• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Dreamland Margate: General Discussion

Really need to visit next year, the scenic railway is the only wooden coaster in the country I've not ridden.

Be cool to go there for a gig as well, you'd think more UK parks with available space would look at hosting summer gigs/concerts.
 
I thought Dreamland Margate opened for a Halloween event, Screamland? It certainly did when I was staying in Canterbury during October half term 5 years ago, anyhow, as the park had only closed for the season a few days before we attempted to go…

That’s still one of my bitterest spites… if it hadn’t been for my mum astutely checking the website on the morning, we would have “done a Griswold”, as they say, and turned up to a completely closed park!

I haven’t been back to Kent since then, and given I live 3.5 hours away on a good run, it seems like a long way to travel just for the Scenic…
 
Matt N said:
I thought Dreamland Margate opened for a Halloween event, Screamland? It certainly did when I was staying in Canterbury during October half term 5 years ago, anyhow, as the park had only closed for the season a few days before we attempted to go…

That’s still one of my bitterest spites… if it hadn’t been for my mum astutely checking the website on the morning, we would have “done a Griswold”, as they say, and turned up to a completely closed park!

I haven’t been back to Kent since then, and given I live 3.5 hours away on a good run, it seems like a long way to travel just for the Scenic…
Click to expand...
It definitely isn't worth it for you. The Scenic Railway isn't an excellent ride, although it has plenty of history.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
Reading the news article
www.kentonline.co.uk

Rollercoaster remains on ice as park prepares to reopen

New rides and prices have been confirmed for a seaside theme park - but there’s no sign yet of a return for its most famous rollercoaster.
www.kentonline.co.uk www.kentonline.co.uk
It says the log flume was last at the park in 2016 so can’t be Paulton’s version.
Click to expand...
I don't think the 2016 flume is the same one as the 2025 flume.

The article here confirms it's Raging River: https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2025/03/11/dreamland-gets-set-to-open-for-the-easter-holiday/
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
Reading the news article
www.kentonline.co.uk

Rollercoaster remains on ice as park prepares to reopen

New rides and prices have been confirmed for a seaside theme park - but there’s no sign yet of a return for its most famous rollercoaster.
www.kentonline.co.uk www.kentonline.co.uk
It says the log flume was last at the park in 2016 so can’t be Paulton’s version.
Click to expand...

owenstreet7 said:
I don't think the 2016 flume is the same one as the 2025 flume.

The article here confirms it's Raging River: https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2025/03/11/dreamland-gets-set-to-open-for-the-easter-holiday/
Click to expand...


High quality local journalism for you there! Dreamland didn't operate a log flume in 2016.

Before the park reopened, they purchased several rides from defunct Sofia Land Bulgaria including the big wheel, monorail and a log flume.
They sold the log flume in an auction in 2016 but it never operated at Dreamland. Log flume can be seen at back on this photo, a park model requiring landscaping and built in water channels.

1741874153477.png
 
Sadly a 21 year old died at an event at Dreamland last night.

https://theisleofthanetnews.com/202...Kns58AkUyeOXH2lIDA_aem_zlm61AVQF2ZK4CsWwx0KhA

I won’t speculate about the causes of it, but a 17 year old girl died at one of Dreamland’s events last year, and several people were left in commas and 21 people were taken to hospital.

When Dreamland applied for its licence to host events the local police objected citing safety concerns, and Dreamland has a history of not complying with their events licence.

There was also an incident last year where a tea cups fell of their tea cups, and the Scenic Railway crashed which the HSE has since said was probably caused by a lack of maintenance, including rotten and split wood and rusty nails.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horror-mum-daughter-3-flung-33415062

www.kentonline.co.uk

Video shows passenger's perspective as rollercoaster damaged mid-ride

A startling video shows the moment a section of rollercoaster track crumbled away mid-ride forcing the passenger cart to grind to a halt.
www.kentonline.co.uk www.kentonline.co.uk
 
Funcone said:
Sadly a 21 year old died at an event at Dreamland last night.

https://theisleofthanetnews.com/202...Kns58AkUyeOXH2lIDA_aem_zlm61AVQF2ZK4CsWwx0KhA

I won’t speculate about the causes of it, but a 17 year old girl died at one of Dreamland’s events last year, and several people were left in commas and 21 people were taken to hospital.

When Dreamland applied for its licence to host events the local police objected citing safety concerns, and Dreamland has a history of not complying with their events licence.

There was also an incident last year where a tea cups fell of their tea cups, and the Scenic Railway crashed which the HSE has since said was probably caused by a lack of maintenance, including rotten and split wood and rusty nails.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horror-mum-daughter-3-flung-33415062

www.kentonline.co.uk

Video shows passenger's perspective as rollercoaster damaged mid-ride

A startling video shows the moment a section of rollercoaster track crumbled away mid-ride forcing the passenger cart to grind to a halt.
www.kentonline.co.uk www.kentonline.co.uk
Click to expand...
That is horrible. I didn't even know about the teacups incident.
 
Missed a key point that the 17 year old's death was down as an overdose.

People are also well known to not look after themselves at events such as these when it's hot.

Think the Railway incident was mentioned before and has been one of the main reasons it hasn't operated much this year.
 
Yes, you're right, all these other incidents have been mentioned on here before. I thought on this occasion it was worth saying there seemed to be a bit of a pattern emerging. It is a fine line, and I know after The Smiler accident every time a train stopped on a lift hill at Alton Towers, one of the tabloid papers seemed to run a headline with it.

In this case though we have got an amusement park where in the space of about a year two rides have had significant accidents (in at least one case the HSE has indicated there was a reasonable degree of negligence) and two separate incidents where young people have died. All four of these are genuinely concerning in their own ways. None of them are the equivalent of something like a routine ride shut down when a sensor detects a fault.

It is possible that Dreamland's been unlucky, and of course there is such a thing as bad luck. But for people who don't follow the park in detail I thought I'd summarise the four accidents and incidents.
 
When people don't look after themselves at festival events, there is usually a thorough policy and procedure for crowd monitoring and control by management, assisted by external first aid support.

People shouldn't end up dead because it is hot and they are "partying" at a festival event.
 
Funcone said:
In this case though we have got an amusement park where in the space of about a year two rides have had significant accidents (in at least one case the HSE has indicated there was a reasonable degree of negligence) and two separate incidents where young people have died. All four of these are genuinely concerning in their own ways. None of them are the equivalent of something like a routine ride shut down when a sensor detects a fault.
Click to expand...
It is worth noting that two have been amusement park issues and others are festival issues.

Yes it could speak to poor overall safety management but they are quite different things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top