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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: 2025 Discussion

I remember staggered openings used to be quite common on the off peak days when the park opened at 11am. Virtually every ride (apart from Derby Racer and the flying machines) didn’t open till 11:30 or later. Things have got a lot better in recent years on 11am openings. But in the height of August, there’s no way they can justify having lots of rides closed till 11:30. It will be chaos if they do.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
I remember staggered openings used to be quite common on the off peak days when the park opened at 11am. Virtually every ride (apart from Derby Racer and the flying machines) didn’t open till 11:30 or later. Things have got a lot better in recent years on 11am openings. But in the height of August, there’s no way they can justify having lots of rides closed till 11:30. It will be chaos if they do.
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Yes that would be the worry with an 11am opening. They should really have all the rides open when the park opens. If they can do that then I think 11am is a better opening time for a seaside park. Ideally 11am till 9pm in the summer holidays.
 
They could even do it like the Madrid parks, they have standard 12-8 opening, but expand openings both directions on busy days I believe, up to 10:00 - 01:00
 
I cannot see the fact they are opening at 11am being a problem.

Removing the free entry completely killed off any impulse entry passing trade, most if not all people visiting now pre book, meaning if they are going to visit, they are going to visit, regardless of the park opening an hour later. Especially in the summer months, when a later opening into the light evenings will be far more appealing to most punters than an early start I would have thought.

The summer being the summer, people prefer to do things into the later evenings, rather than earlier into the morning given the preference.
 
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Enter Valhalla said:
I know this will upset a lot of people but the midnight, 1am, 2am closings of the 90s are long gone. Visiting habits have changed since then. I highly doubt it would work now.
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That isn't surprising, and I think very few if any are upset at such non news...thirty odd years later.

A few more eight o clock closes on illumination weekend nights would mean several hundred thousand punters could enjoy night rides during the lights...when the area is busy and the lights are a free extra attraction pulling people into the town...instead we have constant five pm closures in September and October, when the weather is good, the town is full, and there are ten thousand punters a night going right past the place when the park is dimmed and closed...nothing but stupid...turning away large numbers of willing customers with money because opening late doesn't suit the owner and management.

But even that won't happen, because madam knows best.
 
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What kind of issues did the free entry impact Blackpool Pleasure Beach because there has to be a reason why they removed it
 
Well...from what I can remember, and there will be a similar post a bit back...

1. HQ for a number of local pickpockets...national pickpocket attraction in the summer.
2. Likewise for prostitutes.
3. Many cluttered the place up but spent no money...family of nine on the park to watch Johnny and Jenny go on the Big One...could take an hour or so to walk round the park once, absolutely packed walkways.
4. Football fan wars post match after Blackpool home games. This was the seventies and eighties, smash up the away end of the ground, then go to the Beach to fight the local fans again after the match.
5. General teenage naughty hangers out and hangers on making mischief, you could get to the place on public transport from anywhere in the north west off peak for 25p...I kid you not. The tramfare down the prom was nearly as much.


The only place I have ever had my pocket picked (looking up at the Big One first drop...'95 spring), and the only place where I have been directly propositioned by a lady of the night when sat at a bar on my own, early afternoon (around 1980). I declined politely.

Blackpool had a reputation for a reason!
The gates were and are needed.
 
I know we all want later openings and dream of a buzzing 11pm close, but I don’t think it’s simply a case of implementing that later closing time. If you look at the prom nowadays, even on busy illumination nights, the crowds peter out as you get to Pleasure Beach. The shops, pubs and attractions that used to line the promenade in that area just aren’t there anymore and that wider ecosystem that brings passing trade is therefore long since gone.

There is for example, no Chinese restaurant as there once used to be on Ocean Boulevard, no Horror Crypt, very few shops remain, the fast food outlets around the Casino perimeter are never open, the Attic nightclub doesn’t regularly open, there’s no daily Mystique magic show, no Eclipse circus musical, a much-shortened Hot Ice season, no Star pub with its live music and livelier beer gardens, no Coasters diner, fewer B&Bs south of the park. This all means fewer people are attracted to that area of the prom. Fewer people means less passing trade.
 
rob666 said:
Well...from what I can remember, and there will be a similar post a bit back...

