Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Pleasure Beach Blackpool

Previously known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Location	Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Opened	August 1896
Owner	Thompson family
General manager	Amanda Thompson
Slogan	Britain's Biggest Tourist Attraction
Operating season	February-November
Area	42 acres
Attractions
Roller coasters	10
Website	www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com

Pleasure Beach Blackpool is a family owned amusement park situated along the Fylde coast in Blackpool, England. It is the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom, exceeding more than six million visitors a year. The park is a privately funded business and is owned, managed and directed by the Thompson family. It was formerly known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

History of the Pleasure Beach

The initial park was founded in 1896 by William George Bean, the son of a Chelsea river pilot, who said his intent was to create "an American Style Amusement Park, the fundamental principle of which is to make adults feel like children again and to inspire gaiety of a primarily innocent character." After failing to become an advertising man on New York's Madison Avenue, Bean returned to the UK in 1896 and having experienced the Coney Island funfair decided to open his own small business in Great Yarmouth, consisting of numerous small merry-go-rounds and a pedal-bike monorail called Hotchkiss's Patent Bicycle Railroad. Business in Bean's funfair was tight, and shortly afterward Bean dismantled the property and moved to Blackpool which was at the time (and remains to this day as) the busiest and most popular seaside resort in the United Kingdom. In 1903 Bean along with businessman John Outhwaite purchased 30 acres of land known as the "Watson Estate" to be rented out by various trade stalls and traditional fairground rides. After months of success, the park started to seal itself as a major attraction outside of the United States. In 1905 the name Blackpool Pleasure Beach was discovered and advertised. In 1910, pleasurebeachltd was founded by Bean and Outhwaite, and to this day remains the name of the company to which the Thompson family uses to manage the park. Outhwaire died in 1911, leaving the initial business to Bean, however the Outhwaite family still had ownership in shares of the park. Further investment started to build up the park. The Casino opened in 1913 at a cost of £13,352. The Whip, Virginia Reel, Noah's Ark, Big Dipper (£25,000) and Dodgems were also opened.

In 1923 land was reclaimed from the sea front. It was at this period that the park moved to its 44 acre current location above what became Watson Road, which was built under the Pleasure Beach in 1932. The park was permanently stationed as an amusement park for Blackpool in return for advertising on the tram service revenues. In 1929 Bean died suddenly of pneumonia leaving the park to his daughter, Lillian 'Doris' Bean, who had previously married a young businessman, Leonard Thompson in 1928. Thompson was an Oxford natural sciences graduate who after Bean's death immediately took over the Pleasure Beach with his wife. The park became in full control of the Thompson family after the remaining Outhwaite family sold their share of the park. Leonard Thompson became the managing director and Lillian Dorris (who later became known as Mrs L.D Thompson, OBE respectively) became a secondary manager and director. The couple had a son named Geoffrey.

In their reign, the couple rendered the opening of the newly structured Big Dipper ride as it stands today. In 1936, Charles Paige and Joseph Emberton re-built the Big Dipper, and later Paige designed the Grand National Roller coaster. Emberton also rebuilt the Pretzel ride which would become the Ghost Train. Tragically in 1976 Leonard Thompson died unexpectedly and six months later the company secretary also died suddenly, leaving Doris Thompson commercially in charge of the whole business. Appointed chairman, she gave the role of managing director to her eldest son, Geoffrey. He had previously administered the New Era Laundries in London before returning to the Pleasure Beach as head of catering at the Casino Building. He married his wife, Barbabra, shortly afterwards and they had three children, Amanda, Nicholas and Fiona. After Leonard's death, Geoffrey and his mother steadily extended the Pleasure Beach business, opening both Pleasureland Southport and Frontierland, Morecambe (then known as Morecambe Pleasure Park) and invested into a food-and-ride trade at the Pleasure Beach. He saw the opening of the Steeplechase, Avalanche, Revolution, (now Irn-Bru Revolution) Space Invader, (now Space Invader 2) Rollercoaster, (previously the Velvet Coaster) Pepsi Max Big One, Playstation: The Ride! (now Tango Ice Blast: The Ride) and Valhalla. He also became a world wide figure in the industry and inspired many other showmen and theme park owners to expand their businesses by taking risks and building a higher quality range of roller coasters throughout Europe and the United States. His daughter Amanda showcased the park by expanding her theatrics company, 'Stageworks Worldwide Prodictions' to be situated primarily at the Pleasure Beach. Stageworks created almost all of the shows which would become a famous trademark within Pleasure Beach, including the world-famous Hot Ice dancing extravaganza which showed as a matinee and evening show in the Pleasure Beach arena until the 2009 season. Geoffrey Thompson died on 12 June 2004 immediately passing the role of Managing Director (of Pleasure Beach and Pleasureland) to his eldest daughter, Amanda. Nicholas became the Deputy Managing Director and Fiona became a fundamental architect (she has been praised over her work on both the Pepsi Max Big One's station and the Infusion station.) Nine days later, on 23 June 2004, Mrs L.D Thompson, OBE died leaving the entire business to Amanda (who is the current managing director) and Nicholas who remains as the deputy managing director.

