Since it was added to the Pleasure Beach line-up in 1994, the Big One has redefined the skyline of the amusement park in the North West of England. Until as recently as 2023, it was the UK’s tallest roller coaster.
The 235 feet high (71.5m) steel construction is still an impressive sight as you approach the park at the southern end of Blackpool’s famously long seaside promenade.
And whilst there are other family-run parks named Pleasure Beach in the UK, in Skegness and Great Yarmouth, Blackpool Pleasure Beach is the household name.
Founded in 1896, the rides and attractions were once on the beach. A reminder of this is provided to operations staff who step inside the mechanism of Sir Hiram Maxim’s Flying Machine.
Dating back to 1904, the oldest operating ride in the park still has sand beneath its base. The footpaths that guests walk on, and the road and promenade that separate the park from the beach, came later.
Aviktas, the UK's first Gyro Swing, swings 40 passengers up to 138 feet (42m) high at Pleasure BeachSince the start of the season, a new attraction has been beckoning Blackpool visitors towards the Pleasure Beach. Aviktas is quite the eye-catcher, and the ride experience is breathtaking.
Meanwhile, the park’s renowned ice skating spectacular is back for its 90th anniversary season.
Introducing Aviktas
Amanda Thompson, CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort
“Pleasure Beach has always had a reputation for going big and pushing boundaries – Aviktas is no exception,” says the resort’s CEO, Amanda Thompson OBE. “Its sheer size and presence speaks for itself. There is simply nothing like it in the UK.”
Later we’ll hear from Thompson about the two productions of Hot Ice for 2026, and also learn about the park’s new pay-as-you-go pricing experiment.
But first, Pleasure Beach operations director Andy Hygate brings us up to speed on Aviktas – the UK’s first giant Gyro Swing from Intamin.
The pendulum ride swings 40 passengers up to 138 feet (42m) high, to a maximum angle of 120 degrees. That’s almost twice the height of Maelstrom, a smaller Gyro Swing launched at England’s Drayton Manor Resort in 2002.
“It has this amazing moment of weightlessness when you’re at the top,” says Hygate.
Andy Hygate, director of operations at Pleasure Beach
“And because of the style of the restraints, you feel very free. When people get off, they’re either speechless, or amazed and want to go straight back on! That’s exactly what you want, because all those people will go home and tell their friends.”
For the Swiss ride manufacturer Intamin, Themics was brought in to bring the snakehead top head decoration onto the ride's structure.
This piece is hand-sculpted in the Philippines, includes the primary metal structure, and is situated 30m from the ground level. To withstand the harsh weather conditions, it was important that this piece is lightweight and can endure the seismic and wind loads reaching up to 150 km/h.
Even non-riders are enjoying Aviktas.
“You’ve got the Big One on one side, and the River Caves ramp on the other. We were very conscious that we wanted people to be able to watch the ride and feel part of it, even if they are not riding themselves.
"You always need a friend that holds the bags, right?”
Spectator appeal
"It was also important that Aviktas could be seen from outside the park,” adds Hygate.
“It’s taller than the section of the Big One that it's situated next to. So when you're out on the promenade, and it’s swinging to its highest point, it’s kind of unmissable.”
Together with the cost of foundations, construction, theming and landscaping, Aviktas represents a £8.72 million investment for the Pleasure Beach. Equivalent to about €10m/$11.5m.
A mural of Angkor Wat has been added to the River Caves as part of Aviktas's theming at Pleasure Beach
To make way for the new attraction, the theme of which is inspired by a serpent, an old arcade building was demolished. The footprint of Aviktas also expands to murals on the River Caves and other surrounding buildings.
“Over the years, the Thompson family has enjoyed travelling around the world,” says Hygate. “Our CEO Amanda’s grandfather [Leonard Thompson] would always bring back keepsakes from his travels.
"That inspired the final Angkor Wat scene of the River Caves.”
Some of the Aviktas items available in the Pleasure Beach Store
During a reimagining of the adjacent dark ride, so the story goes, a mysterious egg was found. This hatched and awakened the force that is Aviktas. The name does not actually mean anything.
