JoshC.

Annnnd plans have been submitted for the Bumba the Clown indoor area: The area will include a dark ride (top right), a theatre and some kids rides. No word yet on what the dark ride is exactly. This is going somewhere between the park's kids land and the entrance area. It was originally planned for 2020, and was meant to include a kiddie coaster. However, with plans changing and the park now opting for the big coaster in 2021, they have scrapped the kids coaster and are planning on opening this in 2022.

Where was this said? Not doubting you, just curious as there definitely was no plan for I'm a Celeb to return this year! There used to be a small stage roughly where the query for Jungle Escape is called the Showcase. The space was probably used as a backstage and storage area for any shows before it was used as a maze (and probably throughout the rest of the year when the space was a maze!). On a serious Jungle Escape note, I hope that they make suitable changes next year. It was hardly used this year, which feels particularly wasteful given there's two routes for competing teams. Either make it significantly cheaper (or free and just bookable) or make it much more involved and suitable for smaller groups. That way, it at least uses the space more effectively for the crowds it gets. I still think that there's room for an escape room at theme parks / resorts if done correctly. But right now, Jungle Escape misses the mark.

Not all French people are terrible tbf. But in saying that, the French, as well as Dutch school kids, are the worst guests I've ever encountered at parks, so... I'd personally be surprised if we see the park do anything. The set up of train rides is pretty universal. I'm sure Europa realise this is a rare incident with stupid guests and don't need to take action unless it becomes worryingly common.

Now this is an interesting one. At what point should they start reducing the group sizes? And at what point should they start increasing them again if the queue becomes too long? It's something that has no clear cut answer, but I'd be interested to know what Thorpe's take on it is. The park want to get as many people through the mazes as possible to increase maze 'ridership' (and we see that especially during half term when the mazes struggle to cope), so it makes sense to keep group sizes the same in that respect. That number is going to be one of the most important numbers to them. But then, generally speaking, small groups = better experience (not always, but often). The park should want to give better experiences and improve maze satisfaction and guest scores as much as possible. But how many people are going to notice (or care) that they're getting a better experience for waiting slightly longer? People are more likely to moan about a longer queue time than they are to praise a really good experience. My guess is the park try and just make it so a maze is effectively a walk on before batching smaller groups. Internally, it will make for better numbers (more people going through the mazes quicker) and reduces the risk of complaints. Room 1 is the same basic principle, but with new theming. Room 2 is completely different and has a completely different phobia as it's theme. This intrigues me. Midnight Syndicate are royalty free as far as I know; all they need is permission and to have a notice somewhere saying they use the music. Presumably it's not as simple as that and that could be hidden issues, but the park never seemed to have said issues up to 2015 (and then 2016/17 they used IMAscore). This is a shame. Platform had been one of my favourite mazes in 2017 and 2018, though I thought it was a bit flat on Thursday. I had hopes it may have been the actors just needing more of a chance to get into the groove of things. Hopefully it grows as the event goes on. The Towers team were involved, as were MMM (the first time the company's higher creative team have been involved in a Fright Nights attraction since Asylum I believe, since they usually only work on main rides). I also believe that Theme3 (who were involved in Experiment 10 and Cabin in the Woods' theming) were involved with the theming of the attraction. Creek Freak had a very big budget this (definitely one of the biggest a single maze has had in recent years), and I think that shows. I hope that Thorpe realise that by putting the money in, they've reaped the rewards out with a maze which, so far, has received very good reviews. If we had 4-5 mazes of Creek Freak's quality, I don't think anyone could complain about the attractions.

The rate it sold tickets, it'll be at Thorpe for a good 20 years before it makes its investment back.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-49868179 A serious accident involving Quimera at La Feria Chapultepec Magico, Mexico City, killing 2 people and injuring 2 more. Reports say people fell from the train. BBC's article seems to use 'crash' and 'derailed' interchangeably though. The coaster opened in 2007 and was formerly Magnum Force at Flamingo Land, where it operated between 2000 and 2005. Just as a warning: there's some pretty graphic images circulating social media / some foreign news articles on this.

I agree about the space issue (and I think that's the same problem for Creek Freak's pre show as well). The issue with a small group is that it was easier to notice what was going to happen; it depends on a large group to be successful.

My experience... If it goes down like that regularly, it'll go down well. It's probably the least bad ending Platform has had, but not my personal favourite.

People on here are pretty good fortunately - as soon as a spoilers thread is set up, people respect that! Link to spoilers

