The Rise of the Pleasure Beach that Wanted to Inspire Gaiety
by aka_zoe
Having achieved the status of the UK’s number one tourist attraction, with over six million visitors annually, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has grown from its humble beginnings in the late 1800s to become renowned for its plethora of white knuckle amusement rides, live shows and various entertainment venues.
The forty two acre site, bought by Alderman William George Bean in 1896, has remained in the family ever since. Having survived two World Wars, the amusement park has thrived from continued investment and the addition of new rides and shows, proving its dedication to moving with the times.
Testimony to its popularity, Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach was named joint fifth best amusement park in the world in 2007 by the Amusement Today Golden Ticket Awards – the only British park to be included in the awards – as well as being identified as the world’s second best seaside park.
Housing over 125 rides, ranging from the £12 million Pepsi Max Big One rollercoaster to the more traditional rides, Pleasure Beach also plays host to a variety of live shows. These include ice dancing in the world’s oldest purpose built ice theatre, and the new stage production, Forbidden; overall there is a range of attractions catering to most thrill-seekers tastes.
The year 2000 saw the Pleasure Beach’s biggest investment to date – £15 million – whilst 2004 saw an additional £5 million investment, which was used to re-theme and refurbish it. A wide variety of celebrities have also shown their support for the park, with personalities like Jonathan Ross and Max Clifford officially opening new rides.
Although the amusement park reaches its peak visitor numbers in the summer months, when it is open week-long, the management also cater for the colder months, by including a range of different events. These comprise the September Illuminations Special, which runs every Friday in September and sees the park open until 2am; the October Spooktacular which again runs on Friday nights in October; as well as Winter Weekends.
And, with so much to see and do, not only at the Pleasure Beach, but also in Blackpool itself, the scenic town is well worth a visit. Reported to be the most popular seaside resort in Britain, it attracts a figure of around 10 million tourists per year, keen to experience the wealth of entertainment venues and festivals on offer. The town is also home to the Blackpool Tower, which was opened in 1894 and has remained a dominant part to its skyline ever since.
With tourism forming a major part of the town’s economy, it could be said that Blackpool is well prepared for the annual influx of visitors, with legend having it that one can find more hotels and B&B beds in Blackpool than in the whole of Portugal!
However, with the amusement park being the dominant attraction of the town, it may be wise to search for hotels near Blackpool Pleasure Beach, in order to get a prime location and first pick of the rides!
