September 22, 20159 yr comment_218390 I reckon we will see something for 2017 to try and compete with towers... we seen the 3 parks (BPB, Alton Towers & Drayton Manor), all introduce new coasters back in 1994... maybe we will see it happen again... drayton manor do have a decent bit of space next to buffalo coaster and potentially over the lake (although not sure what planning permissions they can have).
September 22, 20159 yr comment_218394 I think a decent Mack family coaster would be great, maybe replacing buffalo?
September 23, 20159 yr comment_218494 Not sure if It has been mentioned Drayton seem to be going all out on fireworks this yeat Once the sun goes down on Friday 30th, Saturday 31st October and Sunday 1st November, make your way to the lake where you will be dazzled by a breathtaking fireworks display to Jeff Wayne's multi-million pound selling musical version of War of the Worlds. Set to the original War of the Worlds music, the array of lights is set to be the one of the biggest and best fireworks display in the Midlands. Not only will the display feature breathtaking fireworks but it will also feature exciting props, ailens and space ships plus a 30ft high Martian. http://www.themeparks-uk.com/drayton-manor-guide/news/halloween-and-fireworks-at-drayton-manor
September 23, 20159 yr comment_218501 Going on the Sunday, can't wait... I did go back in 2013 and from what I remember it was some sort of alien theme... I mean the fireworks were decent but the theme and choice of voiceover and music to go with it I personally found a bit boring. But with the extra aspect of props etc. And an actual storyline I guess, should be really good! I'm sure it still won't leave a mark on towers fireworks.
September 23, 20159 yr comment_218507 That sounds amazing. I've felt no reason to go to Drayton for a few years, this might change that!
November 1, 20159 yr comment_222538 All about them extending their opening of selected rides after the fireworks from 9 to 9.30... The park is packed today, I overheard a working saying 10,000 people so for a park this small is a lot! Can't wait for the fireworks... 10 minutes to go!
November 1, 20159 yr comment_222539 That's fantastic, I'm glad Drayton are doing so well - and that they have the sense to extend when busy!
November 1, 20159 yr comment_222543 The fireworks sounded like they could have been decent... But the fog mixed with smoke meant we could barely see anything makes for great night rides though!
November 1, 20159 yr comment_222552 Fireworks from Saturday. It was a brilliant show but the park was also packed. Busiest I have ever seen it. Shame my camera work wasn't too good. Not sure if it was because I love War Of The Worlds (we had and sang along to the full album there and back) but I genuinely thought that the whole show was comparable to Towers on choreography and so well worth the Trip. Well done Drayton 9.5/10. https://youtu.be/FFbEAVmDViU
November 2, 20159 yr comment_222617 So just been told that staff members at Drayton were saying Pirates Adventure is done. Obviously it was supposed to be closed for refurb but apparently that's not going to happen because it's too expensive. This means there is no way around the Health and Safety issues that were in the ride when staff members had to check it. Apparently it's going to be cheaper to get rid of it than refurb it entirely. It was also mentioned that the park is now at a dilemma of what will be done with the building but possibly ANOTHER couple Thomas Land attractions. Again this is NOT confirmed so is open to discussion. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
November 2, 20159 yr comment_222618 I thought it had been confirmed Pirate Adventure was closed for good anyway and that Thomas Land was expanding into that building?
November 2, 20159 yr comment_222619 Think Pirates Adventure being closed finally has been going around since Thomas Land was first built... Have to wait and see...
November 2, 20159 yr comment_222623 I hope it stays, whilst it's not in the best of states (well it wasn't back in 2013 when I went on it anyway), some of theming in there is very impressive and if they did spend the money to refurbish it, it would be a great dark ride.
