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Amity Beach construction work - major redevelopment or facelift coming?


Matt N

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It would appear as though some sort of construction work has begun on Amity Beach, with diggers now present, indicating that some sort of major redevelopment or facelift could be coming: https://themeparkguide.co.uk/news-page/Thorpe-Park-2025-Beach-Redevelopment-Begins?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2CWtvfuCQDURzVQgibW2baEsyFLXyHir-_pXaA4HebIp8LVd8MwWxGwmE_aem_Um8Q1g2xTQTBRLVmFdmWDA

 

It’s a promising sign if the beach is getting redeveloped in some capacity. I personally feel that it’s currently one of Thorpe Park’s weak spots.

 

I wonder what could be happening?

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Everyone's favourite Thorpe Park fansite will be checking out the latest developments this afternoon ;)

 

It's an interesting one. There's two possible options the way I see it:

 

Option 1 - Beach tart up

This is the boring option of the two. But the beach is over 30 years old and a shadow of its former self. It needs something doing to it. A tart up and making it more interesting and worthwhile, maybe a mini water park style area, would be nice.

 

Option 2 - Demolition

Get rid of the beach. It's a large space which is wasted. And whilst the park have loads of options to expand the park, and remove some rides, space is still reasonably premium at the park. And I think there's a perfect thing that area can be used for...

 

Event space. Since the Arena was demolished (10 years ago!), the park haven't had a dedicated event space. And that was fine back then, as they didn't need one. But now, with the park's year round events, they could use one. Flattening the beach opens up a huge space for a stage, permanent seats and a more open, relaxed atmosphere. The park gets very crowded at the start of the day, before they open the gates at 10am. Opening up the beach area, maybe with some entertainment on a stage or screen, would help that crush.

 

Throughout the year, they could hold events there. The space would be much better for Oktoberfest and Lucifer's Lair than by Ghost Train. A big Mardi Gras show is better there than in Big Easy Boulevard. During non-event times, they could still have the Ents team perform shows, or use the space like the Victory Plaza area they had where Stitches is (which showed the Euros and Olympics). Having a permanent stage/event space would also take some pressure off the Tech team for having to set up then take down a stage multiple times throughout the season.

 

If the park wanted to keep the beach to some degree (it still has a lot of people enquire about it), they could tart up the smaller side of the beach and retain that. All the pumps, cleaning, etc feed in from the smaller side, so it would be easy to work. Plus a smaller beach is a lot easier to maintain.

 

 

Obviously for now we're jumping the gun a bit. A digger means very little. They might just be doing the bare minimum maintenance work. But hopefully this is a sign of positive change in that area.

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A new flat would be cool but I imagine the Slammer site would be the preferred location. Having a permanent events location would be ideal, would be a much better location for things like Oktoberfest to take place. 

 

Would be quite happy to see the end of the beach to be honest. Eventually once depth charge has had its day the whole area could be a good spot for a new water ride of some kind. 

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It’s a big space… always thought it would be a good place for an entrance plaza… but when you consider the limited space available you wonder if that is the wisest choice. 
No way it will be a major investment so close to Hyperia, so will be interesting to see what goes there

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7 hours ago, Vinlarr89 said:

A big events space for the events that aren’t put on 😂

 

I mean, the park have Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest and Fright Nights. That's about 60-70 days of events throughout the year. In the last couple of years they also had a summer event in Carnival. So they have plenty of events. 

 

They've also had the Hyperia show this year. So they could look at having a stage with a show too.

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There are definitely enough event days to justify it - also don’t forget the football / Wimbledon things they do as well, all of these things need a space building every time.

 

it’ll also be a good way to enter the park if it’s done nicely - much better than passing over the random beach which is closed for much of the year anyway 

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Definitely - permanently set up big screen (that actually works, cough)... food and beverage units around it for a food hall/food market kinda vibe. Actually get some decent beer and food pop ups in for Oktoberfest and different theme nights at the Cabins - could be a winner.

 

Would also be a good holding area to start the day where people can grab a coffee, breakfast option etc.

