The Blackpool Pleasure Beach amusement park is situated on the town’s South Shore and is Britain’s biggest tourist attraction.
New in 2011 – Nickelodeon Land
Nickelodeon Land is a joint venture between Pleasure Beach and the Nickelodeon entertainment brand. It opened at the start of the 2011 season and is situated at the southern end of the park.
Rides include Spongebob’s Splash Bay – ride with water canons, Bikini Bottom Bus Tour – pirate ship type ride, Krusty Krab Order Up – mini version of the Ice Blast, Diego’s Rainforest Rescue, Fairy World Taxi Spin – mini version of the Flying Machines, Avatar Airbender – spinning pirate ship type ride, Wonder Pets Big Circus Bounce, Backyardigan’s Pirate Treasure, Blue Flyer – small rollercoaster, Nickelodeon Streak – rollercoaster, and Rugrats Lost River – log flume.
Rides
The park boasts around 150 rides. Major rides include:
- Infusion – The world’s first suspended looping coaster operating entirely over water.
- Avalanche – The UK’s only bobsleigh ride.
- Bling – Riders are lifted 100 feet above the ground and spun through the air on giant gondolas.
- Grand National – Europe’s first twin-track racing coaster and one of the most popular wooden rollercoasters in the world.
- Big Dipper – Classic wooden rollercoaster.
- Pepsi Max Big One – Until 2002 this was the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in Europe.
- Valhalla – Costing over £15 million, this is the world’s biggest water-borne dark ride.
- Steeplechase – 3-lane tracked rollercoaster. Riders sit on a horse.
- Ice Blast – Riders are catapulted up at steel tower at 80 mph. Great views at the top.
- Irn Bru Revolution – Looping rollercoaster.
- Wild Mouse – The craziest ride at the park.
Wristbands, Tickets, Discounts, Prices, and Vouchers
To enter Blackpool Pleasure Beach visitors must buy an Unlimited Ride Wristband, a Pleasure Beach Pass, or a Season Ticket.
Pleasure Beach Pass
Until recently admission to the Pleasure Beach was free. Visitors were free to enter the park and wander round, only paying if they wished to go on one of their rides. In 2009 the park changed their policy and introduced the Pleasure Beach Pass.
Passes cost £5 and give entrance to the park plus and allow them to ride Pleasure Beach Express, explore the Chinese Puzzle Maze, and watch the South Beach Show.
Unlimited Ride Wristbands
Unlimited Ride Wristbands give entry to the park and allow unlimited riding all day.
Prices depend on the age of visitor. For 2011 standard prices are:
- Adult (12 and over) – 1 day £32, 2 day £50
- Junior (2 – 11) – 1 day £27, 2 day £45
- Senior (65 and over) –1 day £27 – 2 day £45
Entrance for babies and toddlers (0 – 1) is free, but height restrictions apply on most rides.
Season Passes
Season Passes are available and are ideal for locals and frequent visitors.
Discount & Codes
£5 discounts are available for Unlimited Ride Wristbands booked online. Tickets must be purchased 12 hours in advance.
The easiest and most reliable way to obtain discount codes giving even more money off tickets is to become a fan of the official Pleasure Beach Facebook page. Discount codes and other offers (2 for 1 etc.) are regularly published here.
Vouchers
Tesco Clubcard members can currently exchange their vouchers for tokens that can be exchanged at Blackpool Pleasure Beach for Unlimited Ride Wristbands.
Opening Times
The park is open from February to November. Opening times vary throughout the year. A detailed calendar showing opening and closing times is available on the official website.
Directions, Map and Postcode
Leave the M6 motorway at Junction 32 and follow the M55 until it ends at Blackpool. Pleasure Beach is well signposted from here.
For visitors arriving by car and using satellite navigation, the postcode to enter for Blackpool Pleasure Beach is FY4 1EZ.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has 5 car parks. The largest are located off Balmoral Road, north of the park, and Bond Street, east of the park, and on the Promenade. Parking charges apply.
The Blackpool Pleasure Beach train station lies on the Fylde Coast branch line and offers frequent services to Blackpool South, St Annes-on-Sea, and Preston.
