Alton Towers Resort, often shortened to Alton Towers, is a theme park resort located in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The resort, which is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group, incorporates a theme park, water park, mini golf and hotel complex. Originally a private estate, Alton Towers grounds opened to the public in 1860 to raise funds for the estate. In the late 20th century it was transformed into a theme park and opened a number of new rides from 1980 onwards. In 2016 it was the second most visited theme park in the UK after Legoland Windsor.
The park operates seven major roller coasters; Galactica, Nemesis, Oblivion, Rita, Thirteen, The Smiler and Wicker Man. The first hotel accommodation opened in 1996 as the Alton Towers Hotel. The Alton Towers Waterpark and a Caribbean-themed Splash Landings Hotel were added in 2003. The Enchanted Village opened in 2015, and a new hotel based on the CBeebies brand opened in July 2017. The complex also includes conference facilities, a crazy golf course and a high ropes course.
The theme park is open from mid-March to early November, whilst many of its hotels and amenities are open year-round. Special events are hosted throughout the year, including concert nights, a Scarefest event for Halloween, and a season-ending fireworks display. A selection of theme park rides and attractions also open for hotel guests during the Christmas period.
History
Alton Towers Resort Hotel - An eccentric touch of class - a special escape for all the family. This unique hotel is themed around the incredible explorer Sir Algenon, who has made the Alton Towers Hotel his home. There...
Alton Towers first began to be open to the public on a regular basis following the opening of Alton railway station. Money raised from railway excursions was paid to the Earl and helped to maintain the upkeep of the grounds.
In 1924 a group of local businessmen formed Alton Towers Ltd and began to restore the gardens as a tourist attraction. In the 1950s this included the operation of a fairground, and by the 1970s included a boating lake and chairlift.
After millionaire property developer John Broome married the daughter of majority shareholder Denis Bagshaw in 1973, he bought out the controlling stake in Alton Towers. Over the next few years he laid the foundation for the modern theme park by installing various permanent rides and developing areas of the grounds in progressive stages. In the 1980s Broome opened a succession of rides and roller coasters around the park, including Corkscrew, Pirate Ship (now The Blade), Alpine Bobsleigh, The Flume and The Black Hole.
Broome sold Alton Towers to The Tussauds Group, then a division of Pearson plc, in 1990, after encountering financial troubles in attempting to develop the former Battersea Power Station into a similar theme park. The change of ownership brought an era of major redevelopment and promotion, involving the opening of large themed areas and new attractions, such as Runaway Mine Train (1992), The Haunted House (1992), Toyland Tours (1994) and Nemesis (1994). Later, Oblivion (1998) and Air (2002, now Galactica) saw the park sustain its reputation for major roller coasters, both marketed as 'World First' rides. Tussauds' park development team from 1990 to 2002 included well-known attraction producer John Wardley, among experienced others.
The Tussauds Group was sold to venture capitalist firm Charterhouse in 1998, then to Dubai International Capital (DIC) for £800 million in 2005. The Tussauds Group was then bought by Merlin Entertainments in March 2007 for over £1billion from DIC, placing Alton Towers under their control.
In May 2007, The Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group for US$1.9 billion and merged it into Merlin Entertainments with management by Merlin. Dubai International Capital also gained 20% of Merlin Entertainment.
On 17 July 2007, Alton Towers was sold to private investor Nick Leslau's investment firm Prestbury under a sale and leaseback agreement. Merlin continues to operate the site under a renewable 35-year lease.
Rides and attractions
Roller coasters
Ride statistics
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- Key: * = record holder upon opening; ** = current record holder (January 2018)
Flat rides
Water/Dark rides
Children's rides
Theme park transport and grounds
Food facilities
Past food facilities
Alton Towers previously had leases with High Street outlets, which have since been replaced by in-house brands such as Explorers Pizza & Pasta, Fried Chicken Co. and Burger Kitchen.
- McDonald's (1998-2007)
- Burger King (2008-2012)
- Pizza Hut (1998-2009)
- KFC (1998-2011)
Past rides
Past roller coasters
Main Past Attractions
Other notable past rides
Alton Towers Theme Park
The Alton Towers Theme Park is divided into twelve areas: Towers Street, Mutiny Bay, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest, The Gardens, The Towers, Cloud Cuckoo Land, X-Sector, CBeebies Land and Adventure Land. The SkyRide cable car system travels between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and Cloud Cuckoo Land and takes in views of the gardens.
The park's maximum capacity at any one time is set at 28,000 guests. According to the TEA attendance report, the park was estimated to have attracted 1,980,000 people in 2016, a 2.9% increase on 2015's figure of 1,925,000. This makes Alton Towers Britain's 2nd most visited theme park after Legoland Windsor and the 13th most visited theme park in Europe. The launch of the Thirteen rollercoaster saw the theme park attract 3 million admissions in the 2010 season, a number equalled only by the launch of Nemesis in 1994.
