Cal

Ah love these.

Unfortunately my lists are very short nowadays, but I've had a fair year theme park wise (considering how life is now!)
Thorpe Park x1
Alton Towers x1
Legoland Windsor x1
Disneyland Park Paris x3
Walt Disney Studios Paris x2

I do miss the days when I had huge lists, and I was at Thorpe & Towers 10-20 times each!

Sad to have not been to any fireworks events or halloween this year, for the first time in... I don't know how long.

Still, could be worse.

Paulton's next year for the first time in 20 years!

Park Count
Thorpe - Loads
Phantasialand x2
Towers x1
Legoland Windsor x1
Chessington x1
Efteling x1
Holiday Park (now Plopsaland Deutschland) x1
Walibi Belgium x1
Bellewaerde x1
Gardaland x1
Movieland Italy x1
Walibi Holland x1

Coasters
New coasters: 26
New parks: 4
Current cred count: 434

Top 5 new coasters
Kondaa, Walibi Belgium. Sitting just outside my Top 10 outright, this is absolutely bonkers in the best possible way. The only mark against it is the double down which starts off the final third of the ride, which just feels a bit unnatural to me.
Karacho, Tripsdrill. Gerstlauer with some of their finest work. It sits just outside my Top 10%, is a great deal of fun. If the MCBR was slightly less harsh, this would be a lot higher in my rankings.
Expedition GeForce, Holiday Plopsaland Deutschland. It's good. The middle third is a bit boring, but the first drop and finale are fab. It's very classic early 00s Intamin.
Raptor, Gardaland. Good, not great. But theming is fab.
MecaLodon, Walibi Belgium. The Gerstlauer family triple launch coaster is something which people have raved about. I like it, especially once it warms up, but I'm not as big on it as most. The ride type has buckets of potential though.

Disappointments
YoY, Walibi Holland. I liked Jersey Devil at Six Flags Great Adventure. I was disappointed by YoY, which didn't offer much even with the duelling. I also have aged and the leg arrangement was uncomfortable for me.
Gardaland. It was nice and I enjoyed my day there. But it did feel a bit meh at the same time.
Hals-uber-Kopf, Tripsdrill. Unlike Mark, I haven't been blown away by either of the Vekoma STCs. They're fine, I can see why people enjoy them, but they don't click for me.

Other Notable Things
Danse Macabre, Efteling. This thing is superb.
Movieland Italy. What a strange park. But I had an absolute blast of a time.
Amazonia, Bellewaerde. A fantastic rapids-esque ride from Intamin with lots of cool quirks.
Slaughterhouse, Walibi Holland. I returned to Walibi's Halloween event, and this alone experience is so raw and visceral and just genuinely fabulous.
Us vs You, Walibi Holland. An international scare maze which feels like it's slipped under the scare attraction's radar, because this is bloody great.

Hello. How was your year?

Here's mine-

Parks visited
Efteling X5
Animal Kingdom X3
Hollywood Studios X1
Southend Adventure Island X1
Chessington X1
Schwaben Park X1
Tripsdrill X1
Legoland Deutschland X1
Hong Kong Disneyland X2
Ocean Park HK X1
Himeji Central Park X1
Parque Espana Shima X1
Nagashima Spa Land X1
Fuji Q X1
Disneyland Tokyo X2
Tokyo Disney Sea X3
Thorpe Park X2
Wiener Prater X1
Fantasiana X1
Epic Universe X2

