• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Alton Towers: the graffiti problem

AT86

AT86

TS Member
I was going to post something about this the other day, but forgot all about it. However this tweet from TS today has reminded me.



Now for those of us that were alive in 2002, you may remember at that time the park generally had quite a big problem with graffiti in queue lines and chewing gum stuck everywhere. They even ended up painting the entire fencing in the Air queue black to cover it up and make it difficult for more to be added on.

They also stopped selling chewing gum and over the years since then I can’t say I have ever noticed any significant issues with gum or graffiti.

Fast forward to reopening after covid and it seems the graffiti problem is back with a vengeance. My visits in 2020 and 2021 saw lots of fences in various queues covered in the stuff.

What has happened? Have the park cut back on removing it? Has guest behaviour just got worse?

One thing’s for sure, the more graffiti they leave the more people think it’s acceptable to scrawl more. Some of the language is pretty grim as well.

They need to up their game and sort this out.
 
From memory the Rita queue is also usually pretty bad with it all over the fences, especially after or during school trip season. I can say that they aren't the only UK park to have graffiti as a problem though, when I visited Oakwood the other week the Megaphobia queue line was covered in it in places. Most notably people snapchat handles. Unfortunately I think there is little the park can do to stop this but it should be cleaned off every night if possible. I think if it's there people are more likely to do it, so if the keep the park as graffiti free as possible that will help.
I'd say the reasons for it are lack of staffing, we know they've been having problems and I imagine the cleaning and maintenance staff have been focused on other things to keep the park running.
 
Danny said:
School trip season, it's always particularly bad at this time of year.
Click to expand...

True - although even during visits for Oktoberfest there was significant graffiti around, which suggests it’s not just an issue during school trip season.

Whilst I tend to agree that Boris is a ‘see you next Tuesday’ I am not sure it’s appropriate for such things to be plastered all over the 13 queue line for months on end.
 
Last edited:
My son was counting how many penis pictures he could find in the queue to Rita yesterday (24). He did the same at Scarefest last year. Some of these aren't just from school trips this year, they're left there from last year, some of them even being dated 21. The problem is they're not being dealt with. My kids were reading something particularly rude on the fence at Chessington and I had to stand in the way to prevent my daughter from reading it.

I had a good look whilst at Efteling and PL as well (there were loads of groups of rowdy teenagers at PL when we were there) and whilst there is still some, not nearly as much. I think it's a typical lack of priorities at Merlin park in the upkeep of appearance. Now to remove the amount that's on Rita alone would take quite a bit of work. Surely just someone going through the queue with a piece of sandpaper once a week would suffice. But then again, a quick wipe down or lick of paint regularly on the odd blemish through inspections would solve many issues at the park and we know they don't bother doing that until it gets really bad and needs an overhaul.
 
Slow moving queues don't help but that's not an excuse.

Stampida is the worst I've seen. Absolutely covered in graffiti and has been for years. Quite entertaining to read actually during long waits.
 
I think some of the problem can be solved by improving queue lines, The Smiler's queue line is generally horrible to wait in and Rita's has way too much cattlepen. I also wonder if the experience could be improved by adding things to see and do such as extra props and queue line videos (not screens showing adverts and cartoons like at Chessington).
 
Adding TVs and queue lije videos to the queues is a genius idea. I wonder why it hasn't been considered before? 🤔
 
Danny said:
Adding TVs and queue lije videos to the queues is a genius idea. I wonder why it hasn't been considered before? 🤔
Click to expand...
I like the videos on Oblivion (although they usually play to no one these days), I think the Smiler especially could be improved by having a video introducing you to the theme narrated by a ministry official or doctor.
 
TVs and the like won't help. Everyone is glued to their phone screens and those that do this graffiti often film it and stick it on Tik Tok.

Regarding cleaning Rita's queue line, they do do it often; no idea if its regular or only when they're told of a particularly detailed drawing of the human reproductive organs. There are always various sanded patches on posts. But the trouble is, they are fighting a loosing battle - have it clear of graffiti and it's an open invitation to do some more but have loads not removed and it encourages people to do more.

I think queue line speed does have an effect - look at Wicker Man and Nemesis to see very, very little new graffiti. It also is down to the clientele who are attracted to the ride - Wicker Man you tend to see more family groups than groups of kids, whereas it's often the other way round on The Smiler and Rita.

It would cost a fair bit for the park, but how about plain clothed security randomly queueing with guests? It could kill two birds with one stone - eject anyone from the queue caught graffitiing and/or queue jumping. Put warning signs up everywhere saying they are present and state the consequences should someone be caught (park ejection ideally). State it on the website, on the tickets and reservations too. Get it out there that Towers will not stand for misbehaviour in the queuelines.