Managing Directors

Name	Year(s)
John Outhwaite	1896 - 1911
William G. Bean	1896 - 1929
Leonard Thompson	1929 – 1976
Doris Thompson	1929 - 2004
Geoffrey Thompson	1976 – 2004
Amanda Thompson	2004 - present

The current park

When opened on 28 May 1994 The Pepsi Max Big One was the tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster in the world.

Pleasure Beach, Blackpool is situated along the South Shore area of Blackpool along the Fylde coast, adjacent to the promenade, opposite South Pier along Ocean Boulevard and directly above Watson road. The main entrance is to the front of the initial park and approximatley 38 metres from the Pleasure Beach Casino. The ticket sales is opposite the entrance (below the Noah's Ark attraction) and is adjacent to the Globe Theatre. The main car park is to the left side of the White Tower restaurant, behind Valhalla and to the right of the Grand National station. The additional coach park is to the back of the park adjacent to the trim break section of the Pepsi Max Big One and in front of Rollercoaster. Numerous self catering kiosks are situated near to the entrance of the park. The entrance plaza is directly behind the Casino building and is themed to correspond with the Noah's Ark ride which site on top of the structure. The park is lined with tall metal gates that connect to the entrance building and the main gift shop, underneath the Noah's Ark ride. The staff entrance is towards the back of the park, behind the Grand National.

The park is currently home to over 125 rides and attractions, including twelve roller coasters, of which five are wooden - the Grand National, Big Dipper, Rollercoaster, Wild Mouse and Zipper Dipper. The newest roller coaster is Infusion which was opened in 2007. Over the years numerous records have been broken on the roller coasters and rides within the park. When it opened in 1994, Pepsi Max Big One was the tallest, fastest and steepest roller coaster of any park in the world. It was also substantially one of the longest, measuring 5,497 feet long. Currently, the ride holds the crown as the tallest in the UK, measuring 213 ft, (235 ft above sea level.) and features a drop of 205 ft. The Pleasure Beach is one of the few parks left in the world to operate a traditional wooden Wild Mouse coaster. The ride was built entirely in house, post-World War II and is still in complete working order. It was also the first park in Europe to introduce a full inverting steel coaster, Irn-Bru Revolution, and the first to install a Space Shot ride, Tango Ice Blast which was manufactured by S&S Sports Of Utah. The park went on to launch Valhalla, which was designed by Sarner, a UK based theme park design company. Valhalla is sponsored by the Daily Star and remains prominently the 'biggest and most spectacular dark ride in the world.' Later the Pleasure Beach opened Bling, a Zierer Star Shape spin ride of which only two are operated in the world. The latest record is taken by Infusion which is the world's first suspended looping coaster entirely over water. The park has a wide variety of modern and classic-age rides and operates a separate children-themed section called 'Beaver Creek' towards the back of the park near the entrance of the 'Space Invader 2' roller coaster. This section of the park includes numerous small attractions suitably aimed at younger children. This corresponds with the parks mascots, Bradley and Bella Beaver who roam the park on a daily basis entertaining the younger visitors.

The park has numerous food stalls, restaurants and cafés including the 'Italian Job' Italian themed restaurant (situated next to the Tom Sawyer bridge, adjacent to the Big Dipper station) and the UK's largest Burger King chain restaurant, with two levels. It also owns the 'White Tower Restaurant' a tall white building near the front of the park which is used and is hired for private parties.

