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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2023 Discussion

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No, I would argue that now isn’t a good time to start that debate again because:

- Everything has already been said, making it therefore a pointless discussion, and all the more frustrating to discuss for those who want the free entry back, since it’s very unlikely to happen

- As many have already pointed out, Amanda has a very clear idea of the direction she wants the park to go in, the fact that some consider her to be wrong is irrelevant

- And finally, having this debate won’t change anything. If BPB are going to do it, they will want to know what the public want, not a small number of people in a forum. Enthusiasts often forget that the community makes up less than 1% of the park’s visitors (except on opening day and last day of season obvs)

I for one don’t want free entry back, unless a wristband is offered. If there’s a wristband, then maybe.
Everything hasn't already been said.
Here are a fresh few.
We are entering a (probably lengthy) recession, coupled with a massive cost of living rise.
Some pubs, breweries, restaurants, and leisure companies will go to the wall, soon.
If the Beach gets close to tits up, who is to say they won't bring back cheap pay per ride, as they head into the last chance saloon.
The park have been close to the edge in the past, and the days of early season 50p rides dragged in the crowds in their thousands.
The park has been failing under the new direction, numbers on the park have reduced significantly this year, there have been very few days that have been "summer busy".
This debate won't change anything, but it is the right topic, in the right forum, on a coaster site...if you don't want to take part in the debate, then look elsewhere, or do something less boring instead.
Free entry is extremely unlikely, but paid entry and tickets is likely to return, because POP is not bringing in enough punters for the park to continue in the current circumstances, the credit crunch is about to kick in hard.
Go back to shakeys post again...95% of Blackpool visitors do not do the Beach anymore.
Back "in the day", probably 50% of Blackpool visitors spent at least some time on the Beach, in the shops, bars, cafes, arcades, shows and stalls.
One in ten was proud of "Not giving the Thompsons a penny", but the other nine in ten did.
The current operating style is badly flawed, and the parks managers are well aware.
Things will have to change from the current system, or the park will quickly go bust.
 
It would at least provide a logical answer to why keep the scanners at each ride. Ready for an electronic reinvention of open access *if* a pivot is needed.

I can't see it though. Every so often we watch back the docuseries. Very different times.
 
I'm not opposed to having the discussion, but I am not sure I have the energy to contribute.

Other than ... I think a recession brings a unique challenge if a lot of people's cashflow is severely impacted. With that being the case, you can argue the park needs to respond.

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I think the danger of PPR is that if people are looking to spend less, the system gives them the opportunity to do so. People that want to go to the Pleasure Beach currently have a binary choice from an admission perspective, pay it or not.

Under PPR, some of those who currently spend ~£40 will spend nothing, if they can. They pay to go in because they're heading in with their family and its the only way. Some will spend half, some will spend the same, others will spend more - if there was no ceiling / wristband available.

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There is a real chance total spend across all visitation could reduce, it could go up. My view is that it would probably go down, at least in the short term, but no one really knows and that's why this subject will be discussed forever and a day.

I can't see it though. Every so often we watch back the docuseries. Very different times.
Agreed. A different town with a very different visitor profile.
 
I've recently been to Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus. A park rocked by the inverted Sartori crash that killed a lass just over a month ago. Fed Fridays is a weekly event the park does now it's in term time (and might have done over summer) where the park opens Friday evenings with 5 hours of rides (sound familiar?) and they have a music event on. Paid entry and a wristband required for rides.

When we were leaving Christopher was due onstage shortly and the place was flooding with guests for him. Entry included a gig ticket and was 150 DKK (£17.33) and a turband was 135 DKK (£15.60).

£32.93 for the same time but includes a gig and the option not to ride Vs £39 at the PB with no non-rider option and no gig (random token DJ thing doesn't count as it doesn't advertise anywhere near as well)
 
Yay , I love a good POP v PPR debate. Here we go again

A different town with a very different visitor profile.

But does that different visitor profile lend itself more to POP. I would argue not.