Annual Attendance
Annual park attendance figures are not released by the park itself, so the figures listed here are sourced from various estimates from organisations such as the Themed Entertainment Association. Due to conflicting figures from various sources, some of the figures listed here are not sourced from the TEA.
Towers Street
Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area that visitors to the park encounter. Themed loosely as a town street, it leads to views of the gardens and the Towers across the lake in the distance. Along the pathway are the park's jumping frog fountains and a lawn where seasonal events take place. The first SkyRide station is located nearby, which is a 1048Â m long cable car transport that opened in 1987, and was refurbished 2009. The monorail moves guests from the three on-site hotels and the water park to the theme park; it opened 1987 and was refurbished in 2008. In this area during the hour before the park's daily closure, departing guests are entertained by three people wearing police costumes, two of them riding Segway-like vehicles which play party music and the third standing with an old-fashioned megaphone that is unused, and a man riding a miniature ship while dressed as a sea captain.
Katanga Canyon
Themed as an African village; created in 1992 and incorporated existing rapids ride. Rides include the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train and Congo River Rapids. Both are well-established rides in the park whose ride tracks share a tunnel. Congo River Rapids is a river rapids ride that opened 1986, as The Grand Canyon Rapids, and was refurbished in 1992. A 735 m long wild river rapids ride down the Congo River that lasts six minutes. Runaway Mine Train is a steel sit down powered coaster that reaches a speed of 22Â mph (36Â km/h) on a 1000Â ft long track (305 m) and height of 36Â ft (11Â m); height limit 90Â cm. It was designed by John Wardley for Tussauds and manufactured by Mack Rides.
Gloomy Wood
Gloomy Wood serves as the area for the dark ride Duel - The Haunted House Strikes Back!, originally The Haunted House. Opening in 1992, this was originally Europe's largest haunted dark ride, but was significantly altered with interactive laser guns in 2003. Each player's shooting score is recorded on a display in the ride car, as guests shoot targets around the ride.
In 2007, a themed footpath through the woods was added to the area, named Haunted Hollow. The pathway follows the route formerly used by the park's old scenic railway, linking from Mutiny Bay. Haunted Hollow includes tombstones, statues and other features, some of which interact with guests using sound effects. In July 2015, Nitrogenie opened and replaced the old Waffles and Ices, a shop producing ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Gloomy Wood was suggested by the 2017 park map to be home to the new Wicker Man wooden coaster, opening 2018. However, the park later stated that the ride was in Mutiny Bay.
Forbidden Valley
Forbidden Valley is set in a 'post-apocalyptic' landscape, with standing stones and rustic structures populating the 'valley'. A SkyRide station also serves this area of the park.
The area's principle attraction is Nemesis, opened in 1994. Nemesis is a steel inverted coaster that reaches a speed of 50Â mph (81Â km) with four inversions, set in a rocky quarry over waterfalls. The ride is built down into excavated ground and was designed by Tussauds, primarily John Wardley. The attraction is themed as a malevolent alien creature inhabiting the quarry.
The Blade is a Huss Pirate Boat modified with a pendulum blade. It opened in 1980, and was relocated to the area in 1997 from Fantasy World. The Blade currently operates as the only flat ride in Forbidden Valley since the removal of Ripsaw.
Galactica is a B&M flying coaster, originally opening as Air in 2002. Air was loosely themed as a peaceful landscape, distanced from the 'apocalyptic' look of Nemesis. Air was redesigned as Galactica in 2016, adopting virtual reality headsets and a space travel theme. The headsets are optional for riders.
In May 2016, the 'Rollercoaster Restaurant' opened, offering a dining experience where guests have their food delivered by looping rails. The restaurant is open daily from 10am - 9:30pm; available to guests without theme park admission after the park has closed, except during Scarefest and Fireworks events.
Adventure Land
Adventure Land is a small family area featuring Spinball Whizzer; based on a pinball machine in which the car is the ball whizzing around the machine. The ride originally had this name, until 2010 when it was known as Sonic Spinball until the name change back in 2016 when a contract ended with SEGA after six years. The ride is a Maurer Söhne spinning roller coaster, in which riders sit in cars that can spin on their base whilst travelling at speed around the track. In 2017, the area was merged with the Towers making Spinball whizzer the second attraction in the area alongside [Hex: the legend of the towers]
X-Sector
X-Sector is themed as a secretive industrial complex, suggested to be subjecting park guests to experimental tests.
The area currently contains three thrill rides. The steel dive coaster Oblivion which opened in 1998 as "the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster", designed by Tussauds and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard. The cars are held over the edge of the drop for three seconds, before diving into a deep tunnel. The Smiler is a Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster which opened in May 2013 and currently holds the world record for most inversions on a roller coaster at 14. Enterprise is a standard HUSS Enterprise model which opened in 1984, spinning riders 360 degrees and giving the illusion of defying gravity. The area layout was partly altered in 2013 season to accommodate the opening of The Smiler.