Oh and here's a "respectable" park guest I spotted on my last trip in June. It's not always young kids/teenagers doing this.

1659117423891.png
 
I was in the queue for 13 a few months ago and there was a little girl in front of me with a pen drawing on fence posts and what not, the parents were just allowing it to happen. Shocking to me, my kids would never be allowed to do that. I try to raise them to have respect for their surroundings, clearly others don’t. Sometimes going on family trips makes me feel so strict as a parent, the things other parents let their kids get away with…

On another occasion my 9 year old found it hilarious that someone had drawn a fairly detailed picture of a topless woman on one of the 13 fence posts, me standing in front of it just made them even more curious so there was no point.

My last visit with just my partner, we found that looking at the graffiti in Rita queue line helped pass the time, a few others around us were doing the same and laughing at some of the stuff kids had written during school trip season. Doesn’t make it ok, but maybe Towers could do something to make the queues a bit less boring. It may not get rid of the graffiti completely but it might reduce it if people are distracted by something else to look at (that said, everyone has phones these days with all the worlds knowledge available at their finger tips, so if that’s not enough to keep people busy for an hour or two I don’t know what is).

I still remember the graffiti in the Stampedia queue in PortAventura. My last visit was 2018, it was everywhere. Much worse than anything I’ve ever seen at Towers.
 
Last edited:
This might sound a bit heavy-handed, but; would it be a possibility for the park to ban pens from being bought in at bag check?

That is probably overly heavy-handed for what is ultimately a minor problem, but if the park wanted to go for a more nuclear way of reducing graffiti, this does seem like something that could be done.

I can’t think of any particular reason why you might need a pen in a theme park, off the top of my head, although I admit that I may be proven wrong there.

For future rides, perhaps they could separate queue lines and theming? I’m thinking something like Thirteen’s indoor queue here; that stretch of queue is very clean and completely free of vandalism, and I’d wager that the barrier between the queue line and the theming could well be the cause of that.
 
Matt N said:
This might sound a bit heavy-handed, but; would it be a possibility for the park to ban pens from being bought in at bag check?

That is probably overly heavy-handed for what is ultimately a minor problem, but if the park wanted to go for a more nuclear way of reducing graffiti, this does seem like something that could be done.

I can’t think of any particular reason why you might need a pen in a theme park, off the top of my head, although I admit that I may be proven wrong there.

For future rides, perhaps they could separate queue lines and theming? I’m thinking something like Thirteen’s indoor queue here; that stretch of queue is very clean and completely free of vandalism, and I’d wager that the barrier between the queue line and the theming could well be the cause of that.
Click to expand...

Banning pens from the park via a bag search would be pointless, you’d have to have security going through everyone’s pockets which would be a ridiculous and OTT step. Besides, the park sell a range of pens and stationary items themselves in the shop.

https://shop.altontowers.com/collections/stationary
 
Matt N said:
For future rides, perhaps they could separate queue lines and theming? I’m thinking something like Thirteen’s indoor queue here; that stretch of queue is very clean and completely free of vandalism, and I’d wager that the barrier between the queue line and the theming could well be the cause of that.
Click to expand...
It's definitely why Thirteen's inside queue line is near perfect (apart from the excessive dust!). I've suggested fencing before - not just to stop graffiti but for the longevity of the theming elements around the path. I always remember the queue line in the Forbidden Journey in Universal Orlando; queueing "inside" Hogwarts and even in narrow tunnel-like corridors, they had railings next to the wall - may have only been 6 inches (15cm to you young 'uns) either side but it stops people leaning against the walls/themeing and damaging it and wearing it down. They should definitely put some on the right side of the path and steps next to Nemesis's station at the bit where you go under the queue into the station, that would help with the wear and tear of the external paintwork.
 
Last edited:
I really don't understand why people do this; do people actually bring marker pens specifically to do this? Funnily enough I went to Walibi Holland a couple of weeks ago and thought it was far more rife there than it was Alton. Just absolutely everywhere in every ride queue.
 
James564 said:
I really don't understand why people do this; do people actually bring marker pens specifically to do this? Funnily enough I went to Walibi Holland a couple of weeks ago and thought it was far more rife there than it was Alton. Just absolutely everywhere in every ride queue.
Click to expand...
No but school trips might well bring there school bags which will have pencil cases full of such objects.
 
JAperson said:
No but school trips might well bring there school bags which will have pencil cases full of such objects.
Click to expand...
I don't think many kids off to Alton Towers ensure they pack their pencil case, compass and chemistry text books.

Although I'm unsure why anyone brings a pen to a theme park in the first place? Is it normal to have a theme park day out with pen?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top