New Rollercoasters ridden - 62

I'd say my top ten new rollercoasters of 2025 are as follows-
Flying Dinosaur - The most intense flyer out there. It is absolutely fantastic.
Stardust Racers Green - I love this ride, the flowing elements and air time are excellent and the duelling with yellow is so good.
Stardust Racers Yellow - I mean come on, they are both so good and theres very little in between them in terms of quality.
Steel Dragon 2000 - Aside from the really frustrating loading, this is a really long ride that does deliver. The air time at the end is also excellent.
Pyrenees - An Inverter that sits under the radar, this is a very good rollercoaster, it just has a really odd ending.
Hals Uber Kopf - The vekoma STC is so good. Both it and Fienna Force are so class. I thought this was a surprisingly forceful rollercoaster and really enjoyed it.
Hollywood Dream - A surprisingly good hyper coaster. I only got the chance to ride this backwards but I thought it was excellent.
Harakugei - A very good RMC but I find the loading procedures really take away the fun from a lot of Japanese parks. This is still awesome but its tiresome waiting for it .
Diavlo - I don't really care that this is just a batman clone, it really is an excellent version of the ride. It looks a little rusty and run done and its amazing that the park have bothered to keep it running. Glad to have got on it.
Zokkon - An excellent Intamin straddle coaster. Full of unique elements and excellent pacing.

Landmark moments from 2025
Rollback on Mandrill Mayhem where we were stuck just before the Statue helix. Star of some B- tier tiktok vlogs. Loved it.
Evacuated from the break run on Stardust Green. Lots of fun watching Stardust Yellow continue to run. Also managing to get on it after the death in September.
Finally making it to Tokyo Disney and getting on all the major rides multiple times. Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Sinbad, Indianna Jones, Winnie the Pooh and Beauty and the Beasts felt like life changing rides in my theme park career
Reclaiming the 'ridden all B&M's in Europe' after getting to Legoland Deutschland
Saying goodbye to way too many attractions this year. Kingda Ka, Muppets 3D, Six Flags America, Tough to be a Bug, Scorpion Express, Blade. Also our last ever rides on Dinosaur before its closure in 2026.

So please share your 2025. We love content.

They removed all rides that were closed for the buyout days, Tidal Wave too.

There was actually some sign of life on on the last day of the season. Engineers around all day and some spinning (not lifting) so hopefully its not over just yet for Zodiac!


Zodiac always looks brilliant at night so that was certainly missed during Fright Nights this year.

I can't believe we're nearly at four years of this twaddle.

What is everyones thoughts on the capacity at the moment for Fright Nights?

I know its been the same for a long time and it isn't likely to change, but I can't help but feel they are overselling tickets at the moment resulting in a really poor customer experience.

- Security queue taking well over an hour to get into the park (I've seen many reports of over 90 minutes)
- Multiple coasters over 2 hours queue
- All mazes over an hour queue for a paid time slot
- Car park nightmare getting out (again not a new issue)

For comparison, I went to Walibi Holland on 2 sold out days this year. I waited 15 mins to get in one day and 5 mins the other. Getting out, about half hour one day due to a car accident and about 15 mins the other day. You also don't have to pay for car parking during for Fright Nights there.

I don't know another theme park where you get greeted with huge cattlepen queues to get in. Realistically, how many people who wait 90 minutes to get in, stuck in queues all day and then another queue to get out are going to enjoy there day and return?

I don't think it helps matters having the rapids closed and ghost train opening at 3pm on the busiest days of the year. The park really does need all the capacity they can get.
I do think theres more they can do with the mazes too. Towers opens theres at 1pm on peak days, so opening them earlier could definitely help with the queues.
And of course 10pm closes. With Fright Nights as busy as it is (and generating nearly half the parks yearly income) it would be great to see the return of 10pm closes.

I know this is quite a negative post, but just something I've thought about recently. For me, the security queue is the biggest issue that needs addressing and is a terrible first impression.

For me, my TP season ended yesterday having jumped in for an extra day due to the changing weather forecast, a great day for me. It could not have happened without the Staff and it would, like life, be easy to thank those who helped me directly. There are many staff whose contributions to that, and all my TP days, are normally not acknowledged. I do thank everybody from the cleaning, washroom, maintenance, management, security, gardeners and ride team, a lot of people.
Just like the bus on which I ride to the Park, so seldom do I hear a "thank you".
We, as visitors, don't get the chance to wish those well in their futures who, within a few days, won't have a job.
Just my thoughts.

