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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2024 Discussion

Mick said:
The place hasn’t even posted a single tweet in the month of May, what the hell are they doing? A perfect case study in how to run an institution into the ground.
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During a month with two bank holidays, where getting guests in should be like shooting fish in a barrel..

I don't understand how they constantly miss the obvious?

I have still yet to see any advert in person for the park recently. I've seen Hot Ice ones

Side note: noticed this weekend they've put new adverts up in the gents loos for ice skating sessions at the arena. The posters have a QR code. Don't know about you but I'm pretty unlikely to get my phone out and take a picture whilst stood at a urinal, might get a few funny looks at best!
 
It's the same at Towers - there are adverts for various upcharge attractions in the toilets with QR codes linking to the booking page.

Now maybe I'm old fashioned but I don't think it's ever acceptable to be using a camera in public toilets.
 
Haven't been for last two years now and I genuinely don't know when I will return if ever. I have absolutely no intention of visiting this season or next so that will make it 4 years. It's a real shame as this is my local park in the UK so you want to feel some sort of optimism and support the place but I just don't think I can anymore

No idea who out there could take this place over and turn around it's fortunes but hopefully someone will soon. Things won't improve much until someone does.
 
rob666 said:
Merlin, sadly.
It will be busy from day one with season pass holders...and all that secondary spend.
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Merlin wouldn't be ideal for various reasons but it would still be an improvement on what we currently have. Says it all.

I wonder if Parque Reuindos or Compaigne des Alpes would be interested? Both have decent portfolio of parks in their collections now. Maybe they'd consider expanding from mainland Europe into the UK?

How many seasons have PB got left at the current rate they are going? A few at best I'd guess unless things pick up.
 
The way they have been shutting down rides, maybe another couple of seasons.
Standards have slipped so much, even a happy clapper like me has not bothered with a pass this year.
 
Out of interest, where is this impression coming from that Blackpool Pleasure Beach is knocking on death’s door? This sort of rhetoric only seems to have started within the last 6 months to a year, and I’m struggling to see what exactly has changed to warrant it.

Yes, the park has been closing rides, but they’ve done that on and off for years. If anything, they seem to be doing it far less now than they did in the late 2000s and early 2010s, if we look to the history books.

Yes, they’re reportedly making financial losses according to Companies House, but again, this has been happening to varying degrees for absolutely years and the financial reports suggest that this situation has not taken any sudden turn for the worse in recent years.

Yes, the park is quieter than it used to be “back in the day”, but this is not necessarily an indicator of reduced profitability. When the park was much busier, entry was free. When 5 million people entered the park per annum, 4.5 million of those could easily not have spent a penny. Whereas now, every visitor who’s in the park will have spent a guaranteed minimum amount of money.

I’m not saying that Blackpool Pleasure Beach outwardly appears to be at the height of prosperity (there does seem to be less positivity around the park than there was 5-10 years ago), but I’m struggling to see stark enough change to justify this sudden “the park is doomed, it’ll be closed or sold within 5 years” rhetoric that seems to have only started within the last year or so. From where I’m standing, the park seems to have “ticked over” for a number of years, and I see no reason why it could not continue to do so for many more years.

I grant you, however, that I have not been since 2019, so I have not had first-hand experience of any changes since then, particularly post-COVID.
 
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The park has been very quiet all season apparently Matt, and last weekend, the first "seaside" fit weekend of the year, is by tradition absolutely heaving, pop or no pop...they are the days they usually make real money.
It was quiet.
The only proper busy day so far appears to be opening day.
Because of the size and scale of the park, there is no easy way to manage lengthy quiet spells, they cost the park money to open, lots, if there are few punters.
Covid gave the park a hard and fast boost, but since the rich staycationers have now gone back to foreign climes, and the poor are even poorer, with the loss of low paid entry, many many local families, their absolute stock in trade, stayed away, and are now keeping away.
You can't keep feeding a giant on peanuts, especially if the giant likes ice shows that cost an awful lot to run, but don't actually make any money.
 
Theme parks do have a history of limping on by, especially when they have local authority funding and grade listed status. I think suggestions of imminent closure are exaggerated.

Seems more likely they will remain but in an increasingly lower standard to what people remember.
 
I don't think anyone is saying closure...more takeover.
The council have bailed out in the past, but their pockets are pretty much empty too...one of the poorest towns in the country by a number of measures.
And in the north west, Morecambe Frontierland, Camelot, Belle Vue...all have said goodbye in my lifetime, they didn't manage to limp on.
...and Belle Vue was a massive complex, similar in lots of ways to Blackpool, sports arena, funfair, zoo, circus, beer hall, concert arena...all dead bar the speedway track.
Edit...and I missed the Belle Vue Bobs by a year...disaster.
The Scenic there was a stunning old ride though...six (old) pence a reride ... 2.5p!
Yup, I was on it for about an hour with my ten bob (50p).
 
I'm not sure mandy would want to sell, more like bring somebody actually competent in to run the place, so she can be left to play with the ice.
 
venny said:
I think Nick’s departure from the Board has correlated with a shift in the park. Amanda’s eye for aesthetics combined with Nick’s ride-focus seemed to produce a reasonable result.
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Amanda's eye for aesthetics? Is that a blind eye ?

Aesthetically the park looks like a war zone in places at the moment.

And even the bits that aren't neglected are still pretty dull and grey. But strange that hot ice is firmly stuck in the 70s with it's garish colours and costumes.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
 
So here's my trip report from the 15th of May.....

Let's start on a positive note. Fantastic day out with @Dipper_Dave . Breakfast in spoons, A couple of beers in the park, some tea and cake, fun in the (overgrowing) maze trying to find the exit. Pretty much all rides that were open were walk on (or close to walk on) all day. A free Blackpool Pleasure Beach tea tray from the lovely ladies in Crevettes, and a nice chat with staff in the exit shop.

And now the inevitable doom and gloom. 900 on park (from a reliable source) , and I guess a decent chunk of those will have been season pass holders. So despite all coasters on one train there was very little in the way of a queue.

Dipper was walk on all day on one train , even steeple chase was walk on, or as the sign now says "teepl chas".

Icon peaked at a 10 minute queue on one train.

Big one opened on 3/5ths of a train and was holding a 10 minute queue. Bizarrely when the park thinned out even more in the afternoon it moved to 4/5ths of a train and was then walk on. And in the last hour (when there were more staff than punters) , it went to a full train. Work that one out !!!

Half the rides in North park were closed. Obviously Ice Blast and River Caves, plus Valhalla and Derby Racer with technical faults (or CBA).

PB express was also shut all day , and the 2 kids rides near Avalanche.

And the Big One on a wheel seat was rougher than Nash.

The maze needs a haircut , it is badly overgrown in places. Just one more thing neglected.

But to be honest I had a great day out.









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Jealous.
And you aren't meant to report the crowd numbers "from a certain hot couple of ladies hanging around the bars"...commercially sensitive information shakey...you just "heard"!
Who wants to say the park isn't on its arse now then?
Edited to cover shakey's arse...
 
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