What New things will come to Towers in 2026

[Matt N]

The park looks really sad in areas…is this the longest without any major investment? I don’t count the nemesis retrack.

Toxicator I would consider major as well as Curse

I would agree with the assessment of @Bowser here. Wicker Man was Alton’s last brand new major attraction, in my view.

Yes, the Nemesis retrack was a significant financial outlay… but to the average guest, it’s the same 30 year old ride in a new colour with some new theming. Yes, Curse was a good refurbishment… but to the average guest, it’s a rehashed version of the Haunted House rather than something legitimately new and major. Yes, Toxicator is technically a new ride… but to the average guest, the parallels to Ripsaw are very strong, and to many, it looks like “Ripsaw in a different colour”. I’m not saying there hasn’t been capital expenditure since Wicker Man, but I think public perception is key here. And in terms of public perception, I would argue that the last properly major new attraction launch was Wicker Man 7 years ago.

This has absolutely been the longest period in the park’s history without any major new addition, to my memory. If you look back to the 90s and 2000s, the park had new major attractions installed in spades, and it attracted attention. While some might cite Toxicator as a major attraction install, I would argue that by Alton’s historic standards, it definitely isn’t; back in the day, the likes of Ripsaw and Submission were decidedly peripheral additions compared to the coasters and the likes of The Haunted House.

In my view, it has felt like some years now since Alton has installed anything properly new and exciting that’s really grabbed the attention of the wider populace, and that’s quite unusual compared to any point in the park’s prior history. As previously mentioned, the 90s and 2000s had lots of major new attraction installations, but for all their flaws, even Merlin in the 2010s kept up the tempo reasonably nicely with an attention-grabbing major attraction every few years.

Compared to every decade prior, the 2020s have been a decidedly quiet decade at Alton Towers so far, and thus far, I don’t see a lot of signs of that changing until at least 2027. They could pull a major new attraction out of the bag, but I think 2027 is the earliest we could possibly see this, and I think 2028 or later is now not an inconceivable timeline for the next major attraction arriving. We could very well go over a decade between major attraction installations, which would have been inconceivable even during the 2010s, and in a pessimistic scenario, we could even see the entire 2020s pass by without a new major attraction being installed. I’d like to hope that wouldn’t happen, but I don’t think it’s entirely inconceivable at this point.

This is uncharted territory for the park, and I do wonder what it’s doing to Alton Towers’ public perception. Perhaps controversially, I debate whether the delay/cancellation of Project Horizon was a good idea; a ride like that could really give the park a shot in the arm and spark public interest in it again.

 

[owenstreet7]

Digital RAP system

Possible Digital Fast Track too?

It'd make sense to do it at the same time as RAP.

 

[Hid]

I would agree with the assessment of @Bowser here. Wicker Man was Alton’s last brand new major attraction, in my view.

Yes, the Nemesis retrack was a significant financial outlay… but to the average guest, it’s the same 30 year old ride in a new colour with some new theming. Yes, Curse was a good refurbishment… but to the average guest, it’s a rehashed version of the Haunted House rather than something legitimately new and major. Yes, Toxicator is technically a new ride… but to the average guest, the parallels to Ripsaw are very strong, and to many, it looks like “Ripsaw in a different colour”. I’m not saying there hasn’t been capital expenditure since Wicker Man, but I think public perception is key here. And in terms of public perception, I would argue that the last properly major new attraction launch was Wicker Man 7 years ago.

This has absolutely been the longest period in the park’s history without any major new addition, to my memory. If you look back to the 90s and 2000s, the park had new major attractions installed in spades, and it attracted attention. While some might cite Toxicator as a major attraction install, I would argue that by Alton’s historic standards, it definitely isn’t; back in the day, the likes of Ripsaw and Submission were decidedly peripheral additions compared to the coasters and the likes of The Haunted House.

