great addition to the park and is in a perfect location. It will be visible from the seafront and likely to raise interest for people who might drive past having not previously considered visiting the park, as well as being on a main walkway for people already in the park. Skyforce was in a weird location that very few people walked past, so it’s not a huge surprise it didn’t get the footfall.
 
I feel like they undershot and went too tame with Icon and they've overshot and gone too thrilling with Aviktas.

Perhaps they should have gone with something that was a solid 7/10 on the scary meter that might not have been a 'UK's biggest' for them to market with but had more wider appeal. I don't see the 'UK's biggest' thing being a boon anyway given BPBs terrible marketing in the recent past especially as to the GP it'll just come across as "UK's biggest spinny swing thingy" - it's not as relatable as coaster milestones.
 
Personally don't think Icon is that tame it has some force to it, hangtime and some solid Airtime you catch Icon at the right time it can be hauling through its layout.

Icon was the perfect ride for Pleasure however wasn't marketed right and was competing with Alton Towers opening Wickerman at the same time.

Aviktas should do quite well for the park its tall, eye catching and the general public di like Swing rides often the most popular flat ride at a park.

One factor against Pleasure Beach is the town itself Blackpool has been hit hard since 2010's and before that by funding cuts making it less of an attraction then it was in the 90's
 
Isn’t Aviktas the only major thrill ride opening in the U.K. in 2026? I know Paultons have their new coaster but it’s still a family park, so PB may be able to really push that angle “UK’s Newest and Biggest Thrill Ride” without much competition
 
tayspru said:
Isn’t Aviktas the only major thrill ride opening in the U.K. in 2026? I know Paultons have their new coaster but it’s still a family park, so PB may be able to really push that angle “UK’s Newest and Biggest Thrill Ride” without much competition
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A family park can still have a major thrill coaster.

But yeah not much competition to Aviktas however not all parks have announced what their doing for 2026 so may be more yet to announce.

But definitely less thrill rides however more for families
 
I think these days, now that most of the achievable records have been broken and the public are less interested in UK firsts, it’s much harder for parks to pick the perfect investment.

I mean, think about it, in the early 90s the UK had very little in the way of major coasters that could compete on the world stage, so rides like Nemesis, Big One, Oblivion etc provided an easy marketing tagline and would easily draw people in.

Arguably Icon and Aviktas are good long term investments for BPB which are unique to the UK, and which both compliment the park’s existing ride line-up well, therefore having longevity. Part of the problem is that Merlin have created an atmosphere in the UK where it’s all about marketing hype rather than what has longevity and fits well at whatever park it’s in.
 
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GooseOnTheLoose said:
I have yet to be pleasured on Icon, but each to their own...
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The reason I say it was the perfect fit is because it is much smoother than the rest of Pleasure Beaches Coasters most of the coasters either need a specific seat or know how to ride to truly enjoy. With Icon doesn't matter which seat you in you still get a smooth experience.

It was also kinda a replacement to Wild Mouse despite being in a different locations as one closed new one opened
 
Hid said:
The reason I say it was the perfect fit is because it is much smoother than the rest of Pleasure Beaches Coasters most of the coasters either need a specific seat or know how to ride to truly enjoy. With Icon doesn't matter which seat you in you still get a smooth experience.

It was also kinda a replacement to Wild Mouse despite being in a different locations as one closed new one opened
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by that logic, the octonaughts coaster would have been the perfect fit,

They do need new coasters, and they will need to look at replacing some probably quite soon (given the look of the structure I wouldn't be surprised if revolution was nearing its last legs)

if I was them I would look at adding an indoor ride into the space invaders building if possible they are a big hit with families and quite a big thing being added.

The problem is IMO where they have invested they have put too much, they could have probably gotten a gerstlauer for cheaper and fit it within a more compact space which has meant the whole rest of the park has suffered by lack of attention and investment, with dated signs, buildings and so on.

These are some of the issues I noted when going for the first time:

The entrance, the first impression of the park, it is quite hard to tell where it is (unless you have been there before) tucked away between 2 old, worn buildings, underneath one of the old rides making it hard and difficult to get to and setting quite a bad first impression with the dated and quite worn buildings and the old design.

They also keep way too much, old buildings, monorail track, old rides etc left for years, I know some utilities run on the monorail track but it just gives really bad look when you walk through and a huge amount of the buildings are closed and derelict.
 
Being a softy southerner, I don't get up there often. But when I do it's for the Nash, Dipper and all the rides that make BPB iconic and steeped in history. (Hello, River Caves and Mouse!). Admit I'm not the average punter, but SBNO rides are a dearth for the overall feel of a theme park. As for Azkaban or whatever the new Gyro swing is called, I've done CraZanity at 6FMM (a bit taller), and was unimpressed - prefer Rush at TP
 
flyingguitar said:
...The entrance, the first impression of the park, it is quite hard to tell where it is (unless you have been there before) tucked away between 2 old, worn buildings, underneath one of the old rides making it hard and difficult to get to and setting quite a bad first impression with the dated and quite worn buildings and the old design...
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Bit tricky when those worn, old buildings in the old design are heritage listed.
Going nowhere, the Casino, Ark, Flying Machines, National etc.
The entrance has been in the same place for a hundred years, people have managed so far.
 
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