January 11, 20169 yr comment_225942 DRAYTON MANOR THEME PARK IS RIDING HIGH AFTER A RECORD BREAKING 65TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON! Drayton Manor Theme Park is celebrating the end of a record breaking 65th anniversary season, with its biggest ever attendance numbers recorded for 2015. The award winning attraction based in Tamworth, Staffordshire has seen more guests visit during 2015 than any other year, with a 10 per cent increase on the previous season in 2014. The action packed anniversary year kicked off with a £2.5 million expansion of Europe’s only Thomas Land™ back in April 2015. The park welcomed a host of new rides and attractions including Captain’s Sea Adventure, Flynn’s Fire Rescue and Toby’s Tram Express, which increased the overall rider capacity in Thomas Land to 5,130 people per hour. The exciting new Thomas Land also saw the arrival of the brand new two-storey Sodor Airport, in a traditional terminal style it has a top level balcony for VIP ‘travellers’ with not-to-be-missed views of Thomas Land and a ground level café for guests to relax during their visit. Following a successful summer, the much loved family attraction hit a record attendance for its Fireworks Spectacular weekend, welcoming nearly 33,000 visitors over three days at the end of October. It was a whopping 28% increase in the number of visitors compared to the previous largest fireworks attendance and also the largest firework display the park has seen in 25 years. Set to the critically acclaimed soundtrack from The War of the Worlds, visitors were dazzled by a fantastic, colourful array of explosive rockets and lights. To top it all off, the 65th anniversary season ended with another record breaking attendance during its Magical Christmas event with a 34% increase in guests from 2014. On Sunday 20th December, the park welcomed 45% more people than on its previous biggest day in 2014, smashing its biggest selling Magical Christmas day six times over! Despite the park’s momentous success in 2015, it is looking forward to the coming year and there is plenty to keep existing and new visitors excited. In spring 2016, the Staffordshire based theme park will see the opening of its brand new Tamarin Trail. Guests will have the opportunity to walk through the beautiful planted gardens in the attraction, getting up close and personal with the cute and inquisitive monkeys. It will have eight new enclosures that will be housing a variety of tamarins and marmosets. There are five species so far, including the white lipped tamarin, red handed tamarin, emperor tamarin, cotton top tamarin and the common marmoset. 2016 will also mark the five year anniversary of the opening of the hugely popular onsite four-star Drayton Manor Hotel, which has featured Thomas & Friends™ themed rooms since its opening in 2011. The park’s onsite restaurant the Grill Inn will also celebrate its fifth anniversary this year. CEO of Drayton Manor Theme Park, Colin Bryan, said: “Our 65th anniversary year has been a truly momentous year for the Bryan family and all of the staff here and we’re so pleased to have been able to provide so many families with lasting memories. “We always want to go above and beyond to make sure every season is better than the last for our visitors and this year we did just that, we’re really looking forward to another fantastic year in 2016.” http://draytonmanor.co.uk/record-breaking-year?utm_medium=SocialSignIn&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Park Good news for Drayton!
March 25, 20169 yr comment_230461 There's this place called Drusillas Park with a Thomas ride (that I used to love and still quite like now). I was just wondering how they get to keep it when Drayton have ALOT more money, and it's THIS similar. Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
March 25, 20169 yr comment_230466 Because Drayton aren't the only ones with the sole rights to Thomas? Best all those railways stop their events since Drayton exist...
March 25, 20169 yr comment_230471 Its a different licence contract the opposite side of the country and pre dates the drayton area.... It depends if they were exclusive contracts ect
March 25, 20169 yr comment_230480 There's this place called Drusillas Park with a Thomas ride (that I used to love and still quite like now). I was just wondering how they get to keep it when Drayton have ALOT more money, and it's THIS similar. Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=thomas+the+tank+engine+events+2016
March 26, 20169 yr comment_230500 Because Drayton aren't the only ones with the sole rights to Thomas? Best all those railways stop their events since Drayton exist... I was wondering, since Paradise Wildlife Park had to close theirs because of Drayton.Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
March 26, 20169 yr comment_230508 Got a source for that or is it wild conjecture?The source is I went there and it was Thomas before Thomas Land, went back after Thomas Land and it wasn't anymore. They also had to change the massive Thomas play park.Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk
March 26, 20169 yr comment_230514 Could just be they decided not to renew the licence, I believe drusillas paid around £70,000-80,000 for the initial licence, as I was at college doing leisure sudies and we did a Q+A with the park as part of coursework. They have since opened a hello kitty area aswell.
March 26, 20169 yr comment_230519 Surely multiple parties can apply for the IP licence as it's not solely exclusive to one party. Look at things like Angry Birds Land (Thorpe & Lightwater) and Nicklodeon, they're licensed by multiple parks.
April 5, 20169 yr comment_231491 When Drayton Manor has no queues then it is actually a really fun day out. It just becomes a case of re-riding Shockwave, G-Force and Apocalyspe over and over. Basically what I'm saying is that as long as I get lots of rides done and the ride are enjoyable then I have an amazing day out. One thing you must know about me, I don't really consider riding a ride 'once' as riding the ride properly. When I go to parks I prefer to aim to ride the larger coasters at least 3 times.
May 15, 20169 yr comment_234751 Good day at Drayton today. Will write a more detailed review tomorrow but just want to mention that The Haunting is absolutely superb now. There is a new storyline (no more "Doctor X"), some really effective new projection effects throughout as well as some classic gags and great new lighting both in the madhouse and the rest of the attraction. Also they are using Midnight Syndicate music throughout which creates a good atmosphere. It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into the refurbishment, in terms of a rating I'd give it 9.5 out of 10!
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