Previous rides in X-Sector include The Black Hole, which was a Jet Star 2 coaster enclosed in a tent, where The Smiler is located today. Energizer (later renamed Boneshaker) was a swinging gondola flat ride. It was replaced by Submission in 2001, a "Chance Double Inverter" flat ride, which was itself removed in 2014.
Mutiny Bay
Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed family area, which opened in 2008. the area was a retheme for Merry England.
Attractions in Mutiny Bay include: Battle Galleons, an interactive "Splash Battle" boat ride, where guests sit in tracked boats while soaking other riders with water cannons. Also in the area is the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho. The park's original teacups ride was re-themed to become Marauders Mayhem, with the tea cup cars being redesigned as gunpowder barrels. The Flume was a Mack log flume ride that opened in 1981 and was rethemed in 2004 with a sponsorship from Imperial leather alongside the bubbleworks at Chessington world of adventure. Upon opening, it was the longest flume ride in the world at 886Â m. Towards the end of the 2015 season, the ride closed and was removed in 2016, to make way for the Wicker Man - a Great Coasters International wooden roller coaster that will open in 2018.
In 2009, a Sea Life Centre named Sharkbait Reef opened in the location previously home to the 3-D Cinema. This includes "touch pools" for interacting with underwater species and a 10-metre underwater tunnel.
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Cloud Cuckoo Land is aimed at younger children, featuring bright colours and fantasy decor. Attractions include Frog Hopper and Galloper's Carousel. Cuckoo Cars Driving School allows children to drive miniature electric cars around a themed road layout, featuring visual jokes along the way. A SkyRide station is located nearby Fountain Square, giving access to other areas of the park.
Other attractions in the area are currently SBNO, including an indoor bouncy castle play area called Wobble World and Twirling Toadstool. Previous attractions include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride, which closed at the end of 2015, and Ice Age: 4D Experience, which closed at the end of 2016.
The area was previously known as "Cred Street" and "The Land of Make Believe", with a cartoon-inspired look, mainly featuring Toyland Tours. Prior to this, it was first built as "Talbot Street" in 1981, becoming the park's first themed area, home to the Around The World In 80 Days and Doom & Sons dark rides.
Dark Forest
The Dark Forest opened in March 2010, themed as a supernatural woodland area. TH13TEEN, a steel family coaster themed as a haunted crypt, opened in 2010. It features the "world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster" - an indoor, vertically dropping track element. The ride replaced the Corkscrew; the park's first roller coaster, which opened in 1980. Rita is a hydraulically launched steel sit-down coaster that reaches a top speed of 62Â mph (100Â km).
The area was previously a cartoon prehistoric area named Ug Land, which opened in 1999, but was half-demolished to make way for Rita's construction in 2005. With the opening of Thirteen, the area was renamed as Dark Forest and further altered with a new colour scheme and entrance feature. Rita was also given a repainted control cabin and trains, shortening its name from "Rita - Queen of Speed".
CBeebies Land
CBeebies Land is based on the BBC children's TV channel: CBeebies. It is the newest area of the Theme Park and opened on 24 May 2014. The area includes rides, shows and interactive experiences based on programmes from CBeebies, including In the Night Garden and Postman Pat. Attractions in the area are: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, Postman Pat's Parcel Post, Get Set Go Treetop Adventure, Something Special Sensory Garden, Nina's Science Lab, Numtums Number Go-Around, Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters and Greendrops, Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory, Mr Bloom's Allotment and Tree Fu Tom Training Camp. Shows at the Big Fun Show Time stage include: Mike the Knight, The ZingZillas and Nina and the Neurons. In 2015, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened, it is an underwater themed children's roller coaster; built on the vacant site The Beastie roller coaster. CBeebies Land was further expanded in 2017 with the opening of the Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride and The Furchester Hotel Live.
The Towers
The Towers are the ruins of Alton Towers stately home and are the source of the park's name. They belonged to the Talbot family as a stately home until 1924 and largely designed by Augustus Pugin, also noted for his work on the Palace of Westminster. The Towers are now in a state of disrepair following decades of neglect. The ruins are open to the public during most of the open season. However, some areas are closed off as part of a £1.1 million project in place to restore the oldest parts of the Towers. Key areas of The Towers include the banqueting hall, the chapel, conservatories, and Her Ladyship's Gardens.
Hex â€" The Legend of the Towers, a walk-through dark ride based within the ruins themselves, opened in 2000. The finale to the ride is a Vekoma Madhouse located away from the real Towers but themed as a secret vault. The storyline is based on a local legend about the chained oak tree, located in a nearby forest, and makes use of the history of the Towers. It draws its theme from the legend of the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury who was said to be cursed by a beggar woman to suffer death every time a branch falls from an old oak tree.
