Following the always spectacular Alton Towers Fireworks, we can now safely say that closed season has arrived in the world of UK Theme Parks. Whilst the closed season is often a time used by parks across the UK to do maintenance, run routine checks and to spend time working on new developments, increasingly parks in the UK have run small winter events with some of their ride hardware open for some or all of the festive period. Here at Attraction Source we’ve compiled a list of every major offering from UK Theme Parks to ensure you can get your ride and attraction fix despite parks, on the whole, being closed over the colder months.
Alton Towers
Alton Towers Christmas is open on selected dates from 25th November through to 2nd January, and will see select family attractions open for your enjoyment along with a Christmas Market, and the award-winning illuminated trail, Lightopia. Whilst the Resort’s jaw-dropping big thrills will remain closed during this time, Spinball Whizzer, Marauders Mayhem, Heave Ho, Hex – The Legend of the Towers, Gangsta Granny: The Ride, CBeebies Land and other select family attractions will be open for guests to enjoy. The Alton Towers Waterpark will also be open during this period, allowing guests to enjoy the always tropical climate and thrilling slides despite it being cold outside!
Find out more about Alton Towers’ Christmas offering on the Alton Towers website.
Chessington World of Adventures
Winter’s Tail will once again be returning on selected dates from 26th November through to 3rd January at Chessington World of Adventures. Winter’s Tail will see Adventure Tree, Blue Barnacle, Elmo’s Flying Jumbos, Jungle Bus, Room on the Broom, Seastorm, Tiny Truckers, and Trawler Trouble open for guests to enjoy, alongside the park’s fantastic zoo and SEA LIFE attractions. Chessington will also host The Wild Christmas Panto on The Mane Stage along with a Magical Cookie Kitchen and other live entertainment across the Resort.
Find out more about Winter’s Tail on the Chessington World of Adventures website.
Drayton Manor
Drayton Manor will be hosting Magical Christmas at the Resort on selected dates from 26th November until 24th December with a Grotto Experience, and a new for 2022 Gingerbread Decorating Workshop. Out of Drayton Manor’s rides and attractions, Thomas Land will be open for guests to enjoy, along with Thor and Sleipnir in their new Vikings area that opened for 2022. Guests will also be able to take a ride on Accelerator, Jolly Buccaneer, and The Bounty Pirate Ship. The park will be decorated with suitably festive decorations, and guests will also be able to experience Festive Entertainment, along with the park’s fascinating 15-acre zoo during their time at the resort!
Find out more about Magical Christmas on the Drayton Manor website.
LEGOLAND Windsor
LEGOLAND at Christmas is back in 2022 and will include LEGO Make and Takes, a DUPLO pantomime, a Christmas live show, and a beautifully decorated theme park bursting in character. Along with all of the extra festive activities and shows on offer, twenty four of the park’s amazing rides and attractions will be open for guests to enjoy throughout LEGOLAND at Christmas! The rides on offer include the Dragon, Flight of the Sky Lion, Jolly Rocker, LEGO NINJAGO The Ride and more.
More information about LEGOLAND at Christmas can be found on the LEGOLAND Windsor website.
Paultons Park
Christmas at Paultons and Peppa Pig World returns in 2022 with Paultons Park opening its gates for its festive event on selected dates between 3rd – 23rd December. Christmas at Paultons will see Peppa Pig World decorated for Christmas, illuminations across the park, Santa’s Storytime and a Christmas show. Alongside these special festive events, guests will be able to enjoy select rides across the park, including Storm Chaser, Cyclonator, The Flight of the Pterosaur, Velociraptor, all of Peppa Pig World and new for 2022, Farmyard Flyer.
You can find the full list of available attractions along with more information about Christmas at Paultons on the Paultons Park website.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland returns this Christmas, once again bringing a huge travelling theme park into the centre of London’s Hyde Park. With iconic attractions like Olympia Looping, Hangover, Wilde Maus XXL and Ice Mountain, this event is always packed with guests. From their Bavarian shows to food offerings and beer tents, Winter Wonderland is absolutely a must visit for theme park and attractions lovers! Winter Wonderland will be open from 18th November until 2nd January.
Visit the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland website to find out more.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach will be open on weekends from 12th November until 27th November for their Winter Weekends. Winter Weekends will see Pleasure Beach opening at 11am and closing at 5pm, enabling guests to enjoy rides across much of the amusement park, with only Big Dipper currently being closed and Derby Racer expected to close on 19th November. The park’s much loved white-knuckle thrill rides Icon, The Big One and Grand National all remain listed as available to enjoy throughout Winter Weekends!
This festive season, the park has launched a special new Christmas Wrapped Up package. This includes a Winter Weekend admission ticket to enjoy the rides, a visit to see Santa in his Christmas Grotto, a round of Christmas Adventure Golf and a seat to see Cinderella the Pantomime.
Christmas Wrapped Up costs just £69.99 per person, a saving of up to £30 if each of the items were booked individually. The best thing about the Christmas Wrapped Up package is that guests can choose when to take part in each bit of festive fun – they don’t need to fit everything into one day.
Find out more about Winter Weekends on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach website.
Flamingoland
Christmas at Flamingoland is back in 2022, with the park open on select dates between 3rd – 24th December. Flamingoland will be hosting a myriad of festive activities including Santa’s Grotto, Santa’s Magical Toyshop, Mrs Claus’ Kitchen, Reindeer Paddock and more. Guests will also be able to enjoy access to the park’s award winning zoo, and five fun-filled rides in the theme park’s Muddy Duck Farm area for younger guests to enjoy.
To find out more about Christmas at Flamingoland check out their website.
Outside of the UK
For those willing to travel a little further afield and cross a few borders, there is of course the opportunity to visit some European Theme Parks who either operate all year round, or are hosting special winter events. Potential attractions for those seeking larger thrills or different experiences include: Disneyland Paris, Efteling, PortAventura, Europa Park, Tivoli Gardens, Liseberg and Gröna Lund.
What are your plans for this winter season? Will you be visiting any of the events across the UK attractions, or will you be heading abroad to get your theme park fix? Share on our socials what you will be up to this winter – we would love to hear your plans!
