Alton Towers Resort has this week begun to welcome guests back for the first time in 2021, with its Gardens open for local families to enjoy, providing a first look at some of the changes and new additions to the theme park for this year.
The first developments are on Towers Street, with the Resort recently providing a preview of these in a Towers Loving Care update. Guest Services has moved back to No. 1 Towers Street to provide a dedicated location for enquiries relating to accessibility, guest feedback, lost property, and Ride Access Pass. The Resort Box Office remains at the bottom of Towers Street where guests can purchase items such as Fastrack, admission to The Alton Towers Dungeon, and car park tickets.
The Box Office will also be where the PomVom photography team will be based, following the company’s acquisition of Picsolve last year. New facial recognition technology is being rolled-out this season that will allow a photo gallery, accessed via guests’ smartphones, to be updated with ride photos in realtime.
The rest of Towers Street has also been repainted and there are new graphics on the windows of the buildings. The iconic Frog Fountains have also beens restored over the closed season, with a new lighting package installed that is sure to be enjoyed during the theme park’s later openings. A new ‘Chocolate & Waffles’ unit has been added towards the bottom of Towers Street, and looks set to provide plenty of tasty treats to guests.
On the Front Lawns, a large stage has been set up, along with plenty of seating in the form of the picnic benches used last year. It seems likely that this stage will be utilised throughout the season, following the announcement of this year’s line-up of events, including a new Mardi Gras event running 22nd May – 20th June, as well as the return of Oktoberfest and Scarefest in September and October. This stage has started to be populated with props and set pieces, suggesting it could be used initially for a theatrical show. With a steampunk-esque theme that would be befitting of Sir Algenon, could the inventor-explorer be set to return in a new show?
Although only a limited section of the theme park is currently open, in order to provide access to the Gardens, it is possible to see the refurbishment work that has taken place on Battle Galleons. Elements have been repainted or fully refurbished, to have this attraction looking fresh for the new season.
Over in the Gardens, a Garden Centre has opened in the Grand Conservatory, understood to be available whilst just the Gardens are open. On sale is a variety of products, including fauna inspired by what can be found in the Grounds. It is lovely to see this historic feature in use, and we hope that the Resort explores other uses for the building throughout the year.
The Alton Towers Gardens are currently open every day through to Sunday 11th April from 10am – 4pm, with last entry at 2pm. Admission is £12 for adults, £5 for children aged 3-11, and free for Merlin Annual Passholders and Alton Towers Season Passholders, with all guests required to pre-book their tickets. The Theme Park is then set to reopen from Monday 12th April, with indoor attractions including Gangsta Granny: The Ride expected to open from Monday 17th May.
Are you looking forward to visiting Alton Towers Resort in 2021? Have your say over on the Attraction Source Forum, and stay tuned to TowersTimes for updates throughout the season.
