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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: General Discussion

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That blueberry ale is incredible! Not a regular visitor, I had it a couple of years ago and presumed it was a one off. Would anyone be able to tell me the brewery?

For me, it's off park, to the chippy on the corner which must work out to be roughly behind spoons, and sit on the beach to eat them.
 
venny said:
Ringwood, Hobgoblin, Wainwright’s all available on park.

I know they’re nothing special, but equally finding a real ale at Velvet which hasn’t run out is no small challenge.
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Not wanting to sound like an alcoholic but where are these beers available? I’ve only seen fosters available by the stand by avalanche. I’ve had a Heineken in coasters but I guess you can’t just get this to wander around the park?

Staying in the boulevard hotel on Saturday so wanting to take advantage of not driving for once!
 
You can pick up Heineken at the bar in FY4 and Loki’s to walk around with. The Arena Cafe also has it, although sometimes they don’t allow you outside with it (licensing issues I think).

Hobgoblin and Ringwood is generally also available at these locations, the Ice Lounge, the Chinese outlet in front of Infusion’s entrance and the bar in Big Pizza Kitchen, which you can access freely without having to order pizza. The Wainwright’s is less ubiquitous, but can sometimes be found in any of these locations, plus Madame Crevettes, and the the Oyster Bar under Flying Machines.
 
...and you can now indeed wander the park with a beer in your hand, plastic glass sadly.
Never used to be allowed.
Beer and coasters, now there is a topic.
 
What’s the best place to see the fireworks tonight inside the park? We are staying in the boulevard so might chance the room window if it’s lashing down
 
Poopoohead said:
What’s the best place to see the fireworks tonight inside the park? We are staying in the boulevard so might chance the room window if it’s lashing down
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How is the hotel? We were I'm 2 weeks ago and it is one of the finest hotels I have had the pleasure to stay in.

I can highly recommend the Pear cocktail from the bar!
 
Have to say it’s absolutely stunning. Fantastic view of the fireworks from our room underneath the big one, amazing spacious room and finished to a great quality. Considering it’s a Saturday night in school holidays bloody cheap too! Fantastic stuff, and a great day on park despite the weather. Bloody brilliant day, if only this standard was consistent.

On an other note, saw more people using individual ride tickets today than I have in years
 
Poopoohead said:
Have to say it’s absolutely stunning. Fantastic view of the fireworks from our room underneath the big one, amazing spacious room and finished to a great quality. Considering it’s a Saturday night in school holidays bloody cheap too! Fantastic stuff, and a great day on park despite the weather. Bloody brilliant day, if only this standard was consistent.

On an other note, saw more people using individual ride tickets today than I have in years
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Evening trade is still there as I have said before, they just have to be open late enough to maximise it. If they can do it in this weather at rip off prices just think how busy it could be in decent conditions at reasonable rates!
 
Ash84 said:
I am not too sure about that, how much is a cinema ticket these days? You don't get much change from a tenner for around 90 minutes-2 hours entertainment, football matches are 90 minutes and manage to pull the crowds still and cost a lot more than a sheet of white knuckle tickets ever did. I certainly don't believe charging two parents £20 to watch a child have one ride on the Big One at £10 represent's any better VFM!

People will spent if the product is what they want.

You will always get someone moaning it's overpriced at some point, just as you do now, you don't have to go back weeks on the parks Facebook page to see it, and there is no question there is advantages and disadvantages to both. But I think it goes without saying people are more likely to spend once they are inside the park rather than outside, and that fee is doing a good job of keeping people out.
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I know that a lot of PBE members as well as other BPB fans do strongly believe that the park needs to go back to free entry.

Whilst I respect that opinion and totally take your point about casual walk ups being lost, I would always ask why it was ever changed in the first place. If the park was performing well as a business and everything was fine and dandy, then why were wristbands and later the entrance fee ever introduced?

There must have been reasons behind it, reasons which we may not ever know and, if it didn’t work, why would the park have kept going with it? It’s certainly been a while now and the park has gone from making big annual losses to now being in the black despite other seaside parks as well as inland theme parks across the U.K. closing down.

People who are in favour of bringing back the entrance fee keep going on about money, but a successful business isn’t all about short term revenue. It’s about long term sustainability which is achieved through making the right business decisions and having the right brand identity and reputation. This is what BPB have been working on for many years and it’s a gradual process.

I’m sorry but the argument of “but there’s lots of people walking along the prom who might pop in and spend a bit of money” just seems so short sighted to me. I do understand the argument and totally respect those who make it, but I really don’t think that BPB want to take that casual seaside park direction any more. They moved away from that identity and the the changes have, from my point of view, been mostly positive.
 
Enter Valhalla said:
I know that a lot of PBE members as well as other BPB fans do strongly believe that the park needs to go back to free entry.

Whilst I respect that opinion and totally take your point about casual walk ups being lost, I would always ask why it was ever changed in the first place. If the park was performing well as a business and everything was fine and dandy, then why were wristbands and later the entrance fee ever introduced?

There must have been reasons behind it, reasons which we may not ever know and, if it didn’t work, why would the park have kept going with it? It’s certainly been a while now and the park has gone from making big annual losses to now being in the black despite other seaside parks as well as inland theme parks across the U.K. closing down.

People who are in favour of bringing back the entrance fee keep going on about money, but a successful business isn’t all about short term revenue. It’s about long term sustainability which is achieved through making the right business decisions and having the right brand identity and reputation. This is what BPB have been working on for many years and it’s a gradual process.

I’m sorry but the argument of “but there’s lots of people walking along the prom who might pop in and spend a bit of money” just seems so short sighted to me. I do understand the argument and totally respect those who make it, but I really don’t think that BPB want to take that casual seaside park direction any more. They moved away from that identity and the the changes have, from my point of view, been mostly positive.
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With free entry the park was rife with crime and breakouts of fights was commonplace. A bit like London now in many respects!
 
Am I missing something here? Surely the obvious middle option is to go back to free entry and ride wristbands (you know, like every other seaside park in the country), but keep the security checks? That way none of your grans need to worry about you getting stabbed in the park.
Simples!
 
Poopoohead said:
I’d say it’s when they do things like today and close 2 hours earlier than they were advertising yesterday that does more reputation damage
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I’m just across the water in Southport, and here it had stopped raining by mid afternoon at the latest, I would imagine Blackpool would have been the same unless anyone clarifies otherwise. So, for those final 2 hours there I guess it would have actually been dry, in which case closing early is poor.
 
WickerManiac said:
With free entry the park was rife with crime and breakouts of fights was commonplace. A bit like London now in many respects!
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Might be ok nowadays

Back when it was free entry blackpool was a very very popular destination for stag do's,groups of lads on the lash and pubs would close at 5ish and a lot of drunken groups would go to the pleasure beach for a while and all hell coud break loose.....i speak from experience from both sides of the coin i'm afraid to say!!

I think blackpool has changed dramatically now on the daytime pub scene?

I can't comment on crime as that's something i've never experienced on the pleasure beach....but i could well imagine free entry could attract all sorts of characters...and not just them lads selling comedy magazines and wristbands from the front!
 
This whole crime rate is blown massively out of proportion. As a young lad I was often left to my own devices at BPB (I'm talking 10-11 years old) and my parents wouldn't have done that if they felt I wasn't safe or if I said I didn't feel safe.

I have seen one major scrap at BPB and it was after the introduction of the entry fee.
 
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