Hot Ice and Forbidden

Hot Ice is a skating extravaganza show which was created by Stageworks Worldwide Productions, a Blackpool and West End based company owned by Amanda Thompson, the managing director of Pleasure Beach. The show has been running for many years and stars Olympic ice skaters and dancers. The show is performed in an auditorium in the Arena, a large skating rink in the centre of the park. The Arena is also open to the public when matinee performances of Hot Ice are not featured. Forbidden, shown in the Globe theatre at the entrance of the park is a variety show featuring a range of Circus Type acts,Dancers and amazing special effects. Both Hot Ice and Forbidden are currently not showing. The Globe Theater is currently used to house the 'Big One Talent Show' and the Arena is used as a public skating rink. It is unknown whether Hot Ice and/or Forbidden will return.

The Big Blue Hotel

The Big Blue Hotel is a Four star family hotel, owned by Pleasure Beach Blackpool and is situated within the outskirts of the park, near the now disused south entrance behind the Pepsi Max Big One and adjacent to Blackpool Pleasure Beach railway station. The hotel opened in Spring 2003. It is currently the highest awarded hotel in the North West of England.

Awards and Achievements

In September 2007, the Pleasure Beach was judged joint fifth best amusement park in the world (with Disneyland in California, United States) in the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards – the self-proclaimed Oscars of the amusement industry. Pleasure Beach was the only British park to feature in any category. Pleasure Beach was also the highest ranked European park in the awards and was voted second best seaside park in the world. It is currently named as the UK's largest and most popular tourist attraction by the British Tourist Board exceeding 6 million visitors a year. The Grand National roller coaster made the universal list of Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters at number 28 and the Pepsi Max Big One was in the Top 50 Steel section at 44 and came in at 9 in the Top Ten Coasters poll shown on Sky Travel. Previous general manager Jim Rowland received an honorship for his commitment to the Lancashire tourism industry and on behalf of Pleasure Beach. Doris Thompson received a number of awards for her commitment to the park. She also had a rose named after her, the "Lillian Dorris".

Rides at Pleasure Beach, Blackpool.

Visitor numbers

In 2007, Pleasure Beach was ranked as the 14th most popular theme park in the world with 5.5 million visitors. It was the only UK amusement park to make it onto the Top 25 Parks in the World list. Visitor numbers slumped in 2008. Amanda Thompson believed the failure in numbers was due to 'poor weather conditions in Blackpool and commercial changes.' The park remains as the most popular tourist attraction in the UK on numbers alone.

Television series

In 1997 the Pleasure Beach featured in a 6 part BBC documentary, which followed the day to day running of the park. It was mainly focused on the rides and the park managers, Jim Rowland and Keith Allen. The film crews also spoke to Geoffrey Thompson and Amanda Thompson, the director and producer of Stageworks Worldwide Productions (which directs, produces and choreographs the shows within the park.) The park managers had many problems during the time of filming such as the break down of rides (incluing an accident involving the Avalanche ride where a young boy sustained minor injuries after a malfunction in the brakes caused him to obtain bruised ribs), a bomb scare during one of the most profitable days of the year, the opening of Ice Blast, a wedding on the Pepsi Max Big One and celebrations for the busiest day in the history of the company, where the park made an estimate of over £500,000 in a single day.

Criticism

The park was criticized over its decision to introduce a charge for the 2009 season by the "Stop The Charge" protest group, headed by protestor Stuart McNeil who set up pages on MySpace and Facebook as well as canvasing outside the park gates informing people of the charges. On 13 February 2009 the group presented a petition to the Pleasure Beach with a claimed 19,823 signatures of local residents and tourists, calling for the walk on charge to be scrapped.

The park has also been criticized for its picnic ban rules whereby items were removed from visitors before they entered the park by security guards. This saw families turning away at the gate. Pleasure Beach still imposes this ban and although picnic items are not removed from visitors on the gates they are not allowed into the park to be consumed. In 2008 the park announced "Saver Weekends" whereby every admission was charged at a reduced price of £20, with under one metre entrants being an exception. This move was negatively received by some parents who claimed it was unfair to pay the full asking price if they had not personally expected to use the rides and attractions.