During the park's Halloween 'Scarefest' event multiple scare mazes operate within the Towers themselves. For 2016's Scarefest event these were; Terror of the Towers, Sub Species: the End Games and the new for 2016 maze called Altonville Mine Tours. It's also the area that Spinball whizzer, a Maurer-Sohne spinning coaster, now falls under.
The Gardens
Near the garden entrance is a cenotaph to the 15th Earl, a marble bust with an inscription reading "He made the desert smile". Landmarks include a Chinese Pagoda Fountain, The Swiss Cottage, Miniature 'Stonehenge', a Greek Choragic Monument, and orangeries.
Alton Towers Waterpark
The Alton Towers Waterpark, formerly known as Cariba Creek, opened alongside the Splash Landings Hotel in 2003. It is a large, part-indoor and part outdoor waterpark themed as a tropical Caribbean lagoon. The waterpark features several fast slides, a lazy river, a giant tipping bucket and many other water features. Also located there are two food and drink venues: Adventures Cave and Ice Cream Shack. Unlike Chessington Zoo at the also Merlin operated Chessington World of Adventures Resort, a separate ticket is needed for waterpark access as it is not included with the theme park entrance price.
Attractions include Lagoona Bay, which is the main tropical pool, with water cannons, geysers and waterfalls. The Little Leak is a paddling pool for young children with two small slides and interactive pipes to play with, while Wacky Waterworks Treehouse is a wooden 'treehouse' with water cannons, and other interactive features to squirt passing people with.
The largest ride in the Waterpark is the water coaster The Master Blaster, with uphill sections similar to the Master Blaster at Sandcastle Water Park, Blackpool and Nucleus at Water World, Stoke-on-Trent. The Master Blaster is a high speed water flume that contains sharp turns, drops and dark sections, and has views of the entire indoor area of the waterpark.
Other rides include Rush & Rampage, twin racing slides where riders experience wide turns. This attraction requires rubber rings. Lazy River (Calypso Creek) is a slow-moving water circuit, taking riders underneath spraying water jets and tipping buckets of water. Rubber rings are available. The Tipping Bucket is a container filled with 1000 litres of water which regularly tips its contents over people standing below. Flash Floods are tiered outdoor pools with two slides leading to the middle pool and three leading to the bottom. Other swimming pools include Volcanic Springs, and indoor heated hot pool, and Bubbly Wubbly Pool, an outdoor heated pool and whirlpool.
Resort accommodation
Alton Towers Hotel
The Alton Towers Hotel opened on 10 April 1996 and is themed to the eccentric fictional character Sir Algenon Alton and his travels. The rooms are decorated in a quirky English style with pictures of Sir Algenon's inventions. The hotel is four star and has 180 rooms. The hotel was the first phase in a plan to turn the theme park into a multi-day resort.
The Alton Towers Hotel is currently undergoing a long term phased refurbishment to theme each floor to a different setting. So far, the plan has produced the Moon Voyage Bedrooms and Arctic Explorer Bedrooms.
Splash Landings Hotel
The Splash Landings Hotel opened in 2003. The hotel has a relaxed Caribbean theme and is attached to the Alton Towers Waterpark. It is also four star and it has 216 rooms with a choice of six room types, Family of 4 'Beachcomber' room, Family of 6 'Beachcomber' room, The Ice Age Suites, The Pirate Suites, Interconnected Family of 4 'Beachcomber' room and, Interconnected Family of 3 'Beachcomber' Room. The interconnected rooms are all on the ground floor and the family of 3 rooms are also disabled accessible. The rooms are numbered in the ranges of 1101 to 1159, 1201 to 1259, 1301 to 1359 and, 1401 to 1459, there are a few room numbers that are not used due to the shape of the hotel, these are 27, 29, 31, 33 and 35 on each floor.
Enchanted Village
The Enchanted Village is made up of 120 lodges and 5 secluded treehouses set in the fictional Enchanted Forest woodland. Situated next to the Alton Towers hotel, it features new recreational activities, such as various playgrounds for children and an archery range, which is available to use at no extra cost. The site is also home to "The Crooked Spoon" restaurant, and also an additional shop which sells alcohol and outdoor activity toys.
The Enchanted Village opened to the public on 18 April 2015.
Alton Towers have submitted planning application to expand the Enchanted Village in several phases. The application has been approved and if the plans go ahead, construction on the first phase will commence in 2018 with a scheduled opening of March 2019.
