OldFarmerDean

thorpe park is the only park that can pull off an overly scary halloween event - people with kids can go to chessington or legoland for these events. and alton towers has to appeal to everyone so can't be too scary. so although thorpe are trying to get families back into the park, can imagine them excluding families from the event making it clear about not recommended for under (insert age), and making this the scariest event yet, as lets be honest it's only for a few weeks / weekends of the year, would only be fair for the people wanting a proper scare/thrill as it's potentially the only park that can pull it off!

so when are we expecting them to reveal these extended dates etc.?

oh right, I shall hope so then - thanks for that is it normally after the normal park closes then (so 10-5 then 5-whenever)...

I was literally just planning a trip with my parents, and a bit gutted not like alton towers with fright nights not being the whole week before the half term - so hopefully they add thursday so I can go thorpe thursday 24th and chessington on the 25th and now I got an annual pass, hopefully I'll be able to make the annual pass event - although I work weekends so doubt I'll be able to go as I'm guessing it would be on a weekend? EDIT: for once alton was actually doing something better than thorpe (although alton did only just change thier decision and stay open til 9 the week before - and now thorpe will be probably adding more dates)

I doubt many people know about the extended opening... so an ideal way to remind people - although they could have mentioned it was this case for the rest of the month!

well the wording is purchased... so guessing it's a permanent attraction now then?

chessington had the best atmosphere, with their unreal amounts of coloured lighting around the park - absolutely loved it as well as the walk through by vampire which was genuinely scary :/ in comparison to thorpe with some floodlights and coloured lighting, and alton with no lights at all or pretty much just floodlights!

Yesterday was a very quitet day, with nemesis being pretty much walk on for a lot of it, and max queue for any ride only reaching the 90 minute mark at one or two times in the day... all the rides were open (besides slammer obviously), with loggers leap being unavailable all morning and opening for the last few hours - in the last hour or 2 all the rides seem to have a 5 minute queue besides loggers which had 10 such a great day and got on pretty much everything, and then still went to the summer nights event in the evening as well - absolutely mental, no queues, just wait for the next train as all rides (besides saw obviously) was on 1 train operation... I really doubt they will do this event again as it was so quiet, sending round trains mostly empty etc! Only downside, we left swarm til last to go on the dark, and it broke down at 10pm with no sign of reopening, so never managed to get on it in the dark! And as for how many times I got on each ride in the day and night... I can't even remember, certainly felt ill after!

it looks to be relatively warm, and dry, so fingers crossed... can imagine it (unfortunately) being a fair bit busier due to the free return visits that were apparently being given out due to the weather, and that it's had an extra week to be advertised?

well as long as if it's open for some of it to warrant getting one in the day to use in the evening as well... thanks

I would say possibly quantum isn't thrilling enough... but I went last week, and well I certainly wasn't disappointed, wow it has some force behind it haha!

THORPE PARK Official Detonator will be open too And the BEACH! that was a reply comment from thorpe... where I got detonator being open from as well. has anyone else thought that these have been chosen due to only 2 staff are needed to operate each ride, whereas most of the other rides require more?

sorry for double post... they have now advertised it on their facebook and through comments have confirmed that vortex, detonator and the beach will be open, didn't seem open ended as if more were to be announced.

if I go tomorrow and get a refillable drink... does anyone know if the refill stations were open in the summer nights event as well last week?

you never really get anything for free... so won't be surprised if it is only a minimal selection of rides to keep some the guests happy that do decide to stay later - and yes surprised it hasn't been marketed at all, not even on facebook or twitter!?

if tpm believe vortex will be open due to it being 'close' to the beach area, surely zodiac, quantum and rush are closer haha... but would imagine X being open? considering summer nights have added tidal wave and storm surge to the lineup, could those be open - although all water rides isn't exactly great! a major coaster, with the swarm being the closest would be a good idea though, shall have to wait and see... guessing sunday is to be the first night? although looking at the way it's worded 'Beat the traffic and chill with a drink in the sunshine on the beach, plus enjoy selected rides until 9pm in the UK’s most epic beer garden' it's not advertised as being any special event for rides, just more of a way to chill with a drink or two... so I will calm down and not expect many rides at all

might have to make use of my annual pass and get another visit in sometime this month, after the summer nights event tomorrow and I'm guessing they're not continuing summer nights... although it won't be in the dark, a really nice way to keep customers happy and have some rides open later for no extra cost, and thorpe can try and make the most out of sales of food and drink etc.

I do agree another main ride needs to be included in the ERT lineup, unless they really are going to only give the benefit to hotel guests, as with the lineup being aimed more at families and the walkway to forbidden valley from the hotels being reopened, and keeping all of it in one side of the park, I can understand - although if people who have booked online get ERT as well which I guess a lot of people do then it's only fair they include another major ride like air! I find it amusing how alton towers still have the oblivion image on their ERT page!

can't live more than 45 mins away from brean and haven't got round to making a visit this year... looks like more of a reason to go now!

glad you had a good time - and how it was so quiet! hope it's like that when I go next friday... how did the tickets work etc.? because next week the park is open til 7 which is when the gates open for the night rides, and I'll be there all day as it is, so really confused, thanks.

the parking won't be free around 7, because that's when the park (well queue lines) close to the general public... I'm confused how they're going to distinguish between normal guests and the summer nights event guests - as for me I'm going in the day as well, so hoping I can get my ticket (and guessing it's a wristband or something if they have to tell guests apart) in the morning and just stay in there the whole time; anyone have any info on that procedure?

After a surprisingly quiet visit to drayton manor... a few observations, the vekoma mad house ride section of the haunting wasn't working properly and spent most of the ride stationary, g force now has a capital fm sponsorship and is playing their radio station in the queue line (while it doesn't add to the atmosphere makes the wait less boring) and never realised it only ran on one train, I really want to know why the drunken barrels ride doesn't tilt up in the air anymore, half the targets don't work and the guns reset on the golden nugget ride, pirate adventure as good as it is theme wise it is just such a boring ride and has so much more potential. And the whole park in general needs a bit of a cleanup, and is a lot more feasible as it's such a small park - there is so much graffiti and dust inside g force, apocalypse just looks a state, the flooring of the queue line of storm force 10 is really uneven and not even intentionally... I know they're not going to be as good as alton towers and merlin with the small park and lack of rides in comparison, but things like effects not working and places looking in such a state for a small park seems such a bigger problem and would be a lot easier to put right than a big park, shame to see such little upkeep of the park!

yes, if I remember correctly it's £5 for normal fast track, and £6 for backwards...

what a difference my trip in may and on monday... from all of the effects working, to none! what's going on!

I quite like it but can't get over the fact (from pictures from the past, like from when lost city flat rides were built and the banana ride), how much they have let the rides get surrounded by (and would go as far as saying overgrown) trees. my first visit to Thorpe was in 2009, so can't comment on anything before that, but definitely weird looking at this thread and seeing and hearing what it used to be like! and see people complaining the direction they decided to take, just appealing to thrill seekers, as I am one and need more thrills, but will be nice now they have suddenly changed back to appealing to family's as well, and hope we see in 2014 a whole load of TLC around the park with the rumoured themed areas coming back, as well as some family orientated attractions... if this happens hopefully this will please some of you to some extent