Job cuts have also sparked negative speculation, whilst the cancelling of Hot Ice and the closure of the White Tower restaurant as well as other rides has caused concern.

Admission

Unlimited Ride Wristbands

Most commonly used is the 'Unlimited Ride Wristband' option, whereby wristbands with a printed barcode on are sold at costs between £20-£30 depending on the time of year and promotional season. This code must be scanned by a computer which unlocks the turnstile at each ride platform. The design technique means that riders are unable to access the ride unless having first scanned their specially printed day-code. At the end of each day the computer on each turnstile calculates how many admittances have used the ride during the day. Each day a new code is printed on the wristband, meaning wristbands from previous days are now invalid. A warning section is printed on each wristband, telling guests that removing the wristband or peeling the barcoded sticker will deem the band void and invalid. Unlimited Ride Wristbands allow access to both the interior park and the children's-themed area of the park Beaver Creek.

Junior Wristband

At a cost of £20 younger guests may access the park with a special junior wristband which allows entry to both the Beaver Creek children's park and the interior park. Access to larger rides is permitted but must be afflicted with the general safety/height restrictions.

Pleasure Beach Freedom Pass

From 2009 Blackpool Pleasure Beach was no longer accessible to the public without holding a ticket first. Guests are now required to pay £5 for a Freedom Pass (which can be purchased in the new Ticket Sales building opposite the main entrance), unless they have first purchased an Adult or Junior wristband. Once the guest has purchased a Freedom Pass they are entitled to upgrade to any wristband type or purchase Ride Tickets once inside the park. The Freedom Pass allows access to the park and to selected attractions within the park area covering Water Dance Show, Chinese Puzzle maze, Pleasure Beach Express, as well as the South Beach Musical stage show at Planet Rock. The pass system was also trialed at the former sister park Pleasureland, Southport, but proved to be unsuccessful, and is thought to be the start of the demise of the park.

Attractions

Roller Coasters

Name	Opened	Brief Description
Avalanche	1988	A bobsled rollercoaster.
Big Dipper	1923	A traditional wooden rollercoaster and a classic amongst coaster enthusiasts. Extended in 1936. Currently SBNO
Grand National	1934	A wooden racing roller coaster. A classic among coaster enthusiasts.
Infusion	2007	A Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster and the first of its kind in the world to be built completely over water. (Formerly operated at Pleasureland Southport as the "Traumatizer" until 2006.)
Irn Bru Revolution	1979	Opened as the first modern looping coaster in the UK. An Arrow Dynamics shuttle coaster with an inversion. Has a unique cantilevered support structure.
Pepsi Max Big One	1994	An Arrow Dynamics hyper coaster with a highest point of 235 ft above sea level or 213 ft above the ground. It reaches speeds of up to 74mph.
Rollercoaster	1933	An out and back wooden rollercoaster aimed at the younger generation.
Steeplechase	1977	A three-tracked racing steel roller coaster and the last of its kind in existence.
Wild Mouse	1958	One of only three operating wooden wild mouse roller coaster's in the world.
Zipper Dipper	1934	A children’s wooden coaster composed of bunny hills and a tunnel. Located in Beaver Creek.

Other Thrill Rides

Name	Opened	Brief Description
Bling	2004	A "Star Shape" ride made by German company Zierer, one of only three in the world.
Ice Blast: The Ride	1997	An S&S Power Space Shot which stands at 210 ft above sea level.

Water Rides

Name	Opened	Brief Description
Beaver Creek Log Chute		A one lift hill Log Flume
River Caves	1905	Boat based dark ride, visiting displays of "around the world".
Swamp Buggies		Water buggy rides.
Valhalla	2000	Themed Viking dark flume ride, laden with special effects.