However, guests can buy a 3D-printed snake and egg in the Pleasure Beach Store.
Hot Ice – twice as cool for 2026
It’s now 90 years since the world’s first purpose-built ice skating arena, designed by the architect Joseph Emberton, opened to the public within the Pleasure Beach grounds. Its first show in 1936 was Marina.
The name Hot Ice arrived in 1984. The park’s entertainment division, Stageworks Worldwide Productions, would go on to produce live theatre around the world.
In 1994, Stageworks president Amanda Thompson produced and directed Hot Ice for the first time. She continued to do so after inheriting the role of Pleasure Beach managing director from her late father Geoffrey Thompson OBE in 2004.
Now the family-run resort’s CEO, she still does. But how does she find time for both the ice show and her other Pleasure Beach responsibilities?
“With a great deal of hard work,” says Thompson. “My day begins at 5 am and is virtually non-stop. It’s no easy task, but if that’s what it takes to keep everything around the park feeling special, then I’m on it!”
The 90th anniversary production – Hot Ice XC – began in July and is performed nightly. Choreographed by former cast member and Olympic athlete Oula Jaaskelainen, it runs until September 10.
Effects including real fire, water, smoke, and CO2 jets complement the skating prowess of the international cast. Like the skaters’ costumes, the attention to detail is high. Thompson wouldn’t have it any other way.
Balancing the Pleasure Beach offering
“These shows form a huge part of the park's identity, so it’s only natural we execute them to the highest standards,” says the Pleasure Beach CEO.
A separate matinee ice show was added this summer. Alice Frozen in a Wonderland of Dreams gives a nod to the Alice in Wonderland dark ride near the Pleasure Beach Arena.
Geared more towards families than Hot Ice XC, it features the same 31 performers.
“XC embodies the spirit of skating as an art form, and the power of the performance is truly dynamic,” says Thompson.
“Alice Frozen in a Wonderland of Dreams complements it perfectly, playing to the heartstrings of young and old alike. I sincerely hope people will not miss out on either show as they are totally different productions.”
Alice Frozen in a Wonderland of Dreams is a matinee ice show at Pleasure Beach
As Pleasure Beach Resort develops, it must play a balancing act between novelty and nostalgia. After the removal of several rides in recent years, the park now has around 40 operating attractions.
Among them are 10 roller coasters, including four wooden coasters, four dark rides and four water rides.
There are also some classic attractions you won’t find outside the USA, such as the Derby Racer, and others that are now unique in the world, like the Steeplechase.
Reimagining Pleasure Beach favourites
No timeline is given for the relaunch of the River Caves. Located in the same building as the park’s 94-year-old Ghost Train and Wallace & Gromit Thrill-O-Matic dark ride, the waterborne dark ride has been out of action for the last three seasons.
Yet Hygate says it will return. “It’s one of our oldest rides; it's been in the park since 1905. The River Caves is one of those attractions that pretty much everybody can ride, and enjoy and have a more chilled experience for five minutes.”
A multi-million-pound reimagining of Valhalla in 2023 saw the huge indoor attraction pick up European Star Awards for both best dark ride and best water ride.
Fan favourite Valhalla at Pleasure Beach underwent a multi-million-pound reimagining in 2023
Just last season, the former Ice Blast tower ride got a fresh lease of life as Launch Pad. The S&S Worldwide attraction was one of the first in Europe when it opened as PlayStation: The Ride back in 1997.
Along with a new look and special effects, it also got an important mechanical upgrade.
“The air cylinder in the centre of the tower that causes the thrust for the gondola was reaching the end of its usable life,” says Hygate.
“There was nothing actually wrong with the tower structure itself, so it seemed churlish to remove it. A lot of people in our industry talk about sustainability. We showed that you can re-present a ride in a way that brings it up-to-date for a modern-day theme park guest.”
Iconic attractions
In 2018, the Pleasure Beach launched what remains its largest investment to date, the £16.25 million ICON. Hygate likes the way the Mack Rides launch coaster weaves in and around other attractions, and in the case of the Big One, through it.
“That’s classic Pleasure Beach,” he says. “It makes for a much more exciting experience than if ICON was just positioned on a parking lot.”
