Alton Towers Resort has today unveiled details of a number of events taking place as part of their milestone 40th anniversary season. TowersTimes round up all the details revealed so far.
Getting the new theme park season underway on 21st March will be the opening of the Resort’s latest addition Gangsta Granny: The Ride and new area The World of David Walliams. Gangsta Granny: The Ride is the Resort’s first new dark ride since Nemesis Sub-Terra opened in 2012, and will take guests on a journey through the story of Gangsta Granny aboard an 8-seater track-based Royal Carriage built by Garmendale. Additionally, the new area will include the retheme of Frog Hopper to Raj’s Bouncy Bottom Burp and Gallopers Carousel to Royal Carousel.
On 4th April, the Resort will celebrate 40 years since opening Corkscrew, which also marked the site’s transformation from a country estate attraction into a theme park. Unique opportunities and offers are promised, which will be revealed in the coming weeks.
The early May bank holiday will see the CBeebies Land Birthday Party, where little guests can join all their favourite CBeebies characters for a celebration including fun-packed activities and a unique special live performance.
During the May half-term (23rd – 31st May) the Resort will welcome the Half Term Heist, a week of Gangsta Granny themed activities, challenges and competitions. More details will be revealed nearer the time.
A Summer of Thrills awaits the summer holidays, with the Resort promising the most thrilliant summer of all time, celebrating the theme park’s world-beating thrill rides, both past and present.
Selected weekends in September and October will see a brand new event for the Resort, Alton Towers Oktoberfest. The event promises themed entertainment and delicious food all wrapped up in a cheerful atmosphere with a German twist. Additionally, a number of rides will be open for late night rides, offering additional opportunities for night riding at the Resort. Oktoberfest will run on 18th-20th, 25th-27th September and 2nd-4th October.
Scarefest will return on selected dates during October, and will be offering guests the opportunity to experience the Resort’s historic gardens in a whole new light, alongside the usual spooktacular mix of award winning scare mazes, family entertainment and rides in the dark. With Ultimate Fireworks taking place 6th-8th November, Santa’s Sleepover in December and finally the New Year’s Eve Ball.
As part of the 40th anniversary celebrations, Alton Towers Resort is also inviting guests to share their memories as well as offering “Model my Map” which allows guests to produce their own Alton Towers Map based on answering questions about which of Alton Towers’ attractions they most adore, or would dream to see added to the theme park. Guests can share their memories of the resort here, with the Resort looking for stories, photos, videos, blogs or anything bespoke people have created that show their love and celebration for the Resort.
Also confirmed today are details of the Early Ride Time line up for the 2020 season. Starting at 9:30am for Merlin Annual Pass and Resort hotel guests, the ride line-up remains consistent with last year, including Wicker Man, Oblivion, Enterprise and a selection of CBeebies Land rides.
Discussing the 40th anniversary of the Corkscrew and the Resort’s transformation into a theme park, legendary attraction designer John Wardley said:
The Corkscrew kick-started a revolution in the industry. No longer was Alton Towers a “funfair in the woods”. Large, permanent installations started to be developed, requiring major capital investment. And these could have a veneer of theatricality applied to them…theming! Hence Alton Towers became a Theme Park. And the rest is history, all thanks to the Corkscrew.
What are your thoughts on the 40th anniversary line up at Alton Towers Resort? Are you excited for this year’s range of events? Make sure you share your thoughts on the Attraction Source Forum.