Chesington's far worse as you can see the character the park used to have and when you compare to the modern day equivalent, it has lost so so much. The way IP has become an invasive species at Chessington, is far worse then so so so many parks.

The park have released an hour-long interview with Fright Nights management about this year's event.

There's some cool insight about things and is well worth a watch.

Will share my thoughts about some things discussed at a later point.

Glad to see that they've now changed the soundtrack on a lot of the rides for Fright Nights, after not doing it for a number of years. They're in the same/similar voice as the advert for this year.

Unfortunately no change on Stealth or Samurai though, and you can hardly hear it in Colossus' station as its very quiet.

The park is looking amazing in the dark this year. Lots of lighting changes and additional smoke machines making the park look the best it ever has done at night. A lot of Swarms effects have been restored and Infernos mist is pumping.

I love this smoke effect on Colossus.

Streamable
Watch IMG_3720 | Streamable









Hyperia is lit up in red from 7pm, and the lights go off as each train goes down the first drop.





Really not a fan of the music that starts blasting out at 9:20 park wide though, including in the Hyperia queue 🤣

Streamable
Watch IMG_3747 | Streamable

Also really not a fan of the new scare zone and just seems like that was added for the sake of adding a new scare attraction. Would love to see another Crows/Towers style scare zone. Why not use the old Blair Witch route from Trailers to the Nemesis Inferno exit like before?

CalCal, they certainly are very clear pictures. I certainly wouldn't expect that quality from my phone, well done.

Not sure if it still does, but in the first few days of the event, the park was playing The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony shortly after closing. Apparently the reason is to represent the same feeling you get when the last song plays at the end of a good night out (ie bittersweet). Apparently meant to recreate when the park played Perfect Day in 2013's Fright Nights (which was in the film You're Next).

I...don't get it frankly. But I've also seen some really positive reactions online.

For me, it just doesn't make sense / fit with Fright Nights. I got why they did it in the exit area of DeadBeat (since it's nightclub themed). But parkwide? I don't know; I just don't get it.

Playing other pop music too, again I don't get it. Probably has some 'hidden meaning', but yeah...doesn't do it for me.


Really good point, and I certainly didn't think of it that way.

Obviously there will be different schools of thought. I do still think there will be plenty of scare actors who would be more than willing to give it a go...even if just as a once off, but there will definitely be people who aren't keen on the idea (or choose to go there and then realise the style isn't for them).

I'm very intrigued by how Universal will set up HHN (or whatever they end up branding their Halloween event). The European market is very different and has very different expectations and standards for Halloween attractions. Do Universal stick with what they know, and bring that slice of American culture with them, or do they try to still keep it in the same form, but add the European flair to it. If they can bring on board British / European creatives with experience of creating and running Halloween attractions, they definitely could find a way to make it work.


One thing which I've noticed is that it would be very difficult for your average guest on your average night to do everything (ie all Fright Nights attractions and shows and major rides in the dark). There will definitely be many, many people who don't manage that. Whilst the park will have a lot of repeat visitors thanks to Annual Passholders, and I'm certainly all for keeping things fresh, for many people, a show feeling very similar won't have that much impact.

I'm sure that there are people who are going "we didn't do X last time, let's do it this time". Equally, people who are going "we did Y last time and enjoyed it, let's do/watch it again".

Of course, there will be people on the other side who crave new things / got everything done last time. It is all about striking a balance.

I still maintain that one year with no big new things is fine. Equally, I'd have preferred to see some extra work go into things like park-wide theming, themed audio, etc.


Doesn't surprise me. The profit in particular makes perfect sense given they're effectively introducing 4 paid attractions now, so they make more money from passholders as well as non-passholders.

Halloween events always do well for parks, given the later openings and limited-offering attractions, and that's true anywhere.