My husband and I went to Blackpool for a couple of days and decided to walk to the Pleasure Beach for a wander around. We are middle aged so had no interest on going on any rides. We were utterly amazed and disgusted to be told there was a £6 charge just to go and walk around! I know £6 isn’t a lot of money but it’s the principle. I have never been to any other fair ground that you have to pay to just walk around. Obviously you expect to pay for rides as they have to be maintained etc., but I didn’t expect to be charged for walking around. We left but probably would have spent more than the £12 on food, drink etc had we not had to pay this ridiculous entry fee!
Great idea. More room for us who don’t mind spending money.
I have seven grandchildren, and now sixteen great-grandchildren, and used to visit Blackpool every year as part of a group of us old grannies and grandpas.
From the sound of it now we’d need to rob the Northern Rock just to watch the kiddies on the rides!
Oops, just remembered… no money in the Northern Rock anymore either.
Oh well… 🙁
We just LOVE Blackpool <3
The £5 charge for entry is a rip off especially for families wh have already paid a fortune for wristbands for the kids. My partner and I used to always have a walk around the pleasure beach and spend a lot more than £5each on food, drink and the various sideshows. The Thompson corporation have just got greedy and driven away a lot of good income. I ask eveyone to boycott BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH until the charge is removed
Why is everyone moaning about our entrance fee? Everything about Pleasure Beach is on the website. It shows about the entrance fee so you should know this before you even reach the park. I love it. It is the best theme park ever and know I love it more as I enjoy working for Pleasure Beach.
The charge is in place for a reason!! For the safety of guests and staff in the park as before the charge was introduced, public intoxication and antisocial behaviour was raging! Come on people use your brains a bit! Im 14 and I know that! BPB haven’t just added the charge to be greedy?! They want families to be able to have a nice day at their park, without the possible danger of drunks and the undesirables ! As I’m writing this I am in The Big Blue Hotel attached to the Pleasure Beach and today I’m going into the park to have a good time…..:)
I do think it is a joke having to pay £5 to just get into the park because then thats just most of the money gone that you could spend on going on the rides but then again BlackPool is a really fun place to go so i would advice please to go if they have kids because the have a vary of rides just for youngsters as well!
Season pass holder. I go all the time, at least 4/7 a week. It’s the 2nd best park in England. I have to admit Alton Towers is better, but when you have 2 young children, Alton Towers fails me. All the good rides at Alton Towers are for tall people, but the Pleasure Beach has a good mix for all ages. Long live Pleasure Beach!
We’ve been going to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for years, took our children and hoped to take our grandchildren. On principle we refuse to pay £86 to walk around a much loved institution while the little ones enjoy their rides. Instead we took them to Southport Pleasureland. It’s free entry to all and we had a brilliant day out for less then £30.
The figures never lie! Most days there is no atmosphere on the park. Numbers are down around 50% and it’s only a matter of time before it goes bust. Don’t blame Amanda only because it’s Nick Thompson too. Clueless.
My best friend and I have been to Blackpool and it’s amazing. Does it matter how much your paying as long as you have fun? That’s what counts. If you don’t want to spend 5 pound then I suggest you go have a day out on a beach or a park.
Took my 12 year old son to Blackpool Pleasure Beach yesterday. The whole day cost £146 in fuel, entrance fees (£64!) and food. We queued for over an hour just to get in and then for 40 minutes per ride. We were so tired by the time we’d been on the third ride that we decided we’d had enough. The rides were great but I feel ripped off as we spent most of the time standing in queues. And there is no healthy food anywhere! Probably won’t go back.
My experience there was not as I expected – most of the rides are of poor quality and the staff are extremely unkind and unhelpful. The Pepsi Air Max was closed the day I went due to ‘adverse windy weather conditions’. Surely any ride unstable enough not to be used is not very safe. My experience was probably about a 4/10.
Actually The Pepsi Max Big One is closed due to high winds for a reason. If they send the train, there is a possibility that the train may not make it back. As it could roll back. Then they would have to get a crane out which would cost lots of money to get the train off and making it shut for a few days, maybe a week. They also would have to get everyone off the train.
Customer safety and service always come first, therefore the Pepsi Max Big One is totally safe and is stable. Roller coasters all over the world have wind restrictions, not just at Pleasure Beach.
At Cedar Point in Ohio America, the new ride Gatekeeper shut down due to high winds for the day, it’s just like anywhere else.
