This past weekend saw Alton Towers Resort open for the 2022 Christmas season, once again lighting up guests’ Christmas with Lightopia, along with a Christmas Market and a range of selected theme park attractions to enjoy. TowersTimes visited over the weekend to experience this year’s festivities.
Guests arrive into the theme park on a festively decorated Towers Street. There are once again Christmas trees aplenty, along with candy canes and Christmas presents. The large Lightopia sign which featured last year has however not returned, likely due to it reflecting the Seasonal Wonderland theme of 2021’s trail which has been refreshed for 2022.
The bottom of Towers Street is the location of a number of Christmas Market stalls, although at a reduced number compared to 2021. These feature a number of independent vendors selling all sorts of gifts and crafts suitable for the occasion. Located on the specially constructed Towers Street bandstand, as well as roaming more widely around the area, is a small variety of entertainment. This includes Hot Dog Brass Band, Twisted Balloons, Old Time Rags Travelling Show and Jolly Juggler. Although the main stage was relocated to Fountain Square last year, as required to enable its use during the winter season under the planning permission granted, this year it remains in-situ on the Front Lawns and out of use as a result. It did appear that footfall was limited around Fountain Square last year, partly due to it being an area only accessible to those with theme park tickets (or staying for a Santa’s Sleepover / Festive Break), so this may be the reason why it has not returned.
Official merchandise for the Resort’s Christmas event is on sale in Towers Trading Co, including magnets, pin badges, candles and Christmas jumpers.
It wouldn’t be a Christmas event without plenty of indulgent food and beverage offerings. Guests can purchase a whole host of delicious snacks, refreshments and more substantial meals, ranging from Yorkshire Pudding Wraps to a festive tipple from the Wunder Bar. Compared to last year a slightly reduced range of the theme park’s permanent food and beverage outlets are open, including Corner Coffee, Eastern Express, Little Explorers Lunchbox and Woodcutter’s Bar & Grill, but not the ever-elusive Towers Street Bar & Grill. This may relate to the transition over to Aramark that is taking place this closed season.
The ticket options for this year’s event have been simplified compared to 2021. Like last year, all guests are required to pay the standard £6 car parking charge per vehicle, and entry to the Christmas Market is free for all guests, but should be pre-booked. Tickets to also experience Lightopia are £15pp or £20pp depending on the date visit, while tickets to also experience both Lightopia and the selected rides and attractions on offer are £30pp or £35pp. Passholders gain free entry to rides and Christmas Market, and can book Lightopia for £15pp throughout the event. There are separate queues at the turnstiles depending upon what ticket guests purchase, with those who have bought a Festive Day Out ticket given a wristband to permit access into the rest of the theme park from staff-manned entrances on either side of Towers Street.
The line-up of attractions is similar to last year, featuring Spinball Whizzer, The World of David Walliams, Mutiny Bay, selected rides in CBeebies Land, and Hex – The Legend of the Towers. With the next few years due to see the return or addition of further indoor attractions, with the overhaul of Duel planned for 2023 and Project Horizon on the cards for 2025, it certainly seems plausible that the Resort’s winter events could see an expanded offering of attractions! It would also be great to see the Resort feature at least one of its major rollercoasters in the line-up to give the more thrill-seeking guests a reason to visit.
Having been well-received in 2021, it is of course great to see Lightopia make a return this year with its new ‘Christmas Wonder’ theme. Open from 4pm each day, the walkthrough provides an enchanting experience as guests encounter all-manner of illuminated installations along the route, which has also been reworked for 2022. A timeslot does not need to be selected for Lightopia this year, with guests able to visit at a time of their choosing. The walkthrough can be experienced at your own pace, and can therefore take over an hour to complete if you want to spend time taking in all of the elements.
The journey begins with guests entering through the new ‘gate of wonder’ in Mutiny Bay, before encountering a variety of both real and mystical animals along the pathway to Katanga Canyon. When guests reach Gloomy Wood, the lanterns take on a spookier theme, with the specially-created Freaky Five lanterns once again featuring. Along the Haunted Hollow pathway, guests pass through a number of illuminated tunnels, which can make for a great photo opportunity. The route then takes guests back through the gardens, where alongside the lanterns, use is also made of the garden features themselves, including the Garden Conservatory. Before guests leave the gardens, they can enjoy a magical light show which includes lasers. An interactive installation has also been added, where guests can play drums to illuminated coloured strips of lights that run up and around a tree. The final part of the route runs in front of the Towers themselves. As well as these being lit-up, a new and impressive large-scale Dragon lantern installation is located on the lawn out in front. The last element is then a water show finale. Although the water screen was working during our visit on Friday, the video projection was not. However, this had been rectified by the time we visited again on Sunday. This festive attraction is once again a beautiful addition to the theme park, and one which we hope will remain part of the event for years to come.
This season’s festivities are available on selected dates between 25th November – 2nd January, although the Towers Christmas Market will only be available up until 23rd December. The theme park, including its rides and the Christmas Market, is open 11am – 8pm, while Lightopia opens from 4pm.
Do you have a festive visit to the Resort planned? Let us know over on our social media channels.
