JoshC.

Lots going on today!

Good opening hours all round. I agree that Fright Nights should go back to 10pm, even if it's just FN attractions and coasters that stay open till then. I would presume that the main issue is staffing. The park is open till the first weekend of November, which seems later, but just coincides with the dates of local half terms. I hope they can build towards that. Tbf in the current UK park landscape, 7pm is still pretty good though. It's interesting that no Carnival (or indeed, any summer) event is advertised currently. I wonder if last year's event schedule was too much for the teams involved? Could also potentially mean an Annual Pass day on the Saturday. Equally, there could be a long-shot suggestion of Saturday being the opening of Hyperia, meaning longer opening hours or, again, the potential for AP previews.

It feels like construction has gone in ebbs and flows. When the outerbank dive was going up, everything felt like it was flying. But then after that, it's felt like vertical construction slowed down. Obviously there's still been progress, but at this point, I would have expected work on the lift hill / drop and more high-up track, given that in October the outerbank dive was completed. I think March is an outside bet. For all the other Thorpe coasters which opened in March, I believe they all complete their first test run by January of the year they opened, and some of them had tight turn arounds to opening. There can be a quick turnaround from first test to riders, but it also depends on landscaping, queue construction, etc. I think April-early May is the most realistic safe bet at the moment, but it certainly could be earlier than that. I'm aware that this week staff who will be working on the ride (as hosts and operators) were told and allowed to share the news publicly, which is usually a sign that the park themselves have an idea when training can start. When that is isn't publicly known though.

The plans for the retirement home were announced in 2019; we had discussions about it here and here. Adverts around the site suggested it would open in Spring 2023, but it's still looks like there's a lot of work to do with it. Next time I go to Monk's Walk I'll try and take some photos. It's a weird position for a retirement home and I'm still slightly surprised it got the green light. Will be interesting to see what happens in the future. The actual land itself probably never would have been used by the park for public stuff, given there would be a staff area in between it and the main park. But it could affect the park's potential investments nearer to the site.

I appreciate this is just a singular screenshot of a website, but the design of it makes me feel like that website should avoid throwing stones whilst in a glass house.

This is the main thing really. By doing all these things up, they need to commit to doing other things which need doing, and keeping up appearances too. The tart ups of Colossus and Stealth will highlight how Inferno needs a freshen up. The effects and theming on Swarm need some attention. Again, tarting up other areas will highlight that Swarm needs attention. And then they need to maintain them. With Stealth, Teacups and Big Easy Boulevard all getting attention, all of a sudden Rumba Rapids will look even more run down. The Beach and Depth Charge are still things that need attention. The Sparkle Project does have a feel of Towers Loving Care. And whilst that was great in the then and now, we've seen how things have been abandoned since. But as has been said, it does feel like the park and Merlin are putting more money into the park (/ parks in general), which is very good. Hopefully the Sparkle Project will become a more standard winter maintenance. And yes, more importantly, that they have a department who can maintain everything and keep on top of things. But big thing: I'm loving the updates that they've talked about. Really looking forward to seeing what the park manage.

Repainting is going well... Side note: slightly annoying that part of one of the supports on the cobra roll has been painted blue

Thorpe did some cool drone shots:

Yesterday's update from the park

The Kerplunk tower grows... https://twitter.com/ThorpeParkMania/status/1733824855638769788?t=KaLhBN7yYO54zcOS_AT2sw&s=19

The outerbank from that station is going in Ketchup:

Rapids tend to splash the water, but gold star for effort.

The park do need to be careful here. It's something they've been doing for a while, albeit not as much, nor in as much a spotlight, as they were last night. Being cheeky, sarcastic and fun on social media can work and be good. Ryanair does it very well, for example. But you have to be careful it doesn't go too far, as it can leave a sour taste in the mouth otherwise. Right now it's difficult, as it can come across as defensive and rude. But at the same time, it's just a logo it doesn't affect the operation of the park in any way. How they respond to people when people have genuine complaints that affect their day is much more important.

For what it's worth, Jack Silkstone has said he did not create the new logo.