All you short sighted people who say £5 is not a lot of money need to live in the real world. We are not all billy no mates from the south but families. I take my daughters and their families for a day out. They are all married with 3+3+3 grandchildren. That’s an increase of £80 before a ride. That’s 16 people who want be going again. Before this entry fee we used to go twice a year and spend £500 a time on food and rides but I’m not paying £160 a year entry for the privilege of spending £1000 per year.
Very disappointed with the whole experience. We went to the park Saturday 02/04/11, purchased the tickets/wrist bands online. Considering the owners have had all winter to prepare the park for the forthcoming year, it has the look and feel of a park that closed last year and then simply reopened again without any upgrading, care or attention. We were very disappointed that the much publicised Nickelodeon children’s themed area is still a building site, even though it claims and is marketed for being open in April 2011. I found it very difficult to find rides and get my moneys worth for my younger children.
My two older children seemed to be enjoying themselves, they focused on the larger rides and the queues weren’t too bad (approx 1/2 hour each ride). Having said that, the park was very quiet, so heaven knows what it’ll be like when it’s busy!!
The park is very much geared towards extracting as much money as they can whilst you’re there – my advice – take a packed lunch and plenty of drinks!!
Went to Blackpool with my kids in August last year. I was very disappointed having to pay 5 pound to get in, especially when I’m paying to go on other rides.
I do and don’t agree charging folk to get in, but it does of course keep the idiots out. We as a family of 6 and have always loved BPB. The park is going in the right direction, but why does it still look dirty and downright worn-out in places.
But one thing I will stand by is that SMOKING should not be allowed, or at least only allowed in certain areas. I certainly don’t smoke but you might as well smoke while in there.
Although you can spend a small fortune, there are deals available. Especially if you are staying in the Big Blue Hotel.
I understand they added a 5 pound entrance fee to the park to keep out all the drunks and people just wandering through. But the place is still a dump, with no NEW rides for about eleven years. So what are they spending all the profits on?
Wow lots of hate for a £5 ticket which gets you into the park and onto some of the rides. If £5 is a lot of money for you guys complaining on a day out, I would seriously look at getting a job.
I go to the Pleasure Beach all the time. It is like my second home. It is a bit of a rip off at 5 pounds to get it but if you are there with family for the day it is worth it.
It’s all right saying ‘£5.00 isn’t a lot to pay’ but it’s the principle of the matter. When we go to the pleasure beach we spend a fortune anyway, we don’t need to pay for the privilege! It’s a perfect example of ‘killing the goose that lays the golden eggs’
Total rip off. I am wheelchair bound and can’t go on rides, so a fiver to be pushed around is a total disgrace. It’s bad enough being in this condition. Access for the disabled, it’s a disgrace. Me and my hubby will never ever visit again. Greedy robbing gets.
Never been on a rollercoaster since I went to Blackpool. I went on all the rollercoasters there and The Valhalla was by far the best ride ever. Can’t wait to go back!
I went with a couple of friends last year. It was such great fun!
I live in Liverpool used to go to Pleasureland in Southport a lot with kids. I stopped going when they had the cheek to start charging you. I said it won’t be long before it shuts down. Guess what? It did and then opened again with crap rides etc but no charge. I am off to Blackpool this weekend but won’t be going near the fair. I’m not going to pay 5 quid each to get in. Amanda Thompson read these messages. Get it into your brain love. People won’t pay the fee. It’s a rip off.
Pay to get in to the fair – YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH!
After seeing the mess made of Southport when that was turned into a theme park and charges made to enter – I believe that this action by Amanda Thompson to be nothing short of deliberate mismanagement. Learn by your mistakes.
Planning a trip to the North. Just reading a few reviews and am amused. Come on now, £5 is really not very much money to spend on an afternoon out. I know there’s a recession on and all, but seriously, stop complaining!!!
I visited Pleasure Beach with my wife and 2 year old grandson. It cost me £5 to get in and £20 for a 2 year old child. Some of the rides for him required an adult to sit with him, so the wife had to pay £25 pounds to accompany him. To top it all some of the child’s rides required you to insert money. So long Pleasure Beach we won’t be back.
Born in Lancashire I have been visiting Blackpool for over 60 years, but no more.
They are not ripping me off for £5 to walk round a fairground.
Stick it were the sun don’t shine Blackpool, may you go were the other UK resorts have gone….to the wall.
