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| Location | South Shore, Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°47′25″N 3°03′20″W / 53.79028°N 3.05556°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 1896 (First Rides) |
| Owner | Thompson Family (Amanda Thompson) |
| Slogan | We create the fun. You keep the memories. |
| Operating season | March–November |
| Area | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 38 as of 2023 |
| Roller coasters | 10 |
| Water rides | 5 |
| Website | Pleasure Beach Resort |
Pleasure Beach Resort, formerly known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. The park was founded in 1896 by A. W. G. Bean and his partner John Outhwaite. The current managing director is Amanda Thompson.[1]
The park is host to many records, including the largest collection of wooden roller coasters of any park in the United Kingdom with four: the Big Dipper, Blue Flyer, Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak.[2] Many of the roller coasters in the park are record-breaking attractions. When it opened in 1994, The Big One was the tallest roller coaster in the world. It was also the steepest, with an incline angle of 65° and the second fastest with a top speed of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h).[3] The ride holds the record as the second tallest roller coaster in the United Kingdom, standing at 213 ft (65 m), with a first drop of 205 ft (62 m) and the longest roller coaster in Europe, with a track length of 5,497 ft (1,675 m).[4]
The park was the first in Europe to introduce a fully inverting steel coaster, Revolution[5] and is the last remaining park in the world to still operate a Steeplechase roller coaster. The Grand National is one of only five Möbius loop coasters still operating (and the oldest), where a singular track "loops" around itself, offering a facsimile out-and-back layout and creating a "racing" effect on two parallel tracks. Sir Hiram Maxims Captive Flying Machine is the oldest amusement park ride in Europe having opened in August 1904. At the cost of £15 million, Valhalla was one of the largest and most expensive indoor dark rides in the world. Designed by Sarner and manufactured by Intamin, Valhalla won "Best Water Ride" at the 2018 Golden Ticket awards, an accolade it has held over a consecutive number of years. The park also operates a Nickelodeon Land and the world's only Wallace & Gromit ride, the Thrill-O-Matic. In 2015 the park introduced Red Arrows Sky Force, a Gerstlauer Sky Fly thrill ride which is the first ride of its kind in the United Kingdom.[6][7] The latest record is taken by Icon, a multi-launch coaster manufactured by Mack Rides in Germany.[8]
- ^ Shelina Begum (8 September 2019). "A rollercoaster ride for boss behind Blackpool Pleasure Beach". Business Live. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "Pleasure Beach Resort (Blackpool, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom)".
- ^ Hammond, Kip (1994). "Nevada Jackpot: The Numbers Game". RollerCoaster! Magazine. 16 (1): 12. ISSN 0896-7261.
- ^ "Pepsi Max Big One Ride case study | Association for Project Management Knowledge Site". Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ "Revolution".
- ^ "Red Arrows to soar for ride opening - Blackpool Gazette". Archived from the original on 25 April 2015.
- ^ "Skyforce".
- ^ "Pleasure Beach's new coaster consolidates relationship between two amusement industry stalwarts". Park World. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.