General Rides

A view over the park, taken from the lift hill of the Pepsi Max

The Valhalla ride, which is themed around a mythical place from Norse mythology

Statues inside the Chinese Puzzle Maze. The rollercoaster track passing over it is from the Pepsi Max

• Adventure Golf - New in 2008
• Alice's Wonderland - Children's dark ride featuring scenes from both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. The cars are big Cheshire cats. It was damaged by the fire that destroyed the Grand National station on 20 May 2004.
• Derby Racer - One of only three in the world, the ride is essentially a large carousel of 56 horses in four rows, the outside row being the fastest.
• Dodgems - Bumper cars
• Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machines - The oldest attraction in the park, opened in 1904.
• Gallopers (carousel) - Ornate traditional English carousel.
• Gold Mine - A dark ride featuring scenes of a gold mine theme.
• Go-karts
• Ghost Train - A Dark ride. This ghost train was the first in the world and is where the ride name "Ghost Train" originates.It was named and built in 1930 by Mr Emberton.
• Grand Prix - Diesel Powered automobile ride.
• Impossible - (Previously 1001 Troubles and The Haunted Swing) - a mirror maze, followed by displays of optical illusions, and a haunted swing ride.
• Monorail - Travels around the park and through the back of Valhalla. Has three trains, covered/semi covered/open.
• Super Bowl - A large dodgems/bumper car attraction.
• Veteran Carousel - A classic carousel ride.

Beaver Creek Rides

• Beaver Creek Log Chute - A one lift hill Log Flume (Also Known as Beaver Creek the ride)
• Chinese Puzzle Maze - a small maze.
• Convoy Ride - All trucks are painted in Eddie Stobart colours including names.
• Helicopters - Children's helicopter spinning ride.
• Lunar Carousel - A space-themed carousel.
• Magic Mountain - Children's Dark ride
• Mini Dodgems - Pint-sized children's bumper cars.
• Mini Scooters
• Pirate Ride
• Pleasure Beach Express - A miniature railway.
• Tetley Teacup Ride - Children's Teacup/Waltzer ride
• Thor's Turnpike - A children's automobile track ride.
• Top Rallye - £1 Operate Go kart ride in former site of Ellies caterpillar

SBNO (Standing But Not Operating)

Re-opening in 2010

• Noah's Ark - This ride hasn't re-opened as of 2009.
• Trauma Towers - This ride hasn't re-opened as of 2009.

SBNO Without Change

• Space Invader 2 - The ride has been closed due to Health & Safety, following the evacuation last summer. It hasn't reopened since. likely to be removed.
• Alpine Golf - This attraction hasn't re-opened as of 2009.

Former rides

• Big Apple(Junior metal rollercoaster) - Opened 2003, closed 2004.
• Cyclone - Opened 1974, closed 1987. Single car trains.
• Log Flume - Opened 1967, closed 3 September 2006. On the day the ride closed, the 24 log flume boats were sold off to the public at £25 each.
• Scenic Railway - Opened 1906, closed 1933. Standard train ride.
• Tokaydo Express - Opened 1980, closed 1997.
• Velvet Coaster - Opened 1909, closed 1932. Components of this ride were re-used in the construction of the Rollercoaster.
• Vikingar - Originally purchased from Belle Vue Zoo when its funfair closed in 1977. Opened 1979 (as Water Chute), renamed Vikingar 1997, closed 2003. Metal water chute.
• Virginia Reel - Opened 1922, closed 1982. A spinning coaster.
• Space Tower - Closed in 1993 and moved to the now-defunct sister park Frontierland in Morecambe where it still stands, but does not operate. Stood at 160 ft tall.
• Fun House - Destroyed by fire in November 1991.
• Tom Sawyer Raft Ride - Removed in the early 1990s due to construction of the Pepsi Max Big One.
• The Monster - Removed in 1996 and later replaced with the Ice Blast, which was then known as PlayStation: The Ride. An Eyerly Monster ride.
• The Whip - Closed in 2004 and removed in September 2008 for relocation to Dreamland, Margate.
• Tidal Wave - Opened 1980, closed mid 1990s. A large swinging ship relocated to Pleasureland, Southport.
• Cableway - Operated between 1960 and 2000 and taken down due to high wind speeds. Made by Von Roll.
• Spin Doctor - Taken down in December 2006.
• Alpine Dodgems - Taken down early 2007. Standard bumper car attraction.
• Black Hole - Removed 2005 to make way for 4D cinema. A Waltzer ride in an enclosed dome.
• Turtle Chase - Removed 2005 due to construction of Infusion. Now a clear area.
• Millennium Bug - Replaced by simulator when it moved to the now defunct Pleasureland, Southport.
• 4D Cinema - 2006-2007, removed for a new show in the 2008 season.
• Ellies Caterpillar - Closed 2008, was located in Beaver Creek.
• Motor Boat ride - Closed 2008, was located in Beaver Creek.
• Griffins Magic Dragons - Closed 2008, was located in Beaver Creek , Removed in June 2009 for relocation to Dreamland, Margate
• Circus rollercoaster - Closed 2008, was located in Beaver Creek , In 2009 the ride relocated to New Pleasureland, Southport.
• Space Invader 2 - Closed in 2008. Originally called Space Invader. A rollercoaster in the dark.