I have been going to Blackpool every year since I can remember, but stopped going in 2005 as neither me or my parents could afford holidays any more. 5 years later, we’ve just got back and this time I took my nearly 2 year old daughter with me. She loved Beaver Creek and the Flying Machines!! She tells me she wants to go back!! I think the £5 charge is ridiculous if you are not going to go on any rides because you do spend more than that on food and drink, but it cost me £30 for 1 entry and wristband and free for my girl because she’s under 2. But my parents had to pay £5 each just to come with me and look after her whilst I went on the rides on my own. I do love the Kentucky and Arabian Derbys though I spend loads on them. because the staff are so nice and they always make me laugh! I love Blackpool and Blackpool Pleasure Beach. £5 entry fee isn’t going to stop me from visiting.
We went last year with this new pricing scheme. It was empty, the side stalls had lost their atmosphere and the Kentucky Derby is not much fun when there are only two horses racing. But we thought maybe there will be no queues…..wrong. They were only running one or two cars on each of the rides and therefore we still queued for a minimum of 45 minutes for the most basic rides. We queued over an hour for the Big One as they were only running one car.
I have just checked the prices for today and I can’t buy online (too short notice) so I have to buy at the Pleasure Beach. For me and my son it would cost us £55. RIP OFF !!! I have decided to go to Alton Towers at £53.
Bye bye Blackpool Pleasure Beach. You are not a day out in the class of Alton Towers. You are a fun fair, nothing more, not a theme park.
My wife and I have been going to Blackpool and the Pleasure Beach for many years – way before we were married. We took our kids this year and I must say the heart and soul of the part is gone by closing the gates to only paying visitors. We normally stay near the South Entrance – but you can no longer even get in that end – paying or not. Think Amanda Thompson has got this all wrong.
I have been going to Blackpool since I was a kid, enjoying all the amusements and the rides on the Pleasure Beach. I am 38 now and I hate it now. The amusements are set up to scam your money, everything is overly expensive, and I just get the feeling I am only here to be scammed. I won’t go again. Next time I will go to Alton Towers. I am sure it will work out cheaper and less stressful. £5 fee on Pleasure Beach is a joke.
£5 not a chance. Leave the Pleasure Beach to rot, because people with sense won’t pay!
I have been visiting Blackpool Pleasure Beach for over 30 years always had lots of fun there. But I have to say I am disgusted with Amanda Thompson introducing a £5 fee just to walk round the park. She is so stupid she can’t see she is keeping people away including me and my family. This is rip off Britain at its worst. This £5 charge must be scrapped for Blackpool Pleasure Beach to survive. You should be ashamed of your greed Amanda Thompson.
I totally agree with you all. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is amazing and I just want to say that I love it lots!
I agree with the comments. The £5 per person admission is absolutely outrageous. We used to come every year with the twins and watch them have fun on the rides. We bought food and drink, payed to park, spent in the arcades, and bought toys/gifts. We (adults) never went on rides though, so we won’t be paying £5 each to enter, as well as everything else we pay good money for. Forget it, rip off Blackpool Pleasure Beach!
Just been to Blackpool. Cannot believe £5 entry into Pleasure Beach. We are not big ride lovers but like to stroll round have something to eat etc. Walked away. Last time we visit Blackpool. Surely last nail in coffin for a seaside resort that should be pulling out all stops to encourage business.
What a disgrace charging £5 to enter the park. I don’t go on the rides but go with my kids to make sure they are safe. I have the cost of buying sweets and other crap that’s all over the park that they sell and now they want to pull an extra fiver out of my pocket. At least Dick Turpin had the courtesy to wear a mask!
Great theme park although I prefer Alton Towers to be honest. I like all the rides but the Grand National is great when you win. I know the secret to it and it’s great rubbing it in. If only betting on horses was that easy.
I love working on the Pleasure Beach. It’s hard work but so rewarding. Just seeing people having fun is what we always aim to achieve. I cant say I have never heard anyone say they didn’t enjoy the ride they went on. It’s great to see people enjoying themselves, young or young at heart. It’s what the Pleasure Beach is about.
Heard a rumour that the famous Noahs Ark ride is to be demolished. Please someone tell me this is not true.The beach is losing its heart and soul. For me the park was much better when I first went in 1977.
Gotta say. It’s by NO means the best theme park in Britain. It’s expensive, and there isn’t all that much there. My boyfriend lives in Blackpool and I wanted to go to the theme park, so we paid sixty quid for two of us and only stayed about 3 hours. If you want good theme parks go to Oakwood or Flamingo Land.