As a child we often had a week's holiday in Blackpool, I doubt that happens much now.

Probably 1 or 2 night stays and day trips make up the majority of visitors. So that would surely lend itself more to a PPR or shorter park time option, because people's time in Blackpool is shorter now than it used to be 40 years ago.

It's a seaside amusement park and should be run as one. Not run as an inland theme park in the middle of nowhere.

They need to start thinking outside of the box , if not a PPR option then have a reduced gate price for the last 2 or 3 hours of the day . It will boost numbers at the end of the day when the park is getting quieter. £46 on the gate at 4pm on a Saturday is bonkers. Make it £20 and take some money !!

Maybe try having designated PPR only days, Sundays in August for example.

Open the park at 12pm so they can stay open later and attract more walk up trade in the evening.

Make hot ice a topless show !!

Just try something different for goodness sake !!



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I think that Amanda needs to have a little look at some of the European city centre parks like Liseberg, Grona Lund, Tivoli Gardens, and Wiener Prater and see how they operate and draw in locals and visitors, particularly with regards to people popping in during the evening for a few beers with friends, a bite to eat and some rides. Obviously we’ve talked a lot here about non-rider passes and how important they are but surely there must also be a market for people that want to pop in to a park casually for a couple of hours after work and enjoy some entertainment, the atmosphere, and something to eat and drink.

Liseberg hosts music concerts in the evenings for example and sell a ticket or pass just to come in and enjoy the park itself without having to ride anything. Pleasure Beach need to look at how they can reinvent themselves to open up to more potential guests without having to be tied in to a somewhat restrictive £40+ pay one price model and ways to let people enjoy the amenities in a different way. As is so often mentioned, they need to look at secondary spend and casual visitors to the area that don’t want to be locked in to a full day at a park which can be too time consuming or too expensive for a family of four or five. Amanda needs to look at how the park can be an amusement park that serves the community and can be a day tripper friendly place to pop in rather than having it locked behind a model that works better for full on theme parks such as Towers and isn’t the best for a seaside resort park.
 
We've got a midweek visit planned in a couple of weeks, managed to get day tickets for 17.50 each for PB.

What else is worth doing in the area? Any good eating places?
 
If it's treated as a theme park in the city isnt parking a problem? It can be ridiculously charged onsite and there isn't that much capacity. Don't know what the solution is but I would imagine it puts off a lot of people from visiting directly in the same way they would towers etc.
 
We've got a midweek visit planned in a couple of weeks, managed to get day tickets for 17.50 each for PB.

What else is worth doing in the area? Any good eating places?

If you don’t mind me asking, how did you manage to get tickets so cheaply, that’s a fantastic price.

I’m sure that [mention]rob666 [/mention]can fill you in on the best places to visit in the area but I think that when the illuminations are on It’s great to just take an evening stroll from one end down to other or grab a tram and ride along. The Blackpool Tower itself is well worth a visit, and if you’ve got a Merlin pass you can do that, the Sealife Centre, Madam Tussauds, and the Dungeon. Could be worth picking up a Discovery Pass just for that and then using it for Towers and Thorpe as well if you don’t need to visit in the peak holiday dates.
 
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If it's treated as a theme park in the city isnt parking a problem? It can be ridiculously charged onsite and there isn't that much capacity. Don't know what the solution is but I would imagine it puts off a lot of people from visiting directly in the same way they would towers etc.
There's loads of parking options within 10mins walk.

Some paid and some not. Council car parks start from £8 and plenty of road parking for free .

But of course the pleasure beach don't advertise alternative parking to their own car parks so some self research is required.

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There's loads of parking options within 10mins walk.

Some paid and some not. Council car parks start from £8 and plenty of road parking for free .

But of course the pleasure beach don't advertise alternative parking to their own car parks so some self research is required.

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Of course I know this. But it has to be a sticky point for gp visitors. People want things nice and easy, no issue getting a space etc. Just a thought. Could be complete bollocks.
 