In my view, it has felt like some years now since Alton has installed anything properly new and exciting that’s really grabbed the attention of the wider populace, and that’s quite unusual compared to any point in the park’s prior history. As previously mentioned, the 90s and 2000s had lots of major new attraction installations, but for all their flaws, even Merlin in the 2010s kept up the tempo reasonably nicely with an attention-grabbing major attraction every few years.

Compared to every decade prior, the 2020s have been a decidedly quiet decade at Alton Towers so far, and thus far, I don’t see a lot of signs of that changing until at least 2027. They could pull a major new attraction out of the bag, but I think 2027 is the earliest we could possibly see this, and I think 2028 or later is now not an inconceivable timeline for the next major attraction arriving. We could very well go over a decade between major attraction installations, which would have been inconceivable even during the 2010s, and in a pessimistic scenario, we could even see the entire 2020s pass by without a new major attraction being installed. I’d like to hope that wouldn’t happen, but I don’t think it’s entirely inconceivable at this point.

This is uncharted territory for the park, and I do wonder what it’s doing to Alton Towers’ public perception. Perhaps controversially, I debate whether the delay/cancellation of Project Horizon was a good idea; a ride like that could really give the park a shot in the arm and spark public interest in it again.

Project Horizon has not been confirmed cancelled all who say it is are speculating.

The stuff they have done needed doing it was Merlins own fault they got into that mess in the first place. But Merlin are different now to how they were a few years back.

Duel would of limped on getting more dilapidated
Nemesis either would have been scrapped and or limped on being more and more unreliable.
No Toxicator meant that only Marauders would remain as there only flat.
Skyride would of remained shut
And Hex would still be down

All the things they have done were necessary.

And will bring some new guests who never experienced the original rides before.

 

[Matt N]

Project Horizon has not been confirmed cancelled all who say it is are speculating.

The stuff they have done needed doing it was Merlins own fault they got into that mess in the first place. But Merlin are different now to how they were a few years back.

Duel would of limped on getting more dilapidated
Nemesis either would have been scrapped and or limped on being more and more unreliable.
No Toxicator meant that only Marauders would remain as there only flat.
Skyride would of remained shut
And Hex would still be down

All the things they have done were necessary.

And will bring some new guests who never experienced the original rides before.

I’m not saying that what they’ve done isn’t good, or that it was unnecessary. But ask yourself; is it exciting, novel and generating significant public interest like the investments in prior decades? I would argue that the answer is no.

Alton Towers made its name on building new, innovative attractions. The park is known for building some real trailblazing rides, and even during the Merlin era in the 2010s, the park had some sensational major attraction successes that really grabbed public attention. Smiler, despite the crash, was highly ambitious, very popular upon launch, grabbed people’s attention, and remains popular 12 years on. Thirteen, for all its mixed reception, took the park to its second highest attendance year ever behind only 1994, really grabbed public attention, and remains a reasonably popular coaster 15 years after its launch. Wicker Man almost single-handedly reinvigorated the park after an extremely tough period following the Smiler crash, went down very well and remains one of the park’s most popular rides 7 years on. Even outside of the major additions, the park built CBeebies Land, which remains popular among younger families 11 years on and is still getting updated and expanded.

Have we had anything during the 2020s that has had that sort of public interest and shown that sort of ambition and originality? While the refurbishments and such were done well and are welcomed, I would argue that we haven’t. The 2020s have felt like a somewhat unexciting decade at Alton Towers compared to previous ones, in my view, and it does feel like we’ve gone some time now without something new and major to get truly excited about.

 

[Bowser]

I would agree with the assessment of @Bowser here. Wicker Man was Alton’s last brand new major attraction, in my view.

Yes, the Nemesis retrack was a significant financial outlay… but to the average guest, it’s the same 30 year old ride in a new colour with some new theming. Yes, Curse was a good refurbishment… but to the average guest, it’s a rehashed version of the Haunted House rather than something legitimately new and major. Yes, Toxicator is technically a new ride… but to the average guest, the parallels to Ripsaw are very strong, and to many, it looks like “Ripsaw in a different colour”. I’m not saying there hasn’t been capital expenditure since Wicker Man, but I think public perception is key here. And in terms of public perception, I would argue that the last properly major new attraction launch was Wicker Man 7 years ago.