There are literally dozens of rides (maybe even hundreds) that have come and gone from the Pleasure Beach over its history - particularly in its early days, and during the 1960s-1970s, when many temporary rides were operated as concessions by third-parties.

Other attractions

A large Pleasure Beach sign just outside the park, at night.

• Pasaje Del Terror - Opened in 1998. Interactive horror attraction within the Casino.
• Horror Crypt
• Bowl-a-Drome
• Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
• Pleasure Beach Arena (Ice rink) skating year round. It is only closed 2–5 days a year
• Arcades and Midway Sideshows
• Gallery @ The Globe

Shows

• Burlesque Revealed- Saturdays in August 2009.
• Hot Ice - At the Pleasure Beach Arena. Hot Ice celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2007.
• Hot Ice (The Mix) - A new show in 2007, also at the Pleasure Beach Arena.
• Forbidden - At the Globe Theatre.
• South Beach Musical - At Planet Rock

Accommodation, restaurants and cafes

Pleasure Beach has over 35 restaurants and cafes, as well as a pub and a hotel, the Big Blue Hotel.

Cafes and restaurants

• Bradley Beaver Catering Co. - located in Beaver Creek. Serves a wide range of snacks and meals.
• Cafe Boulevard - Located on Ocean Boulevard. Includes snacks and ice-cream. Licensed restaurant
• Casino Bar restaurant - A small bar
• Coasters - An American style diner. Vintage waltzer, roller coaster and dodgem carriages used as seating.
• The Fish Inn - A seafood restaurant situated in the Casino at the entrance to Pleasure Beach.
• The Horseshoe - Serves a variety of different meals.
• Ice Lounge - Serves ice cream, desserts, and hot and cold drinks.
• Italian Job restaurant - Centrally located licensed restaurant.
• Magnolia Cafe - A family themed cafe bar serving a selection of Southern Fried Chicken dishes.
• Mr Fu's Sailing Junk restaurant - Located on Ocean Boulevard. Chinese food.
• Pizza Hut - Opened 1986. Located on Ocean Boulevard.
• Rib Shack - Located in the Bowladrome, a fun sports arcade. Serves hickory smoked char grilled ribs, fries and a selection of burgers. It can also be hired for private parties.
• Southern Fried Chicken - Family themed cafe bar.
• White Tower Restaurant - Award-winning penthouse restaurant with panoramic ocean views, stylish and romantic atmosphere, often favoured by celebrities. Art deco design. The largest restaurant in the park.

Pub and hotel

• The Star - A traditional family pub. Home to Pleasure Beach's brand new pop bands. The pub also has a late license.
• Big Blue Hotel - 157 bedrooms with sea views and an award winning restaurant.

Fast food

• Alpine Fast Food - A row of kiosks selling ice cream, doughnuts and hot dogs
• Burger King - The second largest Burger King in the UK. Located at the south end of the park under the Pepsi Max Big One.
• Dipper Dogs - Hot dogs and soft drinks.
• Embertons Sandwich Bar - serves sandwiches, homemade soup, cookies. Eat inside, on the patio or takeaway.
• Globe Cafe Bar - Fully licensed cafe bar.
• King Cotton Family Restaurant & Bar - A traditional English family pub in cotton mill surroundings with bar meals and snacks served.
• Promenade Fun Food - Traditional fish & chip, also serves ice cream and donuts.
• Thor's Plaice & Chips - Fun fish and chips in a Viking longship, situated adjacent to Valhalla.
• Willie Wurst German Sausages - Large selection of German sausages.

