In the summer of 2006 all the fun of the sea-side arrived at Alton Towers for ‘The Great British Bucket and Spade’ event. The event ran from 22nd July to 3rd September on park with an extended preview for hotel guests from 1st July.
In a continuation of the weird and wonderful events of 2006, the park became home to Staffordshire’s first ever beach! The event was themed around the image of a typical 20th century British beach holiday, complete with stripy deck chairs and of course buckets and spades.
Children were able to build sand castles at the park’s beach or watch a traditional ‘Punch and Judy’ show, whilst adults could join in with the beach games or enjoy chilled drinks on the front lawn under the brilliant British summer sunshine. There was also a bandstand where music played out across the lake.
Due to the sun setting later in the summer, selected attractions such as Rita – Queen of Speed, Air and Nemesis remained open for extended periods during the long evenings. In addition to this there was also a competition to win a beach hut!
Back at the resort hotels, guests could enjoy their own private hotel beach, complete with Jazz band and outdoor dining in the evening. More entertainment was laid on for the children in the form of a family disco, face painting and balloon modelling, as well as interactive games!
There was even a new cinema lounge which showed classic family films and children’s cartoons as well as featuring the traditional ‘Pirate Bill Show’. If the family life was not your thing, then there was always the chance to relax in the ‘Adult Chill Zone’ in the comfort of bean bags!