Equally, for Thorpe, I think it's a telling statistic. It's not necessarily that Fright Nights has become more visited, but that the rest of the year has become less-visited. Obviously both things could be true (and probably are), but I think that statistic is driven by the park being quieter the rest of the year.


I'm too lazy to look at what the days were last year, but this year, Thorpe has 207 open days and 24 of them are Fright Nights dates. So they're getting about 20% of their visitors across 11.5% of their open days. Those numbers are pretty meaningless without additional context, but I'd be interested what is was like in past and how important that is.

Glad to see that they've now changed the soundtrack on a lot of the rides for Fright Nights, after not doing it for a number of years. They're in the same/similar voice as the advert for this year.

Unfortunately no change on Stealth or Samurai though, and you can hardly hear it in Colossus' station as its very quiet.

The park is looking amazing in the dark this year. Lots of lighting changes and additional smoke machines making the park look the best it ever has done at night. A lot of Swarms effects have been restored and Infernos mist is pumping.

I love this smoke effect on Colossus.

Streamable
Watch IMG_3720 | Streamable









Hyperia is lit up in red from 7pm, and the lights go off as each train goes down the first drop.





Really not a fan of the music that starts blasting out at 9:20 park wide though, including in the Hyperia queue 🤣

Streamable
Watch IMG_3747 | Streamable

Also really not a fan of the new scare zone and just seems like that was added for the sake of adding a new scare attraction. Would love to see another Crows/Towers style scare zone. Why not use the old Blair Witch route from Trailers to the Nemesis Inferno exit like before?

I do get what you mean, and think a lot of people will think the same. I still think its well worth a visit for the general atmosphere and rides in the dark, but I do wonder if people in general will be put off visiting this year as there isn't a new maze?

Will be interesting to see what they do next year to change things up.

The Independent
October is the new summer for these major UK tourist attr...
Halloween thrill-seekers are transforming October into a peak month for theme parks, with Merlin Entertainments revealing the period now rivals August for profitability.
This article is quite interesting and really shows how important Fright Nights is to Thorpe now.

Not sure how accurate it is, but Thorpe makes 46% of its annual profit in October and sees 20% of its yearly visitors in the month.

It also mentions how October visitor numbers surpassed August in 2024.

That squeaking noise was under discussion yesterday. There was a problem with a drive wheel at the loading platform. So hopeful that they sort things as I may only get one more visit this season.

Love that Hyperia is lit up red this year for Fright Nights, rather than bright white. Looks brilliant 😍

https://www.facebook.com/thorpeparkmania/posts/pfbid026Rwstrftd6WfrWixrpci43qLc6PCPfHZrQTEve5Dyyrd12rC2fFvyDURntJCsK6Cl

Glad to see that they've now changed the soundtrack on a lot of the rides for Fright Nights, after not doing it for a number of years. They're in the same/similar voice as the advert for this year.

Unfortunately no change on Stealth or Samurai though, and you can hardly hear it in Colossus' station as its very quiet.

The park is looking amazing in the dark this year. Lots of lighting changes and additional smoke machines making the park look the best it ever has done at night. A lot of Swarms effects have been restored and Infernos mist is pumping.

I love this smoke effect on Colossus.

Streamable
Watch IMG_3720 | Streamable









Hyperia is lit up in red from 7pm, and the lights go off as each train goes down the first drop.





Really not a fan of the music that starts blasting out at 9:20 park wide though, including in the Hyperia queue 🤣

Streamable
Watch IMG_3747 | Streamable

Also really not a fan of the new scare zone and just seems like that was added for the sake of adding a new scare attraction. Would love to see another Crows/Towers style scare zone. Why not use the old Blair Witch route from Trailers to the Nemesis Inferno exit like before?

.... back open today!

Samurai testing today which is a good sign, just in time for peak Fright Nights!

.... back open today!

Stealth had a couple of hiccups yesterday but was generally on very good form, and with the extended hours.

