Paultons Park: General Discussion

[East Coast Mariner]

How did I know someone was going to make the Tivoli reference?

Perhaps I should have put *recent* major coaster additions, and by recent I would say in the last 20 years- the UK’s first Gerstlauer bobsled, the UK’s first Verona family suspended coaster, the UK’s first Mack spinning coaster and the UK’s second junior Boomerang. I would class this new addition as fitting into the major new coaster category, so a bog-standard Eurofighter with shoulder bars is the exception to the rule. I didn’t think I needed to explain that so specifically, but I have now anyway

I don't think the Force coasters are that much like the Tivolis, anyway, to be honest. The Tivolis tend to have much longer trains, and are actually quite a bit better, in my opinion.

You see, that’s interesting, because I fear that a conservative choice like a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter won’t grab people’s attention enough to shake off the reputation of the park solely being “Peppa Pig World”.

Without a doubt, Peppa Pig World was, and still is, successful. Hugely successful, in fact. None of the expansions in the last 10-15 years at Paultons would have happened without it, and it has been the making of Paultons as a park. That’s undeniable.

But one thing I do think Peppa Pig has done is limited the park’s appeal among older audiences. Rightly or wrongly, Paultons does have a perception of being “Peppa Pig World” among the general populace (where I live, anyway), so when you say to someone older who isn’t so into parks about Paultons, the response is “isn’t it just full of baby rides?” and they’re put off visiting as an adult group or even as a slightly older family because Paultons equals Peppa Pig in their mind. The rest of the park is currently not well-known enough outside of enthusiast circles to shake that reputation for older guests.

I was really hoping that 2026 would bring a unique, innovative headline coaster that would grab people’s attention and help to reinforce to older audiences that Paultons is more than just Peppa Pig. With Drakon being the 4th Euro-Fighter built in the UK and not exactly reinventing the wheel or bringing anything new to the table compared to the other three, I’m doubtful that it will grab attention sufficiently to do that. Something a bit more unique might have done.

Yes, I see what you mean. On the one hand, theme park goers will have seen and ridden Euro Fighters before, particularly at Thorpe and Southend. On the other hand, it will still be quite a thrilling ride. It sort of reminds me of the Vekoma Boomerangs. How much does the thrill of the ride compensate for their familiarity?

I'm thinking of "leaflet appeal", mainly. When people see the leaflets, and the inversion or drop of Drakon on them, it will send a clear message that the park now has some real thrills. Paultons is quite a weird park, arguably, in that there's a massive discrepancy between what different guests are there for. You can have the park fairly busy and almost all of them are there for Peppa Pig World. I've never really seen that sort of thing anywhere else, to that extent. Cobra and Storm Chaser are family-thrill, and I'm tempted to put Velociraptor and Flight of the Pterosaur more in that category as well (rather than "family"), but I rather suspect they haven't attracted as wide an audience as they might. I do think the Euro Fighter will do that, as much as I'd have preferred quite a few other things, personally.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

and by recent I would say in the last 20 years

Farmyard Flyer, the successor of the Zierer Tivoli, is the park's newest and most recent coaster opening just three years ago.

 

[TedShatner10]

The elephant in the room here is the dramatic overhaul of the Cobra into Raven, interesting to see what the theming for that will be, so you've got two solid roller coasters alongside maybe two flatrides (the Edge is starting to get long the tooth).