1. HQ for a number of local pickpockets...national pickpocket attraction in the summer.
2. Likewise for prostitutes.
3. Many cluttered the place up but spent no money...family of nine on the park to watch Johnny and Jenny go on the Big One...could take an hour or so to walk round the park once, absolutely packed walkways.
4. Football fan wars post match after Blackpool home games. This was the seventies and eighties, smash up the away end of the ground, then go to the Beach to fight the local fans again after the match.
5. General teenage naughty hangers out and hangers on making mischief, you could get to the place on public transport from anywhere in the north west off peak for 25p...I kid you not. The tramfare down the prom was nearly as much.


The only place I have ever had my pocket picked (looking up at the Big One first drop...'95 spring), and the only place where I have been directly propositioned by a lady of the night when sat at a bar on my own, early afternoon (around 1980). I declined politely.

Blackpool had a reputation for a reason!
The gates were and are needed.
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But you could have gated entry and it still be free, or at least get your entry fee back in ride tokens.

It isn't going to happen though. The current £20 charge is bonkers.
 
venny said:
I know we all want later openings and dream of a buzzing 11pm close, but I don’t think it’s simply a case of implementing that later closing time. If you look at the prom nowadays, even on busy illumination nights, the crowds peter out as you get to Pleasure Beach. The shops, pubs and attractions that used to line the promenade in that area just aren’t there anymore and that wider ecosystem that brings passing trade is therefore long since gone.

There is for example, no Chinese restaurant as there once used to be on Ocean Boulevard, no Horror Crypt, very few shops remain, the fast food outlets around the Casino perimeter are never open, the Attic nightclub doesn’t regularly open, there’s no daily Mystique magic show, no Eclipse circus musical, a much-shortened Hot Ice season, no Star pub with its live music and livelier beer gardens, no Coasters diner, fewer B&Bs south of the park. This all means fewer people are attracted to that area of the prom. Fewer people means less passing trade.
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Fair point , although South pier always seems to be busy in the evenings.
 
venny said:
I know we all want later openings and dream of a buzzing 11pm close, but I don’t think it’s simply a case of implementing that later closing time. If you look at the prom nowadays, even on busy illumination nights, the crowds peter out as you get to Pleasure Beach. The shops, pubs and attractions that used to line the promenade in that area just aren’t there anymore and that wider ecosystem that brings passing trade is therefore long since gone.

There is for example, no Chinese restaurant as there once used to be on Ocean Boulevard, no Horror Crypt, very few shops remain, the fast food outlets around the Casino perimeter are never open, the Attic nightclub doesn’t regularly open, there’s no daily Mystique magic show, no Eclipse circus musical, a much-shortened Hot Ice season, no Star pub with its live music and livelier beer gardens, no Coasters diner, fewer B&Bs south of the park. This all means fewer people are attracted to that area of the prom. Fewer people means less passing trade.
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Err...there is one of the biggest 'spoons in the nation, and the south pier doing a roaring trade in the evenings when the Beach is shut.
All the trade you list is part of the Beach's own reductions, not the local community. The reason the crowds now peter out is because the Beach shut all their stuff in the area! There was "no trade" before there was no passing trade. The passing trade stopped because there was nothing to pass anymore.

And I'm not talking 11 closes, I'm talking sensible hours like twelve until eight.
Let the punters avoid the horrible peak traffic and have an easier day out.
 
Those Wednesdays 11am to 8pm in August do look like another pleasure beach experiment. I suspect they will be comparing attendance levels between the Wednesday and the other midweek days.

If the Wednesdays dont bring in extra punters , or worse still , get less people through the gates then I doubt the 11 to 8 will come back the following year. And I don't suppose you could blame them.

I just hope they give it a fair go and advertise those new summer Wednesday hours.
 
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