CBeebies Land Hotel
On 27 July 2016, Alton Towers announced the addition of a 76-room extension to the Alton Towers Hotel themed to CBeebies characters. The hotel was constructed with 42 standard rooms themed to the CBeebies Bugbies and another 34 premium rooms themed to different CBeebies shows, such as Something Special and Swashbuckle. Room amenities include child-friendly features, such as steps up to the sink and children's toilet seats. The hotel features CBeebies-themed shows and entertainment, which run every day of the year, as well as the "Windmill Restaurant". The hotel opened on the 8 July 2017.
Recreation
Alton Towers Spa
Alton Towers Spa is part of the Alton Towers Hotel and opened in 2004. It includes relaxation and treatment rooms and an adults only swimming pool. Despite being inside the Alton Towers Hotel, non hotel guests are able to use the Spa.
Extraordinary Golf
Opened in 2007, the Extraordinary Golf mini-golf attraction is themed to different rides and attractions at the park, some of which, are from the park's history. Extraordinary Golf is located to the west of the Splash Landings Hotel. Extraordinary Golf was refreshed for 2016 including the addition of a Galactica themed hole.
Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest
Opened May 2015, the Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest is a high ropes course near the Enchanted Village. The attraction opened shortly after, and accompanies, the Enchanted Village development. There is also a low ropes course. The Enchanted Forest Tree Top Quest will not be open for the 2018 season.
Future developments
In July 2009, the Alton Towers Resort outlined a 10-year development plan for the park (2010â€"2019), the aim being to increase visitor numbers, in particular multi-day guests. The plan showed an option for a third hotel or new accommodation of some sort over the coming years. This was later revealed to be a log cabin development, The Enchanted Village. The plan also highlighted areas for development, as well as suggesting the possibility of a new park entrance nearer to the hotels, which could act as a second entrance or replacement to the existing one in Towers Street.
In August 2015, Alton Towers submitted a planning application for the construction of a third hotel next to the Alton Towers Spa. Although the plans are an altered version of the originally submitted extension to the Alton Towers Hotel, the plans indicate that the development is an entirely separate hotel. The plans show four floors, including a new restaurant, bar, entertainment area, and sunken garden landscaping. This was later confirmed to be the new CBeebies Land Hotel in July 2016.
In April 2016, Alton Towers submitted a screening opinion request to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council. The request came attached with a layout of a roller coaster to be situated on the site of The Flume, with a new Smokehouse restaurant occupying the old station building of the ride. Furthermore, banners were erected around the site advertising 'SW8', and a ground breaking new ride experience. The Smokehouse restaurant was removed from later SW8 plans. Since then, the ride has been named the Wicker Man and is set to open in Spring 2018.
Two new attractions have been added to CBeebies Land for the 2017 season, Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride is a small family flat ride and the Furchester Hotel Live Show is a new actor led interactive indoor experience next to the new ride. Both attractions opened with the rest of the park on 25 March 2017.
Towers Loving Care
In 2016, Alton Towers began promoting its park maintenance online, under the banner "Towers Loving Care". The features typically include scenic paintwork, relaying pathways, changing light bulbs and changes to park audio.
The 2015-2016 winter season included paintwork for Nemesis, painting over the original scenic rust effect from the track supports, but restoring colour and detail to the station exterior. Signs and some scenery were also added to the Dark Forest area, around a scaffold tunnel under Rita. In 2016, Hex re-opened with extensive repairs to its lighting and effects under the "TLC" name; also with a new sound system, although the quality of the new sound system was contested by visitors. The TLC page announced that it would be carrying out similar repairs to Duel the following season.
The project is co-ordinated in-house by Alton Towers Resort as a means of securing budget for essential aesthetic maintenance, to circumvent the lack of dedicated budget delivered by parent company Merlin Entertainments. The resort launched a Twitter and Facebook account which frequently showcases images of what occurrences are taking place under the project.
Secret Weapon roller coasters
Alton Towers has a tradition of codenaming its new roller coaster developments as "Secret Weapon", or "SW", followed by a number. The name is associated with the park's inclination to promote its rides as holding "world first" or in some way "innovative" features and records. However the naming tradition actually began for unrelated reasons, since "Secret Weapon" was the working title of a roller coaster that was ultimately never commissioned.
SW1 was a pipeline roller coaster, planned to open in around 1992, on what later became the Nemesis site. It was provisionally titled the "Secret Weapon", with the intention of theming the ride as an ambiguous weapon testing facility. John Wardley rode the Arrow Dynamics prototype of their pipeline coaster, but stated "it was very slow and rather boring", as well as the requirement for such a high lift hill being unsuitable for the park's planning restrictions. After a second layout revision, labelled "SW2", the ride was scrapped and development on SW3 (Nemesis) began. The code name subsequently became the standard preliminary name for major roller coaster projects at the park.
The convention was briefly dropped while the park (and its parent company the Tussauds Group) was owned by Dubai International Capital, before being continued by the Merlin Group.
