MattL28

All the black metal fencing behind the boards has been removed. I think the fright nights scenario will become true

Don’t give them ideas about using it for fright nights 😂 that means its gonna be there for a while

Bitter sweet…. it was a ride that you could relax on between rides but also a large ideal area to build a new ride on. If the park was full with no space at all to build then I could fully get behind it. However with multiple sites still unused then I don’t really see the full benefits of doing this. We’ve had 2 years of no SNBO rides and now we have another. That area will feel quiet but at least it wasn’t a major ride and it is out of the way slightly. This comment on Jacks instagram post is confusing to me I believe it means that they don’t actually have any immediate plans to replace it and they have no idea as of yet. The amount of space this leaves could mean a decent replacement will eventually come. I’d like to see a dark ride but can imagine some sort of coaster between there and the island next to swarm

Where are the budgets? Clearly a budget cut than change of use for the area. The concept art looks bad but hopefully better in real life! Should have been given a bigger budget to do it right first time. It’s too tarmacy even with the branded patterns. Currently at Europa park for rulantica and it hurts to see Thorpe do this while I’m here

This project has been significantly downsized and now underwhelming compared to the original plan. It’s a literal flattening of beach and plant a temporary stage on it. It’s a shame, Merlin clearly don’t want to invest for the long term. Just the short term, this would originally have been must nicer and a longer term solution

Just saw a monks walk update on TikTok and I know you can’t see everything from there but I find it frustrating that we are already back in the 2018-2022 period in terms of new things and investment. There is just nothing going on when a lot could be going on. No Colossus repaint, no flat ride for the old slammer site, no replacement for ghost train, No amity beach update. I miss when Merlin pretty much advertised ‘new for 20xx’ every year, no matter how minor. I appreciate that their thinking is that Hyperia is a big draw but it is pretty stagnant park now for returning visitors. Arguably it is in the worst period in terms of investment and new things. 2019 onwards you had multiple new events each year, so you could look forward to each part of the season. In comparison to 2022/23 when they had the Facebook group, now they litterally have nothing to say and if it was still running you’d get quite depressing and boring responses. What is next for Thorpe Park?

Has anyone seen any updates in regards to this? Any drone flyovers ect?

I went to fright nights for the second time in 2025 last night and had a few thoughts since my first visit. First of all, this is the first year since 2020 where fright nights has been the same and I’d say since then, every year has been different….. until this year. I genuinely think this year is boring and not worth multiple visits unlike other years. Mazes: I’ve now done all the mazes multiple times over the years, I have no urge to go back into them but that’s only because I’d have to pay to go in them Zones: There is one scary zone and that’s the crows. Deaths doors a few years ago was a good walkthrough too but with only the crows really holding the line. It means that it can get pretty boring doing the free stuff. Shows: The shows are pretty much the same as last year except different soundtracks. Amity show is good and they’ve slowly transitioned the theme and story away, it makes me slightly nolstalgic for amity high. As a one off dance show with a lot going on it’s good! But lucifiers lair is difficult to judge as it’s a really solid area with a lot going on and really brings the event together. However, it feels like I’m watching the same shows as last year. The event is just like it continued from last year which to me makes it less enjoyable and I am unlikely to go again. I get however it is now a solid event, it feels more professional and you know what your going to get.

There is certainly a correlation between Merlin pass holders and RAP. Midweek vists rap is dead and weekends rap is heaving.

I am concerned that creature campus is a fan service at this point. The only people I see watching it are the creators of the sound track and Merlin pass holders. The general public aren’t interested/ understand/ aware of this show. I think the show as good as it is to a fan of a scare event doesn’t really have anything stand out away from dancers. I think realistically it needs to be a full production with stunts and effects. It needs to be different and not dancing to a mash up, there is no reason for anyone really to watch that show. Lucifiers lair on the other hand has got that draw and appeal particularly because of the location and the variety of shows put on regularly throughout the night. Fire effects are a big draw and shows that there is something different. Purgatory Town is exactly what I thought it would be and unfortunately adds nothing to the event. I’ve visited scarefest at Alton towers with two walk through scare zones and they are both different. One creepy and one abrupt and jumpy. I think this is what Thorpe really need rather than just crows which get you because they are creepy. I think this year on paper is a really strong year but with no new scare mazes. It won’t have the hype to compete with previous years.

I thought I’d share some thoughts on Fright Nights and the new scare zone. Firstly, I think the new scare zone is a good addition, and the location works well since it’s in a main part of the park—unlike Swarm Invasion. That said, the theme feels a bit strange. I read an excerpt that linked it to Lucifer, but I don’t really see the need for two similar zones. On top of that, the area itself has a Mardi Gras theme, so why not go with a creepy New Orleans–inspired zone instead? I’m also not a fan of conversation-based zones. As someone who’s more introverted, I find it hard to play along and create stories with the actors, so I usually avoid them. Amity High was a good example of this—it was only fun if you already knew the performers. That being said, the more scare zones the better in my opinion. Especially now with paid mazes, since I can’t afford to do them every visit, the scare zones give a free alternative for a spooky experience. Since 2020, the number of scare zones has decreased in favor of paid mazes. For example, Amity High used to be staffed all evening before the shows, but now they only appear during show times. I’m not entirely sure what scare zone style would work best at Thorpe Park, since The Crows feels more like an outdoor maze than a true zone. But I do know that conversation-based zones just aren’t for me. The mazes themselves have become pretty consistent, which is great if you’re paying for them. Deadbeat and Stitches are especially reliable, maybe because they’re well-themed walkthroughs—although Deadbeat does lack actor-driven scares. I think less-themed outdoor mazes could actually work really well as free alternatives to the current scare zones. One of my favorites in recent years was Lucifer’s Lair. A couple of years ago, the insults Lucifer hurled around made it hilarious and memorable, though last year it felt much more toned down. Hopefully, now that it’s become a bigger part of the event, the zone will keep improving year after year.

Back in 2019 it was common place for Thorpe to close midweek and advertise it on twitter (X). It’s going to be like that again and it shouldn’t be a totally bad thing. Yes, inconvenient and annoying but it’s not sustainable and the money they can save will be able to go towards future projects. On another note, is the beach going to be finally redesigned this closed season or has it been canned?

I assume they decided not to keep the splashdown this year?

I think the whole project was a shame really. They tried something different and have a great themed show building but it just has never worked and retheming it to ghost train or anything else would have never saved it. It’s demised has been written since 2016. It would have been 10 years next year since its opening and it wouldn’t surprise me after 10 years that they think it’s ok to scrap it. Thorpe have just got rid of all SBNO rides, so it will be sad seeing a massive one hidden in a building again. I’d rather have it open

I am looking forward to this years Fright Nights and I think this year is going to be a great event. They have got it to a place where the event is consistent and has a range of indoor mazes and hopefully a few good scare zones and entertainment building on previous years. Smaller queues and more consistent experiences have been the trend over the past 4 years. I am worried however about next year in which RWS are going to take control of the event and experience. How much input does the park have into the event anymore creatively…. Thorpe Park is an outlier in which you can see this event is someone’s/ a group of people’s baby. The themes have been created by the same people which a consistent aim. Now it moves to another company which doesn’t have the same passion or knowledge about the event. I just hope we don’t go back to outdoor lower quality mazes again. It’s worrying as Thorpe doesn’t need an external entertainment provider as they basically only do fright nights.