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.
And whichever adventure you choose, the resort has 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.
In the Park
The front part of the park, around Towers Street, is open for February Half Term, including most of CBeebies Land, Spinball Whizzer and the nautical parts of Mutiny Bay, complete with a special show line-up on the Courtyard Stage.
As you might expect, the pirates are particularly at home in Mutiny Bay and during the Pirate Takeover there are several special attractions and overlays.
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 bay, so if you can solve peculiar puzzles and interrogate the locals, they might just lead you to the pirate plunder.
Seadog Starkey’s Sailing School on the Battle Galleons
If you’re a pirate-in-training, now’s your chance to take a dry-run on the Battle Galleons. The splash cannons will be turned off for your trip around the Mutiny Bay lagoon, as you and your crew set off on a quest for treasure under the expert guidance of Seadog Starkey.
Pirates of Mutiny Bay: The Hunt for the Crown of T’Hulu
The Pirates of Mutiny Bay are back in a brand new show. They have heard tell of a mysterious lost treasure and whoever finds it first is sure to be crowned the greatest pirate of all time!
Captain Finn’s Pirate Training Camp
Fin the Shark returns to the Mutiny Bay Courtyard 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?
At the Hotels
The resort are promising a veritable treasure trove of new entertainment & shows for the Pirate Takeover. Alton Towers Hotel has been plunged beneath the waves and at the heart of the hotel’s atrium, the ship stage has sunk down into a mermaid’s grotto, filled with coral deep sea divers and underwater artefacts aplenty.
As ever, the hotels will be hosting the usual range of pirate activities and game shows during the event, with a Pirate Disco in the Emperor Suite, just off the Alton Towers Hotel’s main bar area.
Also, checkout Davy Jones’ Drinks & Dishes, which will be available at the bars and restaurants across the resort, including a new cocktail menu for this year’s event.
Event History
Alton Towers has had a regular February Half Term event since 2006. For the decade, the event focused on the Theme Park, offering a reduced version of the park’s usual line, with a wide range of attractions and coasters open, aimed at all age-groups and demographics.
As part of the resort-wide downscaling in 2016, the park no longer opened as part of February Half Term and instead the event moved over to the hotel became a themed event – The Pirates and Princess Takeover.
For more information on the half-term events between 2006 and 2020, have a look at our dedicated February Half Term archive.
After a year off due to the pandemic, the princesses did not return in 2022, when the new Pirate Fest! began, an event themed around the concept that a pirate conference was occurring at the hotels, a global gathering of rapscallions from across the seven seas. The new event’s main focus was around the pirate town of Mutiny Bay, which featured a new line-up of special attractions and overlays of old favourite, along with new characters and shows.
In 2023 the event was renamed to the Pirate Takeover, which also saw the return of day tickets, giving day-guests access into just Towers Street and Mutiny Bay (and CBeebies Land from 2024).
Past Shows
The Pirates of Mutiny Bay: Double Bill
2018-2022
Everyone’s favourite ragtag band of miscreants got two outings during the event, retelling two of their favourite tales – The Lore of Treasure Unknown and The Kidnap of Lady Victoria Sponge.
Secrets of the Smugglers
2022-2024
A motley crew of pirates once roamed the passages of Mutiny Bay’s aquairum, ready to share their survival skills and take guests on a quest to discover the secrets of Sharkbait Reef By SEALIFE.
Galleries