Blackpool Pleasure Beach

About this place

In 1904 Sir Hiram Maxim bolted his Captive Flying Machine onto the sand of Blackpool's South Shore, and it is still turning today — the oldest ride still operating anywhere in Europe. That one object explains what sets Pleasure Beach apart from every other British theme park: this is not a resort master-planned in a single go, but roughly seventeen hectares that have accumulated in layers since 1896, wooden coasters from the 1930s standing shoulder to shoulder with hydraulic launches from this decade, all of it a few steps from the Irish Sea. The signs and the tickets now read Pleasure Beach Resort, a 2024 rebrand that almost nobody in Blackpool actually uses. The headline act is The Big One — sixty-five metres, 119 km/h, the tallest coaster in the world when it opened in 1994 and the tallest in Britain until 2024. Plenty of regulars prefer Icon, the UK's first multi-launch coaster, or Valhalla, the indoor water dark ride that leaves you wet in the literal rather than the poetic sense. May 2026 added Aviktas, a 42-metre gyro swing billed as the tallest of its kind in the country. And for anyone who values the old stuff, the Grand National (1935) is a wooden racing coaster built as a Möbius loop — a single continuous track with two trains running side by side the whole way. For Gulf families spending weeks in the north of England: the children's land is generous, the paths are flat and pushchairs go everywhere, and the park fills a full day without effort. Be realistic, though — most of the big rides enforce a minimum height, and an adult who comes along without riding still needs a Flex Pass at about £18, which buys park entry, the shows and the food outlets but no rides at all. Halal food inside the park is not something to count on, and there is no dedicated prayer room, so plan for both; Blackpool's central mosque is a short drive from the gate. The season runs from March to the end of November, with midweek closures outside the school holidays and weekends only once November arrives. Gates open at 10:00 or 11:00 depending on the date and usually close at 17:00, stretching to 21:00 on Halloween and fireworks nights. Book the wristband online before 06:00 on the day you visit: the gap between the £30 to £35 advance rate and the higher price charged at the gate is worth two minutes of your time. In peak school holidays the queues are long — ride the two big coasters in the first hour and leave the rest for the afternoon. The tram stops directly outside, and it is about a half-hour walk along the promenade from Blackpool Tower.