There are various other candy floss, donut, hot and cold soft drinks, and seafood stalls situated throughout the park.

Opening times

For 2009, Pleasure Beach, Blackpool opens on 14 February for "Fun Weekends". Opening times are 10:30am – 6:00pm, however times are likely to depend on trade and weather conditions. All rides will be in operation for these weekend openings. The park opens daily from Easter until October when the park closes for the season, when the "Winter Weekend" off-peak applies whereby a small section of the park remains open to the public up until Christmas.

Damages

In November 1991, the Fun House attraction was destroyed by a fire, the Valhalla would be built in its place. On 20 May 2004 the Grand National’s station was destroyed by a fire that also damaged Alice’s Wonderland and Trauma Towers. The Grand National was repaired and re-opened five months later on 28 October 2004. Not long after, a large restaurant caught fire, the restaurant was almost completely destroyed leaving only the shell of the building. The building was demolished and replaced with the Big One Stage.

Club Pleasure Beach

The Pleasure Beach has its own enthusiast club, Club Pleasure Beach. It is run as a non profit organisation and was formed in 1992 by the park as an initiative to sell advance boarding tickets for the Pepsi Max Big One, but has since evolved to become an organisation for Pleasure Beach enthusiasts.

Event Timeline

1967

• The Log Flume opened to the public, when it was the longest Log Flume in the world.

1976

• Geoffrey Thompson became Managing Director.

1977

• The Steeplechase opened to the public.

1979

• Irn Bru Revolution, Europe's first looping coaster opens.
• The Water Chute was moved from the defunct Belle Vue park in Manchester to the Pleasure Beach.

1980

• Tokaydo Express opened to the public.

1982

• Virginia Reel was closed and demolished.

1984

• Space Invader opened to the public. It was opened by Doctor Who actor, Colin Baker.

1987

• Cyclone closed and was moved to Pleasure Beach's sister park, Morecambe Frontierland.

1988

• Avalanche opened to the public.

1990

• Ocean Boulevard, a parade of buildings, restaurants, and shops opened along the promenade in front of the park.

1991

• The Fun House was destroyed by a fire.
• The Grand National station was rebuilt.

1994

• The Pepsi Max Big One opened to the public at a cost of £12 million.

1997

• Ice Blast opened to the public at a cost of £2 million, under its original name Playstation: The Ride.

1999

• The Haunted Hotel attraction re-opened to the public after a major renovation, and inclusion of the old Tageda ride, and was became known as Trauma Towers.

2000

• Valhalla opened to the public at a cost of £15 million.The world's most expensive water ride.
• The Cableway closed to the public after 40 years of service.

2002

• The Haunted Swing and 1001 Troubles attractions combine and became the new attraction, Impossible.
• Eddie Stobart Convoy opened to the public.
• Spin Doctor opened to the public costing £2 million.

2003

• The Big Blue Hotel opened to the public.

2004

• Bling opened to the public at a cost of £2 million.
• The Space Invader attractions was revamped and renamed Space Invader 2.

2005

• Black Hole (Waltzer) removed from the park.

2006

• Log Flume was closed to the public and removed from the park.
• Spin Doctor closed to the public and removed from the park.
• Turtle Chase was removed from the park.
• 4D Cinema opened to the public.

2007

• Infusion opened to the public.
• 4D Cinema closed to the public and was removed.

2008

• The Whip was removed from the park.
• The Planet Rock Show venue opened to the public replacing the 4D Cinema.
• Adventure Golf opened at Flagstaff Gardens.
• Space Invader 2 was closed and became SBNO (standing but not operating)

2009

• Hot Ice was cancelled for the season due to extensive renovation on the Ice Drome.
• Opening of a brand new dancing water feature which attracted many customers.
• White Tower Restaurant/Fish Inn were closed after 30 years, and The Grill opened after Easter.
• Ellies caterpillar, griffins magic dragons, motor boat ride, alpine golf, clown rollercoaster were removed from Beaver Creek.
• A new ticket sales area created including an information point.

See also

• Incidents at European parks
• Pleasureland Southport
• Frontierland, Morecambe

External links

• Blackpool Pleasure Beach - official site
• Club Pleasure Beach website