This has absolutely been the longest period in the park’s history without any major new addition, to my memory. If you look back to the 90s and 2000s, the park had new major attractions installed in spades, and it attracted attention. While some might cite Toxicator as a major attraction install, I would argue that by Alton’s historic standards, it definitely isn’t; back in the day, the likes of Ripsaw and Submission were decidedly peripheral additions compared to the coasters and the likes of The Haunted House.

In my view, it has felt like some years now since Alton has installed anything properly new and exciting that’s really grabbed the attention of the wider populace, and that’s quite unusual compared to any point in the park’s prior history. As previously mentioned, the 90s and 2000s had lots of major new attraction installations, but for all their flaws, even Merlin in the 2010s kept up the tempo reasonably nicely with an attention-grabbing major attraction every few years.

Compared to every decade prior, the 2020s have been a decidedly quiet decade at Alton Towers so far, and thus far, I don’t see a lot of signs of that changing until at least 2027. They could pull a major new attraction out of the bag, but I think 2027 is the earliest we could possibly see this, and I think 2028 or later is now not an inconceivable timeline for the next major attraction arriving. We could very well go over a decade between major attraction installations, which would have been inconceivable even during the 2010s, and in a pessimistic scenario, we could even see the entire 2020s pass by without a new major attraction being installed. I’d like to hope that wouldn’t happen, but I don’t think it’s entirely inconceivable at this point.

This is uncharted territory for the park, and I do wonder what it’s doing to Alton Towers’ public perception. Perhaps controversially, I debate whether the delay/cancellation of Project Horizon was a good idea; a ride like that could really give the park a shot in the arm and spark public interest in it again.

Agree with all this.

Now one could cite Disneyland Paris which hasn't had a new major attraction since.... well who can remember at this point? But i think that park isn't comparable because they don't have the maintenance/upkeep issues that have plagued AT and they also have another park next door which for all intents and purposes is part of the same location and has had plenty of new attractions.

The casual visitor and enthusiasts are alike in that they are drawn to new things. Like you say, the things they have done were necessary but there are plenty of other theme parks that do the upkeep AND regularly add new attractions.

I think a lot of goodwill would be created if they at least announced some plans. Look at Chessington, Minecraft is 2 years away but there's an air of excitement around the park as a result of just hinting at plans, despite the park falling to bits. Transparency seems more common in general across Europe, with lots of parks announcing projects that are 3+ years away. Goodwill doesn't necessarily equal profit though so perhaps they simply aren't interested? However the fact Merlin are openly promoting one parks development and ignoring another does suggest something is amiss.

 

[Hid]

Agree with all this.

Now one could cite Disneyland Paris which hasn't had a new major attraction since.... well who can remember at this point? But i think that park isn't comparable because they don't have the maintenance/upkeep issues that have plagued AT and they also have another park next door which for all intents and purposes is part of the same location and has had plenty of new attractions.

The casual visitor and enthusiasts are alike in that they are drawn to new things. Like you say, the things they have done were necessary but there are plenty of other theme parks that do the upkeep AND regularly add new attractions.

I think a lot of goodwill would be created if they at least announced some plans. Look at Chessington, Minecraft is 2 years away but there's an air of excitement around the park as a result of just hinting at plans, despite the park falling to bits. Transparency seems more common in general across Europe, with lots of parks announcing projects that are 3+ years away. Goodwill doesn't necessarily equal profit though so perhaps they simply aren't interested? However the fact Merlin are openly promoting one parks development and ignoring another does suggest something is amiss.

Alton have always been secretive with their projects

 

[Matt N]

Agree with all this.

