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Drayton Manor Park

Gold Rush is open for the Christmas season which is cool. Dare i try a third visit this year to finally get a ride?

Does anyone know if it has temperature and wind restrictions (or more importantly what they are)?
 
Bowser said:
Thanks. Guessing that is a photo from the park screen or can that be accessed online now?
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It was on 1 of the screens In the park.
Also I was very impressed with the event.

From: https://youtu.be/Kj5VaKS99OU?si=OAw3XW4cbZHJi5B1

Guest services were asking for feedback on the event and I said it was the best Christmas event the looping group have put on but they miles off the Bryan’s as they had the fireworks at the end of the day and the ice rink.
 
Having been ourselves also.
Ice skating would be amazing to bring back.
The show in the theatre was poor this year..
The train ride was … meh… served a purpose but advertising it as a new feature was a far stretch.
Decorations were nice but looked a bit unfinished.

Needs a big end of the day event / show like last year.
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
It's the Midlands, all bets are off. They go to the pub at 1̶2̶p̶m̶ 11am, I'm sorry. Wings crossed for you.
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As a midlander, I fixed that for you ;)

I am curious to know what sort of ride the park might be getting next year. I would have thought that ride hardware would be on site now, but then again, their new coaster did not open until July. So it wouldn't surprise me if we see nothing onsite until the park opens next year.

They don't seem to rush at Drayton Manor; they must all be in the pub!
 
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I am unsure if we will see a new ride next year. After Goldrush which would have been there biggest ride investment and did not open until July, they can still heavily market it as being the new thing.
 
From past Looping groups openings

2021 Wave Swinger end of July with the Rapids opening mid August. Think this was due to the uk been in lockdown to April of that year.
2022 Vikings opened end of May
2023 Submarine Splash end of April
2024 The Wave opened end of April with Gold Rush opening end of July.

I do know on social media Black Friday/Cyper Monday sale they saying come back in 2025 to Celebrate the parks 75th Birthday and Thomas the tank 80th birthday. I can see a flat ride been installed for 2025 with work starting on the outside of the pirate adventure building.
 
Very quiet at DM today. I haven't been for about 8 years and the park looks like it's improved a lot to me.
Had 8 rides on Gold Rush (4 on each setting) - found it nice and smooth - the staff running it were cool as they just let my daughter and I stay on without having to walk around again.
The fact a couple of coasters were open swayed us towards DM over AT.
Also food taste and price made me realise how bad AT is in that area.
Not a bad day out for the money.
 
Sorry only just getting around to posting my update from Monday but speaking to the zoo staff the looping is spending money on the zoo for 2025 so they do want to keep it for the long term.
They currently working on the former sea lion area
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They also removed the ducks next to it and replaced them with Potcupins

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Also a few of the bird enclosures has been removed
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No update on the Flying Dutchman site. It’s still in pieces. Drayton Manor uploaded a video of the ride a couple of weeks ago so looks like it’s keeping its original name.
 
Are Drayton planning a new surprise ride ? Yesterday they posted on X about this year being there 75th year and it's going to be a huge celebration. I placed a comment will you be celebrating with a new ride added to your line-up and they have just liked the post might be nothing but do they have a little surprise up there sleeve maybe
 
popey85 said:
Are Drayton planning a new surprise ride ? Yesterday they posted on X about this year being there 75th year and it's going to be a huge celebration. I placed a comment will you be celebrating with a new ride added to your line-up and they have just liked the post might be nothing but do they have a little surprise up there sleeve maybe
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On the long term plan, I understand there is a plan to relocate an existing ride with a flat ride (in their words, Round Platform Ride) being added on that site.

Speculation so far says it's Flying Dutchman moving to another site and the flat ride allegedly going on the existing Flying Dutchman site.

Nothing confirmed as of yet.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
Well I wasn’t wrong with the park going big for the 75th Anniversary.
IMG_5111.png
Now that’s a guarantee of 8 fireworks events in the main season. Now the May 1 was ruined as it wasn’t pitch black at 9pm so I wonder what time the park gonna be open in June and July.
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Coming out swinging at North Staffordshire, floundering with a temporary stage and muddy field.

Let’s hope there’s more “night time” infrastructure going in this closed season
 
A new promotional video from Storm Force 10, brand new in 1999, has surfaced curtsey of Euro Theme Park archive. They have also recently been uploading quite a few cool videos to their channel to be fair.

I think this video highlights quite well how back in the 1990's, Drayton Manor were leaps and bounds above any other independent themeparks in the UK when it came to theming and immersion, they were almost within the same league as the then Tussauds parks in that respect.

It's also nice to hear some of the old and long lost audio narrations in the video, which were played by the animatronics and various props.

It's a shame the audio and animations are long gone. The themeing is pretty much all there to this day however, as seen in the video, with some minor changes.


From: https://youtu.be/n5CgvRN63Us?si=Lw_dk6DDOI0cB44H
 
DistortAMG said:
A new promotional video from Storm Force 10, brand new in 1999, has surfaced curtsey of Euro Theme Park archive. They have also recently been uploading quite a few cool videos to their channel to be fair.

I think this video highlights quite well how back in the 1990's, Drayton Manor were leaps and bounds above any other independent themeparks in the UK when it came to theming and immersion, they were almost within the same league as the then Tussauds parks in that respect.

It's also nice to hear some of the old and long lost audio narrations in the video, which were played by the animatronics and various props.

It's a shame the audio and animations are long gone. The themeing is pretty much all there to this day however, as seen in the video, with some minor changes.


From: https://youtu.be/n5CgvRN63Us?si=Lw_dk6DDOI0cB44H
Click to expand...

I completely agree. This was like the golden era for Drayton and it seemed that Colin took full creative control over everything installed until it fizzled out towards then end and I’m guessing that was due to money and budgets.

Shame really as I know Looping group have invested but to me it still feels half hearted. No where near the same immersion as back in the day!
 
I often wonder what went wrong at Drayton.

I only visited for the first time in 2009, but was always aware of it before then, and in the early 00s they seemed to be on top game. Even on my first visit in 2009, it seemed pretty thriving.

The problems with the park seemed to start long before the floods and covid. They had a period of stagnation for nearly ten years, during which time countless rides were being closed and not replaced.

Some people say that building the hotel was what killed the park. Perhaps that’s why Thorpe Park have been reluctant to build one for so many years.
 
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