For this strange period of Fright Nights, and only after twilight, there is an additional smoke effect on Stealth above the plant room, and it has coloured lights. The best observation is from the front row, as nobody at the station can see it, and those in other rows are somewhat shielded by the seating.

He no longer works at the park unfortunately

I write this on my way to work, as it's raining. I'm tired. So forgive any typos.

As always, this is "my" review, not a 'press' review.

Trailers
My favourite maze of the night. Two new scenes are one inspired by Roots of Evil (in the forest area after the Dolls scene) and an Experiment 10 inspired one replacing Brainsburys. The safety speech is done in the old pre show area, with the screen now having a pre recorded pre show.

It's the same basic maze, but with a solid cast and good scares.

DeadBeat
No changes inside maze. Pre show is slightly different but that's it.

Stitches
A couple of minor changes, but same idea.

It's hard to tell without knowing numbers, but Stitches is either the most popular or has the worst throughput because even at Press Night it gets a longer queue than everything else

Survival Games
No more splitting up. This is a single route maze.

As a result, it is significantly longer. It's also still intense, but definitely less intense than previous years.

There's a change in story line about the characters being given a serum to make them more vicious, and so the 'assassin' characters are no more. The maze does feel fresh.

For me though, it's my least favourite of the 4. It feels a bit too Tulleys-like in that there's a long maze but a few moments where not a lot happens. It is, like the other mazes, walking through a themed set more than anything else, although it is less like that than the others.

I don't know. Maybe actors just need more time to bed in and get in the groove. Maybe I'm just salty because I liked the old Survival Games. Will be interesting to re do it later.

Purgatory Town
To behonest, exactly what I expected. It's an interactive zone. You get out what you put in. If you seek the actors out, talk to them, you'll get so fun conversations. If you walk through and the actors are already talking, it'll be like the zone doesn't exist. If they're free they will approach you, but if you don't put anything in they'll move on.

It's fine for what it is. With mazes becoming more passive I think the jury is out whether this is what Fright Nights needs. And it remains to be seen how it will cope when busy.

Creature Campus
Another great dance show this year. I get that many aren't interested in it, but it oozes atmosphere. Would recommend.

The Crows
Longest and possibly best layout yet. It is basically an outdoor maze at this point. Theming and effects are cool. Music is perfect for it. It just works.

Lucifer's Lair
Say hello to the crown jewel of Fright Nights for the third year running.

The area is perfect for what it is trying to be, the hub of the event. There will always be something going on, whether it is demons going round treating it like a scare zone, singing, dance shows, stunt shows or the best version of a Thorpe fire show yet. This is just it.

Music is a bit of a mess right now. I'm sad they're not choosing to do more specific stuff for rides.

Lighting is great. Stealth has a cool light at the end of the launch track in sync with the launch lights.

All in it's another good event. It won't silence critics about the long term direction that FN has gone / is going. I'm less of a fan of the style of mazes Thorpe currently produce, but I'll still give them another go and see what changes.

But genuinely, and wholeheartedly, the stuff included in the entrance ticket is worth the visit.

I wouldn't read too much into it.

That poster is in a scene with 4 other posters, all of which were designed from the "Make Your Mark" VIP Easter Egg thing. The price included getting your name on a poster which related to an attraction of your choosing.

Jake Clarke obviously likes Ghost Train, and The Last Train is a good discourse.
There's another next to it which is Creek Freak 2, but don't expect a sequel to that maze.


Obviously it's possible that it is closing, and this has been hidden in in such a way that it feels more subtle. But I don't think it's the nod people think it is.

Love that Hyperia is lit up red this year for Fright Nights, rather than bright white. Looks brilliant 😍

https://www.facebook.com/thorpeparkmania/posts/pfbid026Rwstrftd6WfrWixrpci43qLc6PCPfHZrQTEve5Dyyrd12rC2fFvyDURntJCsK6Cl