Now one could cite Disneyland Paris which hasn't had a new major attraction since.... well who can remember at this point? But i think that park isn't comparable because they don't have the maintenance/upkeep issues that have plagued AT and they also have another park next door which for all intents and purposes is part of the same location and has had plenty of new attractions.

The casual visitor and enthusiasts are alike in that they are drawn to new things. Like you say, the things they have done were necessary but there are plenty of other theme parks that do the upkeep AND regularly add new attractions.

I think a lot of goodwill would be created if they at least announced some plans. Look at Chessington, Minecraft is 2 years away but there's an air of excitement around the park as a result of just hinting at plans, despite the park falling to bits. Transparency seems more common in general across Europe, with lots of parks announcing projects that are 3+ years away. Goodwill doesn't necessarily equal profit though so perhaps they simply aren't interested? However the fact Merlin are openly promoting one parks development and ignoring another does suggest something is amiss.

I also think, though, that DLP is not entirely comparable because of the Disney brand. I think you’re right in that the plethora of developments in Walt Disney Studios does perhaps mask the lack of development in the castle park to some extent, and that the park having a better reputation for upkeep/downtime might also help, but I think the raw power of that Disney brand also probably helps DLP retain staying power without making significant additions. Disney is a brand that pulls at people’s heartstrings and fosters emotional attachments quite unlike any other theme park brand, and I think the power of the characters and the Disney brand probably keeps people coming back to DLP in spades year on year in spite of what they do investment-wise.

Nonetheless, I fully agree that announcing plans would generate some goodwill. It is ultimately major new stuff that keeps people interested, and for all its flaws, Chessington does feel like the most exciting Merlin park at present due to those big, tangibly new investments on the horizon.

Interestingly, Alton is not the only Merlin park lacking many immediate plans. Thorpe seem to have shown little immediate sign of doing anything following Hyperia, and unusually, Legoland have also not really got anything in the pipeline following Minifigure Speedway.

 

[Hid]

I also think, though, that DLP is not entirely comparable because of the Disney brand. I think you’re right in that the plethora of developments in Walt Disney Studios does perhaps mask the lack of development in the castle park to some extent, and that the park having a better reputation for upkeep/downtime might also help, but I think the raw power of that Disney brand also probably helps DLP retain staying power without making significant additions. Disney is a brand that pulls at people’s heartstrings and fosters emotional attachments quite unlike any other theme park brand, and I think the power of the characters and the Disney brand probably keeps people coming back to DLP in spades year on year in spite of what they do investment-wise.

Nonetheless, I fully agree that announcing plans would generate some goodwill. It is ultimately major new stuff that keeps people interested, and for all its flaws, Chessington does feel like the most exciting Merlin park at present due to those big, tangibly new investments on the horizon.

Interestingly, Alton is not the only Merlin park lacking many immediate plans. Thorpe seem to have shown little immediate sign of doing anything following Hyperia, and unusually, Legoland have also not really got anything in the pipeline following Minifigure Speedway.

Maybe they both have plans but are focusing getting their restructuring done before moving on with more projects

 

[Matt N]

Maybe they both have plans but are focusing getting their restructuring done before moving on with more projects

Maybe they do. Maybe they will come out and reveal stuff soon.

But we are currently lacking a bit of excitement from all of the parks bar Chessington, I would argue.

 

[Bowser]

Alton have always been secretive with their projects

This is true. But as pointed out, times have changed and the park is quite different now so perhaps they need to adapt.

The real question is, at this point does anyone realistically expect Alton Towers to open a genuine "secret weapon" ride? I think their position as pioneers is long gone and they perhaps need to work out what their future identity will be.

 

[Matt N]

The real question is, at this point does anyone realistically expect Alton Towers to open a genuine "secret weapon" ride? I think their position as pioneers is long gone and they perhaps need to work out what their future identity will be.

This is an interesting question, and I think the answer partly hinges on your definition of “genuine secret weapon ride”.

Do I think the days of the park putting out genuine world’s firsts that were kept under lock and key until opening weekend are probably gone? Yes. But I think that’s as much down to a change in the wider theme park industry as anything else.