I'm not big on brands in general over-simplifying their logos. It's obviously a modern trend, but I've just never liked it for any brand. At the same time, I don't hate this. It works and has a level of versatility. This is from an email sent out to passholders: Changes to the colours works nicely. It does feel a bit 'change for the sake of change', but it does the job. I can understand them wanting a fresh start if they're changing their brand voice a lot more. Will miss the infinity logo and still feel like that had buckets of potential.

Here we go..

tbf a new logo requires a bit more effort, money, change, etc. So that help justify keeping the change and not going back. I think the bigger thing, which admittedly is harder to know unless you're aware of these things, is that the senior management at the park has been stable for a good period of time now. In the 2010s, especially the latter half, there was a lot of chop and change at the top, and that was reflected in the brand identity, vision and so forth. Hopefully the stability in the senior management continues, meaning they're singing from the same hymn sheet, if you will.

First video in this series

The park now have a Hyperia construction blog: https://www.thorpepark.com/blog/hyperia-construction-updates/

looks very nice

Hyperia. Nemesis is great. And will be great. But Hyperia.

The jump into the brakes, and the brake run, have gone in: https://twitter.com/DG95Official/status/1725858289638875338/photo/1

I like the idea. It's smart and slick, and will remain as a hub for the Mardi Gras event which will no doubt continue in the future. Hopefully we see some 3D facades rather than just simple paint jobs. Or just some extra details. One of the issues I felt with Angry Birds Land is everything largely felt flat and basic, with some of the detailing lost from the previous area (canon shot marks on the buildings, etc).

My travels for the year have been cut short thanks to a broken ankle. Missed out on the Madrid and Barcelona parks, plus a return to Walibi Belgium, because of that. I should be fine for a Plopsaland visit I have booked in December though. So, in terms of new parks: Bakken Tivoli Gardens Djurs Sommerland Tivoli Friheden TusenFryd Fårup Sommerland Return visits: -Thorpe Park (no clue on the number; 20-30?) -Chessington x4 -Alton Towers x2 -Parc Asterix x1 And new coasters: 294 Tornado (Bakken) Bakken 295 Rutschebanen (Bakken) Bakken 296 Vilde Mus Bakken 297 Mine Train Ulven Bakken 298 Mariehønen Bakken 299 Dæmonen Tivoli Gardens 300 Rutschebanen (Tivoli Gardens) Tivoli Gardens 301 Mælkevejen Tivoli Gardens 302 Kamelen Tivoli Gardens 303 Mandrill Mayhem Chessington 304 DrageKongen Djurs Sommerland 305 Jungle Rally Djurs Sommerland 306 Skatteøen Djurs Sommerland 307 Piraten Djurs Sommerland 308 Juvelen Djurs Sommerland 309 Thor's Hammer Djurs Sommerland 310 T-Rex Family Coaster Djurs Sommerland 311 Vilde Hønsejagt Djurs Sommerland 312 Tyfonen Tivoli Friheden 313 Bisværmen Tivoli Friheden 314 Dragen Tivoli Friheden 315 Tonnerre 2 Zeus Parc Asterix 316 Toutatis Parc Asterix 317 Storm - The Dragon Legend TusenFryd 318 SuperSplash (TusenFryd) TusenFryd 319 Thunder Coaster TusenFryd 320 Speed Monster TusenFryd 321 Loopen TusenFryd 322 HuriHuri TusenFryd 323 Western Expressen TusenFryd 324 Fønix Fårup Sommerland 325 Saven Fårup Sommerland 326 Mine Expressen Fårup Sommerland 327 Lynet Fårup Sommerland 328 Falken Fårup Sommerland 329 Orkanen Fårup Sommerland 330 Pindsvinet Fårup Sommerland 331 Flagermusen Fårup Sommerland Not a bad year, but the broken ankle did put a significant dent in plans. A cancelled flight also meant I couldn't stay over at Parc Asterix like originally planned. 2024 will hopefully be bigger.

The rethemed Angry Birds Land has been announced as Big Easy Boulevard... We'll keep discussion of that in here now.