The "Secret Weapon" rides are:
Events
Prior to the main open season, Alton Towers held the February Half-Term event which saw a selected ride offering opened for the week before the start of the main season in March, however the event was cancelled for 2016; with the exception of Sharkbait Reef which was open for Pirate and Princess Week held at the Resort hotels.
Concerts
Alton Towers has a history of hosting concerts since the 1960s. Concerts in recent years have included the Alton Towers Live event in 2011 and 2013. In 2010, there was an 80’s concert for the 30th Anniversary featuring Rick Astley and Bananarama and also that year hosted a P!nk concert. In the past these concerts were often held in the car park at an additional fee, however more recently concerts have been held within the theme park. Artists that have performed there include Tina Turner and The Black Eyed Peas.
Scarefest
Scarefest is the resort's largest annual event. It celebrates Halloween with a number of temporary scare maze attractions, scare zones, costumed characters and extended opening hours. Rides and areas are lit with coloured lighting at night, with most rides and attractions continuing to operate until 9pm. The Scarefest event has been running since 2007, although the park started celebrating Halloween with decoration several years before and has operated the Terror of the Towers scaremaze since 2002.
     Previous Scarefest attraction      Current Scarefest attraction
Seasonal Scarefest attractions as of 2017
- Terror of the Towers â€" What Lies Within, the signature maze situated inside the Towers themselves, first introduced in 2002. A new format was introduced in the 2009 Scarefest event, along with the new tagline "What Lies Within" replacing "Bloodfest Banquet". Visitors queue outside in Her Ladyship's Gardens, and the attraction itself starts in the derelict Conservatories. Batches of guests watch a short video showing two men exploring the Towers for ghosts. The video then cuts short, and guests enter the Towers to find the men. At certain points in the maze, the bodies of the two men are each seen hanging from a noose. Visitors become lost in the lengthy corridors and themed scenes in the Towers, with live actors pursuing them in every room. The finale to the attraction is a maze-like walkway that winds around actors in cages, with strobe effects.
- Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover the Legend of the Skin Snatchers, the brand new for 2016, live action horror maze, set in the baron town of Altonville. A family of inbred hillbillies are outcast due to their hideous disfigurement and warped way of life. Through desperation they begin capturing townsfolk, before removing their skin and stitching it into their own in a hope that this may finally give them the beauty they so desire.
- Sub Species: The End Games, a live action horror maze returning in 2016, which will push the boundaries of Scarefest’s mazes with multiple routes. A post-apocalyptic, sewer dwelling community have been infested by a species from another world. In order to survive, they appease the creature’s hunger by sacrificing innocent people from the surface. However, over time, insanity has twisted the feeding ritual into a sick contest. Your demise is now their entertainment. Let the death race begin!
- Freak Show Scare Zone, A travelling side-show of circus rejects has descended upon the Alton Towers Resort. Dare you walk amongst the freakishly fascinating misfits, desperate for your undivided attention?
- House of Monsters, a family interactive maze, new for 2016. This attraction is set in the Wobble World building. An online Vlogger has turned into somewhat of a modern-day Monster hunter after his investigations have led him to believe that fictitious monsters actually exist and live in a Haunted House. He hasn’t the nerves to go alone so has asked his online followers to join him on a daring mission to the supposedly abandoned house. Will you join him on the mission, what will you find? Will you discover that Monsters have a good side too?
- "The Welcoming: Be Chosen" - New For 2017 and Located in Mutiny Bay, This scare maze was created to promote the Wicker Man (roller coaster) due to open in Spring 2018 . It is based on a group called The Beornen and just in the woods of a fictional town called Altonbay lies a ritual taking place to celebrate their interpretation of Halloween by building and setting alight to a Wicker Man structure. For the first time ever they have allowed ‘Outsiders’ to join in this celebration. But little do you know that they have something up their sleeve. A sacrifice.
Past seasonal Scarefest attractions
- Terror of the Towers. The first incarnation of this long-running annual scare maze was introduced in 2002, and was located in the Towers ruins themselves. Many scenes from the original maze are still used. Visitors walked through the long, winding corridors of the Towers, through themed scenes while being pursued by live actors. The finale featured a winding pathway around actors behind fences, who lunged towards visitors, accompanied with heavy strobe effects. For 2003 it was restructured and given the tagline and theme "Bloodfest Banquet".
- "TH13TEEN: After Dark" has an enhanced queue line for Alton Towers' newest roller coaster, using fog and lighting effects as well as live actors. This attraction did not return for 2012.
- Terror of the Towers â€" Bloodfest Banquet was a new version of the Terror of the Towers scare maze, running from 2003 to 2008. It retained much of the original version, but featured new scenes that included scripted dialogue from the several characters, and a new storyline was added. The strobe maze finale was moved to another point in the maze and replaced by a new ending, in which visitors become trapped in a small room with cages on every side, as actors reach for them through the metal bars for almost a minute. Every year, Terror of the Towers kept changing slightly with revised scenes and new scares. However, for the 2009 Scarefest event, Terror of the Towers was once again completely rethought, with the tagline "What Lies Within". The new incarnation drops the scripted scenes and characters; meaning it is similar to the original Terror of Towers of 2002. The whole layout for the maze was also reversed, with what was previously the entrance becoming the exit.