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Feel like if it was an event space, it will be a short term thing. If so, will it look the greatest. 
 

The lakeside picnic area is nice but does it look the greatest, no? With the removal of the beach, slammer and the picnic area. There will be lots of empty spaces around the park, temporarily awaiting rides  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

There had been a fair amount of discourse about the "Final Beach Party" poster that appeared by DeadBeat...

 

20241103_205132.jpg

 

With the date being today, last day for season, and time being advertised as "8.25pm". There were some people expecting something to happen on the Beach at that time.

 

There was a small gathering of people by the Beach at this time, but actors from the Creature Campus dance show told people the party had relocated to Stealth. At 8.30pm, the final Creature Campus show of the season played out as normal, no additions.

 

Now, with work currently happening to dig up the Beach, it seems like something is happening there. And the aim of the poster is to tell us the Beach is going, with the time of "8.25pm" being a nod to "20.25", ie it being replaced for the 2025 season.

 

Seems like it didn't gather enough steam to become an issue. But this is perhaps a cautionary tale for Thorpe to try to not be too clever with their Easter eggs...

 

Also, does again seem to suggest we're seeing a Beach replacement in 2025. Again, with no indication of plans submitted, no tease beyond what we've got, and the location we have, I expect we're not in for a new ride. Flattening out the area and turning into a space for the stage, with permanent seating, would be a good option in my books.

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  • JoshC. pinned this topic

Prime area for two flat rides or a coaster. Nope let’s just put in another stage so we can but on college level dance show productions and let’s not forget more food vendors, it’s not like everyone just goes to kfc or Burger King nowadays 

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Looks good, and great location to have something like that at the entrance of the park. Will be interesting to see how Lucifers Lair and Oktoberfest evolve in a new space.

 

Also interested to see what it will for used for the remainder of the year while events aren't on though. Hope they won't go back to blaring pop music or cringy shows from the 'Thrill makers' 

 

If that area is accessible in the morning maybe a countdown of some sort before the park opens at 10? 

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12 minutes ago, Glitch said:

Prime area for two flat rides or a coaster. Nope let’s just put in another stage so we can but on college level dance show productions and let’s not forget more food vendors, it’s not like everyone just goes to kfc or Burger King nowadays 

 

Ehhhh, I wouldn't say it's the best area for rides. 

 

Putting a ride / rides in that area means it's literally slapped right into view, dead and centre, as you leave the Dome. Means it needs to be visually pleasing and high throughput, to fit into the park and handle the crowds. That minimises the amount of ride options. The space isn't that big. The whole Beach area and Depth Charge is about the same space as Stealth (the park's smallest coaster). You could create a densely packed ride in that space, btu again, visually, is it a good look when you enter the park?

 

And it wouldn't be "another" stage, I'd imagine. It will be a permanent stage where all the shows / events can be based. And in doing that, they can have more money / tech dedicated to the production.

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2 hours ago, Cal said:

If that area is accessible in the morning maybe a countdown of some sort before the park opens at 10? 

 

I've just come across this document which does confirm this area will be accessible before the park opens.

 

'The proposed new seating and gathering area will provide a location for visitors to dwell when they arrive in the morning prior to the rides opening, and after they have passed through the ticket kiosks and security/bag check. This will assist in reducing queues and improve guest experience.'

 

 

It also states that the stage will host up to 18 shows/events over the season in addition to the entertainment already provided. So sounds like they're planning additional events over summer maybe? I know they used to hold some concert type events (back in 2015/16 maybe) unsure how successful they were? 

 

'In addition, it is proposed that the stage will host up to 18 shows/events over the season for bands where the music will be louder and more like a concert format (capacity of 2,000 guests). These events will take place through the year. To protect residential amenity, noise levels will be reduced at 11pm to the pre-agreed park levels.'

 

'The only new activities will comprise up to a maximum of 18 days per annum where events can take place up to 95dBA within the audience area. These events will be carefully managed and will end at 11:00pm.'

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