The ride also features an optional Ensō experience, where passengers can upgrade to a spinning car at the rear of the train.
In 2018, Pleasure Beach launched the £16.25 million ICON roller coaster
“We were really lucky to get that. Mack did a trial at Europa-Park, but I think there's only one other coaster in the world that's got it, and that’s in Australia.
"The trick with Ensō is to ride on your own because that’s how you really get it spinning because of the weight distribution.”
The construction of ICON required the removal of what was known as Tom Sawyer Bridge, which previously allowed guests to walk a loop around the lower section of the park.
“Since Icon opened, it’s changed people’s route,” says Hygate.
“The area around the Avalanche suddenly became a sort of hub; a lot busier than it had been. So we put a barbecue food unit in there, and it’s become a nice place to sit and watch rides.”
Future Pleasure Beach plans
He adds that the same is true of the area vacated by the removal of the Grand Prix over the winter of 2024/25.
“We took that out for a number of reasons. It was a ride from the 1960s, had low throughput, and didn’t like the rain. It actually took up an enormous amount of space, which we've temporarily made into a garden. But it is temporary!”
The park’s operations director promises new rides are on the way. “We are strategically looking at the next five to 10 years. Amusement parks are not museums. They should evolve, and they should have new things for people to try.”
Pleasure Beach combines classic, nostalgic rides with newer thrills
Anyone who follows Hygate on social media will be aware he likes to visit other parks whenever he can. “I do that both because I work in the industry, and for fun. In June, I did nine parks in Germany over one week.
"I think it's important to see how other people do things; you pick up a lot of ideas. There were a lot of new rides on that trip I hadn't experienced before.”
He adds that the Thompson family’s close friendship with the Swedish park Liseberg was useful when it came to researching Aviktas.
“Ours is the first [Gyro Swing] in the UK, but I think the seventh of this size around the world. We'd heard from other people that they're one of the best flat rides in the world.
"We knew they had one at Liseberg, so we went to see that, and it’s come to pass that we’ve built this ride here.”
Flex Pass – a new way to pay
To sample Aviktas or any other Pleasure Beach attractions, guests now have two ways to pay. An All You Can Ride ticket sells for between £30 and £40 when booked in advance. For younger guests, there is a Nickelodeon Land-only option at £25. New for 2026 is the Flex Pass.
Director of sales, marketing and PR, James Cox explains the thinking behind this ‘à la carte’ option.
“This replaces our non-rider pass. It's been brought in for day-trippers who come to Blackpool for the beach, to have an ice cream – all the things you do at the seaside – but Pleasure Beach wasn’t their main reason for coming that day.
"Yet they might be curious about the screams of Aviktas, or want to make memories with their grandkids on the Alice in Wonderland ride or the Ghost Train.”
The Alice in Wonderland dark ride at Pleasure Beach, a family-favourite, was built in 1962
With individual rides priced between £6 and £12 on top of the £18 Flex Pass fee, most guests still gravitate towards the All You Can Ride option.
This is more expensive when bought on the gate, yet the majority arrive with their ticket pre-loaded on the Pleasure Beach app.
Flex Pass holders can, however, hop on board the Pleasure Beach Express or take on the Chinese Puzzle Maze. Some added value can be enjoyed for the remainder of the summer, since a seat to the Alice ice show is also included (Hot Ice XC requires a separate ticket).
The season so far
At the end of June, the Pleasure Beach staged a Scottish Weekender for the first time, recognising its guests from north of the border, who have long been an important market.
A fourth summer heatwave accompanied the start of the English school holidays last month. Thanks to the long-running Blackpool Illuminations light festival, which begins on September 4, the Pleasure Beach will stay open until the end of November.
Pleasure Beach's Aviktas joins a line-up of family and thrill rides at the seaside destination
Andy Hygate is happy with two things in particular this season:
“Speaking to other parks around the country, they have had much hotter weather than we have. But because we’re right next to the sea, it’s been quite pleasant. Having the weather on our side, and a new ride that people seem to love, have been two massive ticks this season.”
Images courtesy of Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Owen Ralph