All things spoilers for Fright Nights 2019 are discussed here! --- I attended Press Night tonight, and I'll give some brief spoilery thoughts about the mazes. However, it's very hard to judge the mazes based on run-throughs of tonight; I experienced them in such small groups (and on more than one occasion, alone), making it unfair to judge. Creek Freak Massacre This will get a very good reaction from the masses. It's very well themed, has lots of good effects, good opportunities for the actors to scare you, and of course chainsaws. There's some multi-route aspects and I encountered 3 chainsaws during my goes. And, importantly, this doesn't feel like a Thorpe's attempt at Chop Shop; it feels original. The maze is quite long (probably the second longest, behind Platform) which is good too. I have concerns about the reliability of the effects (not that these detract from the experience in fairness), the reliability of chainsaws (they require regular petrol changes) and how this will cope when the park is busy. I hope those fears are unfounded, but for now, the jury is out. Terror at Amity High Just a flash mob/dance routine, with actors interacting with the crowd in between performances. However, this is really well done, and a refreshing change from all of Thorpe's angsty characters in the past. Do or Die Seen some changes this year, and the theming within the 3 containers you go in is largely very good. Outside them is basically the same as last year and doesn't feel great. There's a very cool sequence in one of the containers. However, I don't know how it will work in the long run with larger groups. So again, I'll wait and see. Blair Witch Very dense forestry and very good layout given the space, but the actors' script is a bit weak. Fun and different, but nothing special. Platform 15 Has a new ending, which I'm sure will go down well in big groups and be a hit with the public. I wasn't a fan of it though. Actor numbers felt a bit sparse but I hear they will improve. Living Nightmare Same as last year but with a slightly different ending. Probably the best themed ending they've done, but not all that scary. Containment Rooms 1 and 2 are different this year. I hadn't done this for a couple of years, so had forgotten that it's pretty decent. Would recommend if you haven't done it for a while. Parkwide Theming, Audio and Lighting Minimal. Didn't notice anything aside from a couple of hanging bodybags and some zombies. Colossus apparently has some stuff but I hate Colossus so didn't pay attention. Verdict For now, it's safe to say that this year's Fright Nights is significantly better than last year. Though that was not very hard to achieve. Every attraction has seen work to try and improve it, though some attractions have missed the mark for now. As ever, I can't give a fairer review until I've done the mazes in a more normal condition. Creek Freak will hit the spot it needs to for the park are it'll go down well. I enjoy aspects of it, though in reality it's not completely my cup of tea. I just hope my operational fears are unfounded.

In fairness, you don't have to watch any of the videos released. However, I do agree about how artificial light in these things detracts from the experience. On a more mod-like note, as people have experienced the mazes spoilers will no doubt come out soon. Please do not post or discuss spoilers here - a spoiler thread is set up for that.

https://facebook.com/thorpeparkmania/

As much as I think it's a silly decision personally, it should be noted and commended that Rumba Rapids will be open throughout Fright Nights this season, after being closed for the event over the past couple of years. It'll close at dusk as has been standard. I guess with Quantum dead and other rides struggling, they don't want to have to have too many rides SBNO. But the sheer lack of popularity the ride has over Fright Nights, coupled with the large number of staff it takes to operate, I question the worth of actually having it open.

And it's confirmed!! Okay, not officially official, but they're getting a big coaster, have used a picture of a Mack Xtreme Spinner and have been rumoured to get one. All but official. They're getting their new kiddie area and kiddie cred in 2022 now (instead of next year), and accomodation stuff in 2020 and 2023. Really great investment from the park, and a huge coaster in 2021 puts them in direct competition with Walibi Belgium. Exciting times for Belgium! The next Netherlands?

Thorpe actually have lots of room for expansion. They've got the island behind Swarm/Stealth just sitting there waiting. The Shark Hotel area was once earmarked as a place for an attraction, and if they ever build the proper hotel on the other side of the lake, they can use that. They've then got the Loggers site, Slammer site, the bit next to Jungle Escape, etc as all dead areas which they could work on before going for out and out replacements. Of course, there's plenty of rides which will need replacing sooner rather than later, but the park aren't really short on space. Curious why you think Tidal Wave and Rush? Tidal Wave is fine really; can't think of anything wrong with it? And Rush is like any other Screaming Swing when it comes to reliability, but again, seems fine! Colossus needs major work tbh. I expect when the time comes, that'll be cheaper than a replacement, so they'll likely opt for that.

Really glad to see them expanding! Both of their current escape rooms, and the Christmas one they did, are amazingly well themed, very well done and just generally brilliant! I'd strongly recommend doing them if you haven't already! They're also doing a live-action version of one of their rooms in the last week of October, which is exciting. Intrigued to see what this new location will offer.

After the plans were withdrawn due to tree issues, they were resubmitted and approved. Construction for this is beginning now and the ride should open in Spring 2020. Still very confused by this so will be interesting to see it come to life...

How are you trying to upload them - are you trying to attach them or adding in a url from a different source? If you haven't tried both, try the other version if you can. If you have tried both / can't try both, drop me a PM and I can look into it a bit more

Wipes dust off thread.. Tripsdrill have celebrated their 90th anniversary this year, and had plans to open a new coaster to celebrate. These plans didn't materialise for whatever reason, but were pushed back to next year. All that is known is that it was set to be a Vekoma family coaster. The latest rumour, however, suggests it will be two coasters: a junior boomerang and a Vekoma Suspended Thrill Coaster (STC). What's more, this rumour suggests that both coasters will have the same layout as the ones planned for Tayto Park, which have yet to have permission granted. It's believed that, if this is the case, this is some sort of stock version offered by Vekoma. And in any case, Tripsdrill were the first buyers of this (indeed true, as Tayto's new investment was long-thought to be an RMC until plans were submitted). Below is a mock up from Tobi (infamous theme park enthusiast who did the models of Klugheim whilst that was being built) showing roughly the plan. Will be a nice investment for the park and help diversify their line up quite a lot! However, as I said when Tayto revealed their plans, I'm still unconvinced by a sprawling boomerang layout; part of their charm is their compactness!

Removed ride gets demolished? Shock horror. Did people expect it to be taken down piece by piece like a loved Lego model?

*clears throat*

Please do not try and film in any mazes. During normal maze operation, at any time, if an actor sees you they'll try and stop you and, if necessary, break character, ruining the experience for everyone. Please just don't try it.

Work on Aqualantis has, unsurprisingly, begun...