It’s February Half Term and a motley crew has come ashore for their annual Pirate Takeover. Throughout the school holidays the resort has been overrun with fun and whether you want to take to the high seas, hone your piratical skills or explore a pirate town; there’s a wide variety of activities to keep you busy throughout your stay.
And whichever adventure you choose, the resort is a veritable treasure map of fun with a round of Extraordinary Golf included in your stay as well as the tropical paradise of the Waterpark. Or why not take to the high seas and pay a visit to Mutiny Bay, which has opened specially for the takeover.
At the Hotels
It would seem that this year the resort has booked in a Pirate Conference at the same time as February Half Term.
Also, checkout Davy Jones’ Drinks & Dishes, which will be available at the bars and restaurants across the resort and don’t forget to stay up for the traditional pirate disco
Shows
Pirate Pantomime
New for 2022 Why not put a bit of slapstick into your yearly dose of swash buckle, with the resort’s new pirate pantomime?
Captain Fin’s Pirate School
Fin the Shark returns to the resort to reopen his pirate training camp. Are you ready to learn all the tips and tricks you need to become a scourge of the seven seas?
In the Park
Mutiny Bay and Towers Street will be open during the event, with the following rides open:
Whilst in the park, guests will also be able to take part in a special pirate treasure hunt:
The Pieces of Eight Treasure Trail
Will you be the one to find the Long Lost Treasure of Mutiny Bay? Clues to its whereabouts are hidden all over the area, so if you can solve peculiar puzzles and interrogate the locals, they might just lead you to the pirate plunder.
Event History
Pirates and Princesses have taken over the resort every February Half Term since 2016 – the first year the Half Term event moved off park and into the resort. The park has had Pirate Winter Weekends ever since the winter of 2010, however a touch of royalty was needed to upgrade the event for a full half-term run.
In 2016 the Pirate and Princess Week ran from 12th-21st February and had a distinctly CBeebies feel. The headliner for the event was a live show featuring Cook and Line from Swashbuckle, but otherwise the event was similar to the Pirate Weekends the resort had run for many years prior.
When the event returned in 2017 (11th-26th February), the Swashbuckle show no longer featured in the line-up and instead the focus of the event was a new “build your own Pirate Den” activity as well a treasure hunt around the resort. Otherwise, the line-up remained very similar to the previous year.
2018 saw significant upgrades to the newly renamed Pirate and Princess Takeover, with a range of new shows and activities added to the line-up. Notably, while pirates still dominate the event, the Princesses had a much larger presence with new activities such as Princess School.
For the next few years the event returned with regular attractions, such as variations on the Princess School and Pirates vs. Princesses game show, as well as
Past Shows
Treasure Hunt
2018
A one-off attraction for 2018, this Treasure Hunt around the Resort where Twigs and Lily Rose hunted for Shark Tooth Jack’s hidden Treasure
Lost Boys and Fairy Princesses Party
2018-2019
A combination of a treasure hunt, interactive game show and a disco. The party ran for one year in the new Enchanted Teepee before moving into the hotels for its second and final season.
2018-2020
High Seas & Hijinks
Settle in for back to back swashbuckling tales as well as a Pirate Takeover, where a motley crew taught shanties to would be pirates in between some games and the high seas.
The Pirates of Mutiny Bay
2018-2020
Everyone’s favourite ragtag band of miscreants got two outings during the event, retelling two of their favourite tales during High Seas & Hijinks – The Lore of Treasure Unknown and The Kidnap of Lady Victoria Sponge.
Princess School
2018-2020
Apr iring princess are invited to attend the resort’s Princess School, where you can help Princess Adelaide teach Arianna how to be the best princess in all of Staffordshire.
Pirate Pegg’s magic show
2018-2020
Pirate Pegg has perfected her craft of magic on the high seas – after all, how else could she magic doubloons out of unsuspecting wallets?
Join her as she shows off some of her favourite tricks to young buccaneers.