If you don’t mind me asking, how did you manage to get tickets so cheaply, that’s a fantastic price.
They were on offer on some app/discount club through the other halfs work place.

West Coast Rock Cafe in the town centre is good for food.
Looks decent for what it is and has good reviews so will defiantly try it out.

We've got Merlin Passes so was going to visit the attractions there, Staying in the Big Blue Hotel but we've found parking isn't cheap for 3 days might just have to swallow the £10 a day charge as its cheaper than the others and I'm hoping more secure.
 
Okay so to put my opinion of the POP vs PPR debate very briefly….

and let’s not forget that this is all just opinions and guessing, I get annoyed in this debate because some people talk about free entry being a better option as though it’s fact, and nobody knows or ever will know until it actually happens, so we may never know…

… I’d be in favour of trialing PPR with free park entry if, and only if, a wristband option was available.

If PPR came back without a wristband option, as was the case in the 80s, I have little doubt in my mind that this would be the final nail in the coffin and would completely kill the park.

Long term contributors to this thread will notice that my opinion on PPR has changed slightly over the past couple of years. That’s mainly because I believe that BPB is large enough that I think it could work with the theme park business model, but the current management are doing such a terrible job of running it, that I don’t think that they can carry on without making a pretty big change.
 
Parking inland, just south of the beach is free all day and easy parking at this time of year.
There are two "golden" all day free parking spaces, on the precise diagonal spaces at the south west corner of the Velvet, on the corner of the small gardens.
If they need them for access, they put cones out.
Lytham Rd, five minutes inland, is also free all day.
Walk the prom from the North Pier to the glitterball, south of south pier around sunset, an hour of heaven people watching during the lights coming on.
New stuff, wizard crazy golf, north of behind the Tower (work that one out!), and the amazing Arcade Club, near the footy ground, 100 vintage arcade games on free play, and half a dozen pinball, all for £14 entry(I think).
Both good quality and decent value...
Dead handy in the rain.
Which will probably happen now that autumn is here.
West Coast Rock is good, but I can't ever remember going...beer.
 
Don't waste money on parking at The Big Blue. Plenty of on street free parking on Clifton Drive. When looking for spaces some of them appear at first glance to be double yellows but have actually been covered over (the tar or whatever they use is chipping away revealing the yellow beneath, but you won't get a ticket parking on these).
 
I'm getting a bit sick of everyone stating "pleasure beach should do this that or other", as though anybody on here runs a business and makes it come across as very easy.
The fault lies totally with the British public for not supporting this and other leisure attractions. Far to easy to stay in playing on your phone, VR headset, watch a movie, etc etc. Nobody is willing to make an effort anymore as individuals or families to go out en masse and support attractions. Easier to sit and slag them off.
Also the nation is totally to blame for constantly wanting to go abroad and support foreign attractions by paying of hundreds of pounds and thinking that's ok. Nothing wrong with sampling different cultures, parks, but would it kill people to think , you know what I'm going to support my own country instead of paying for that cheap flight to another park, prob not, because we only think of WHAT I WANT and not the bigger picture.
People need to make an effort, as an example to go out on a Friday night and support them with group evenings out at the beach, food, couple of drinks.
The English are very lazy and nothing will change until we make a collective effort to engage more like we used to

As an aside the English only seem to like things when its really cheap, totally forgetting the cultural value these places hold, and the expense to run them. We are a nation who wants everything for nothing and sod the consequences
 
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I completely disagree. Any business needs to be able to attract customers and convince them to part with their money.

Why should I drive over 2 hours there and over 2 hours back to visit Blackpool Pleasure Beach (for example) when they have added nothing new since my last visit, and their previous major investment was a big disappointment? I would rather save my money and visit better theme parks, and yes, they are abroad.
 
maybe people need to realise that's its not our attractions that have to change, do things differently. Maybe the population/individuals as a collective need to change, do things differently, prioritise who/what we support more considerately
 
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