I would argue that actual innovation in wacky new ride concepts slowed down worldwide following the millennium after the records and gimmicks of the 1980s and 1990s. Particularly post-2010 and after the end of the coaster wars, I would argue that worldwide roller coaster innovation has focused more on ride quality and iterative improvements to existing good practice than on new ride types and concepts in the vein of decades gone by.

This can be seen quite nicely in Alton’s two most recent Secret Weapons, I would argue. In contrast with some of the earlier major coasters, which debuted brand new ride models and/or technical gimmicks, Smiler and Wicker Man were both relatively tried and tested ride models with a new twist. While Smiler was the first Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster and did break the inversion record, the Infinity Coaster was essentially an iterative improvement of Gerstlauer’s existing decade-old Euro-Fighter model rather than something that broke completely new ground. Wicker Man’s marketed “first” was refuted by the ASA, and it was a very straightforward woodie of the exact vein GCI had been building successfully for 22 years prior to its launch.

So if your definition of “genuine secret weapon” is “a world’s first ride”, I would argue those days probably are done. But by that metric, Wicker Man at very least probably wouldn’t qualify as a “genuine secret weapon”. If the definition is simply “an attention-grabbing major new ride”, I think Alton definitely still has it in them; Thorpe did Hyperia only last year, and Chessington is currently in the process of doing Paw Patrol and Minecraft.

 

[Bowser]

So if your definition of “genuine secret weapon” is “a world’s first ride”, I would argue those days probably are done. But by that metric, Wicker Man at very least probably wouldn’t qualify as a “genuine secret weapon”. If the definition is simply “an attention-grabbing major new ride”, I think Alton definitely still has it in them; Thorpe did Hyperia only last year, and Chessington is currently in the process of doing Paw Patrol and Minecraft.

I think including Paw Patrol in this conversation is very generous. Yes it will grab attention because of the brand but from what we know it's about as generic a use of IP as you can possibly get. By the same metric we'd include Bluey surely? These are not major new rides (unless the forum mooted 200ft Bluey spike launch is revealed of course).

Minecraft fits the bill, it's the first of its kind in the UK and one of I believe only 2 in Europe for now (Uncharted being the other)? To me that would have qualified for a Secret Weapon ride. I do take on your other points about the changes in the industry though arguably that also makes it even more impressive such a attraction is coming to Chessington.

As it stands, the only rumour is of AT building a similar ride but it opening later, which would somewhat be the antithesis of what the "SW" represents.

 

[Hid]

A ride doesn't need to be a secret weapon to be good Rita wasn't and is a great ride filled a gap in their lineup

 

[Matt N]

The truth is that “Secret Weapon” is an entirely arbitrary code naming system.

Nothing quantifies what would actually qualify as one other than that it has traditionally only been used for major thrill coaster additions! The park can theoretically use the Secret Weapon codename on anything they wish to.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Possible Digital Fast Track too?

It'd make sense to do it at the same time as RAP.

Fastrack is already digital.

By the same metric we'd include Bluey surely?

I probably would include Bluey. As adults, and enthusiasts, we're not the target market. I would argue that having the exclusive (UK at least) theme park rights to the world's hottest children's IP is a significant investment. We have also yet to see the Merlin marketing machine kick in for the Bluey attraction, which is rather good at swaying perception.

Minecraft fits the bill, it's the first of its kind in the UK and one of I believe only 2 in Europe for now (Uncharted being the other)

Three. You've forgotten Movie Park Studio Tour at Movieland Park in Germany. Parc Asterix will also be opening one in Londonium, albeit in 2028.

The truth is that “Secret Weapon” is an entirely arbitrary code naming system.

I do believe we've probably seen the final designation of a "Secret Weapon". That's not to say that the projects won't be of similar stature, but the Secret Weapon name belongs to the park. Major attraction decisions are now being made centrally at Merlin Magic Making.