I’ve been visiting Blackpool since I was 5 years old and am now returning with my own children. I cannot believe this insane entrance fee people have to pay now. It’s ridiculous. Fair enough prices need to go up but surely £2.00 for a small Pepsi drink shows that the park will make money none the less? What about the families that have very young children that cannot go on any of the rides? Parents STILL have to pay £10 to have a "walk around"?. I can see with the price hike Madam Tussard’s taking a whole new lease of life. At least you KNOW what you get for your money! VERY disappointed.
The Winter Weekend was a total rip off, with half the park closed. The rides which were supposed to be working were not, as we found after paying. We travelled from central Scotland for the day only to be bitterly disappointed and felt cheated. This was a total lack of respect for the paying customer. Rip off Britain at it’s worst.
Just home from Blackpool yesterday. Cost us £115 for 2 adults and 2 kids, and by god is it in a sorry state! 5 rides removed from Beaver Creek since last visit, no space invader/big dipper/ trauma towers/ alpine golf/ goldmine (closed day we were there) but if you search for them online they show up on the Pleasure Beach website!! It had a very unloved feel especially Beaver Creek. The cost was a major rip off. I can’t see it lasting another 10 years to be honest!
Why charge to enter? I have been to Blackpool every year. This is such a low life scam to make more cash out of the every day person who spends their cash on the Pleasure Beach to keep their kids happy. Before you even enter now it’s £5.
I absolutely love blackpool pleasure beach. I buy a season pass as I only live an hour away by train. Valhalla and the Pepsi Max Big One are just superb. Also the hot ice show is an absolute must see. It’s so fantastic it’s beyond words to describe it. One of the best theme parks around.
Every year my parents took me to the pleasure beach and it was a total wonderland of fun and excitement. I now return every year as an adult, and it just gets better and better. With the mix of the old rides and the new, it’s simply amazing with fun for everyone. The wild mouse is a must and I love the big dipper. It always brings back such happy times.
OCT 2008 CHARGING £80 FOR 4 ADULTS ADMISSION TO PARK TO WATCH SON/GRANDSON ON RIDES IN BEAVER CREEK AGED THREE WHO GOT IN FREE AS BELOW 1M. ABSOLUTELY ABSURD! FRONTIER LAND AND PLEASURELAND HERE BLACKPOOL COMES.
I’m not impressed finding out there will be a £5 admission fee just to stroll through the pleasure beach!
When I go with my kids I don’t want to go on rides myself – bit of a roller phobe but I love seeing them have fun so why should I pay?
This must be true for a lot of parents and older people with grand kids – will we be free?
The £5 charge is obscene. How many visitors stroll the park and spend £10 or more? Boycott this crazy scheme. Look at Southport and Morecambe
I love the rides at beaver creek especially the train that goes round the park! I also love the sweetie shop but mum always says I can’t buy too much because they are too expensive! I LOVE BLACKPOOL!
I have been going to Blackpool several times a year all my life and it never gets boring! I’m going tomorrow and can’t wait to try out Infusion! Easily the best theme park in Britain as it is always reinventing itself with new rides. I just wish it had the space to grow so it could pack in some more of those world class coasters! A good tip is to get there when it opens and get your money’s worth on the wristbands.
I have 3 children. We love pleasure beach. My children enjoyed it more than Disneyland. We have been a couple of times and are going again in September. I just wish it was a bit cheaper but will pay because it’s better than the rest of the theme parks.
Been travelling to the pleasure beach since I was a child and have fond memories of the old ‘fun house’ now sadly burnt down. I am now living in South Wales, but will be back in October to test Infusion with my 10 yr old! Blackpool has to be the best of the best in the UK. It’s a shame it’s acreage is restricted as I would love to see it expand three fold! Have fun everyone!
If it’s your first time at blackpool, or even if you’ve before, it’s better to go in october because then that’s when they turn the lights on. If you like views at night go on the pepsi max. The view couldn’t be better.
I loved Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It was amazing. I think it beats the rest of the UK’s themeparks by far. I am definately going back in the summer.
Easily the best theme park in the UK. Fantastic day for all the family
Despite its age the Wild Mouse has got to be one of the best rides in the world. It may not have the speed and height of the newer rides, but it does have that X factor (probably the fear that you really believe the whole thing is completely unsafe).