- Room 13 was first introduced in 2006 and was located in the conference room of the Alton Towers Hotel. It was only available to guests of the hotel, who were led around the maze as many live actors appeared to scare them. Room 13 had positive reviews and returned in 2007, but was replaced by The Boiler House in 2008.
- Field of 1000 Screams was first introduced in the 2007 Scarefest event and was the first maze at Alton Towers not situated inside a pre-existing building. The Field was located entirely outdoors in a moderately sized field of maize, which had to be planted especially for the event several months earlier. It purported to be a fictional village called Altonville that had become overrun by zombies. Visitors walked down a long pathway cut through the corn, and encountered characters and scares along the way, before the finale took place. The Field of 1000 Screams did not return for the 2010 event.
- Haunted Hollow Live was first seen in 2007 and consisted of several sinister, costumed actors performing along the Haunted Hollow walkway in Gloomy Wood. The attraction was similar to Duel Live, which was introduced the year later. Haunted Hollow Live returned for the 2008 Scarefest event, but was cancelled for 2009.
- Duel Live was first introduced in the 2008 Scarefest event. Throughout this period, the park's haunted house dark ride, Duel, became host to this attraction, which included live actors situated around the ride circuit. Duel was available to ride normally until 12Â pm, when the laser guns and LED targets were switched and the actors took their positions. This was changed in 2009, when Duel Live took place throughout the whole day and many more actors than the previous year were present. Duel Live was aimed at the family audience, and included such features as new music playing throughout the ride (instead of the usual Duel theme music), as well as a butler or maid who would welcome you inside the house. The attraction was changed slightly for the 2010 season and featured the park's Scarefest mascots.
- Skelvin's Haunted Adventure was a newer version of Duel Live, introduced in 2010, and took over Duel â€" The Haunted House Strikes Back! throughout Scarefest. As in previous years, the attraction included live actors situated at different points around the ride. The laser guns and LED targets were switched off during this time. The ride featured the Scarefest mascots, notably the character of "Skelvin".
- The Boiler House was a scare maze first introduced in 2008, and was situated next to the Alton Towers Hotel. Originally, the scare maze was set in an abandoned industrial facility and featured live actors in make up. This was changed in 2009, when a new storyline was added. The scare maze later featured the fictional "Hamble Twins" serial killers hiding in the industrial building, and visitors have to escape them as they are chased through the scenes. Visitors queued outside, past a van labelled "Alton News 24", from which television screens play news reports on the activity of the serial killers. Guests then walk through a covered walkway, which hides the marquee that the maze is contained in from view. Once inside, a man appears and warns guests about the dangers of coming inside. The murderers then appear and kill him, before chasing visitors away. Each of the Twins are played by two different actors wearing the same grotesque, latex mask. They appear at different points in the maze, creating the illusion that one character is in several places at once. Dim lighting and scent effects are heavily used. For the 2011 Scarefest, The Boiler House moved along with the Carnival of Screams to the X Sector, where they both shared the old Black Hole tent. After three years it did not return for the 2012 season.
- Carnival of Screams was a scare maze that debuted for the 2010 Scarefest event. During its debut it shared the same temporary building as the Boiler House. John Wardley contributed to the development of Carnival of Screams, which was entered through a large clown face with horrific features. For 2011 it and the Boiler House were relocated to the X-Sector area. The maze is a mixture of humor and serious scares, and the music used is the former Toy Land Tours attraction theme music warped for dramatic effect. From 2012 onwards, the attraction was situated opposite the hospitality suite, with the exit inside the Goal Striker unit. In 2013 and its final incarnation, the maze gained a theatrical ending involving a knife thrower.
- The Sanctuary was new for the 2012 Scarefest event and returned in 2013 and 2014. The attraction was set in a research facility operated by "The Ministry of Joy". Alton Towers released the following description at the time: "Lost your Smile? Then check yourself in for a refreshing check up at The Sanctuary. After being closed for new patients for almost 50 years The Sanctuary, The Ministry of Joy’s earliest establishment, is now holding important trials searching for ‘Advocates’ for its 2013 project." It was revealed to be part of marketing for The Smiler roller coaster, which opened in 2013.
- Scary Tales Scare Zone was a walk through scare zone that ran for the 2014 event. The attraction setting revolved around fairy tale stories that were rewritten in a nightmarish manner.
- The Haunting of Molly Crowe, a multi-sensory maze set in the Towers ruins. The maze was based on the old and abandoned house of Molly Crowe, who was last seen engulfed in flames in the cellar of her house, emitting a scream of non human origin. This ran for the 2015 event.
- Nox:Infernus Scare Zone, a scare zone which ran for the 2015 event, set in the Dark Forest. The underworld rises again - Will you join the Cult or face the end of the world as we know it?
- Dark Apocalypse Scare Zone, a scare zone which was first introduced for the 2015 event and returning in 2016. A deadly virus has spread across Forbidden Valley. The infected show signs of highly aggressive behavior and rapid physical decomposition. Phalanx control has quarantined the area however, a recent security breach has questioned their ability to contain the virus and keep society safe.
Fireworks
For the last days of the season, Alton Towers host firework Shows, these have been running annually since the 1990s on the Great Lawns. The displays were considered disruptive by some local residents, which led to formal complaints. Two local residents decided to take the theme park to court regarding this issue. The court issued Alton Towers with a noise abatement order in October 2005 which restricted the theme park to three shows a year, previously five, with noise readings not exceeding 40 decibels outside the park. In 2006, the display was rebranded as Electric Towers, but then discontinued. However, the fireworks and laser show was reinstated in 2010 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the theme park and has returned to being an annual event.
Other events
During the closed season months Alton Towers holds regular Pirate & Princess Weekends. The event entails decorations, and themed activities for children in the Hotels and the waterpark. The theme park's Sharkbait Reef aquarium also opens for the event.
During December, the Santa's Sleepover event takes place. Both resort hotels are decorated for the event and a pantomime takes place. The Alton Towers Theme Park also opens for Christmas with a small number of rides open as well as a Santa's Grotto. The event is largely aimed at children. In 2015, the theme park permitted entry to non-hotel guests for the first time however the event has reverted to hotel guests only in 2016.
Since 2015 Alton Towers have opened the park for a Services Day; a day where a limited quantity of discounted tickets (fewer than on a usual season day) are sold to those who work in public services such as the Police, NHS, Fire brigade, Prison service, Army, RAF, Royal Navy and other similar services. Services Day is usually held approximately two weeks prior to the start of the new season, which usually begins mid-March. Due to the success of the 2015, '16 and '17 Services Days, a two-day weekend of Services Days was planned for 3 March and 4 March, however this was postponed to 11 March due to weather conditions. Services Days are open to holders of a Blue Light Card or a Defence Discount Service Card.
Incidents
In June 2015, sixteen people were injured on The Smiler ride, with two individuals requiring leg amputations. Merlin Entertainments originally released a press release blaming the crash on "human error". However, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) concluded the crash was foreseeable, stating that "Merlin failed to put in place systems that allowed their engineers to work safely on the ride while it was running". During the subsequent court case, Merlin retracted their statement and pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety law. The company was fined £5Million, with the court citing a "catalogue of errors" with Merlin's operating procedure and training.
In June 2017, Alton Towers estate owner Nick Leslau incorrectly repeated that the crash was due to "a human error", but added that "Merlin has paid a massive price, but the performance of the business has been exemplary and the share price is now at an all-time high."
Conservation Area restrictions
Alton Towers is set in a Conservation Area, which puts a restriction on the height of any ride or building development in the park. It has been agreed with the local council that no buildings should be built above the tree line and if so should be disguised to fit the landscape; this can be seen on the ride Rita, where part of the track is camouflaged to fit in with the trees.
Noise pollution is also a problem for the park due to the close proximity to the villages of Alton and Farley and the town of Cheadle. There have been several cases where Alton Towers have been taken to court over the noise levels emitted from the park and have been served noise abatement orders in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Court cases
On 3 May 2012 a couple from the local village of Farley won the rights to a full High Court trial on the amount of noise generated by the park. The couple have been in a legal battle with the park for nearly a decade, and during this period succeeded in a noise abatement order on the theme park which led to the audio from the top of the Oblivion drop being removed, and Alton Towers having to limit the amount of annual fireworks displays to only three a year.
Stephen and Suzanne Roper, who live only 100 yards from the park, say that their lives have been made a misery by the noise of the screams as well as fireworks displays and music. They launched their legal fight in 2002, but after years of wrangling, their claim for an injunction and damages was thrown out in January 2011. Judge Mr Justice Hickinbottom later overturned that decision, bringing the claim back. This now paves the way for a full court hearing. The Ropers will seek an injunction forcing the park owners to close or relocate some rides and an order forcing them to pay damages for noise suffered from 1998 to the present.
See also
- Incidents at European amusement parks
- List of theme parks in the United Kingdom
References
External links
- Official website
- Lost Heritage: full architectural history of the house
- "Description of Theme Areas". Archived from the original on 1 October 2009.Â
- 1930 film of Alton Towers
- Heraldry at Alton Towers
- Alton Towers: Before it was Famous (on themagiceye at Joyland)