{"id":450134,"date":"2026-02-28T10:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T10:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/450134\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T10:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T10:51:08","slug":"this-legendary-seaside-resort-town-is-getting-a-brand-new-theme-park-ride-this-year-heres-why-its-one-of-the-best-places-to-visit-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/450134\/","title":{"rendered":"This Legendary Seaside Resort Town Is Getting a Brand New Theme Park Ride This Year \u2013 Here\u2019s Why It\u2019s One of the Best Places to Visit in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the start of this year,\u00a0Time Out editors and writers revealed their picks\u00a0for the best parts of the UK to visit over the coming 12 months<\/a>. Some are unsung spots that deserve more appreciation, some are hosting\u00a0noteworthy cultural events, others are tried and tested holiday destinations that are just getting better. That\u2019s the case for Blackpool, which came 12th on our list.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brits have been visiting Blackpool for donkeys.\u00a0There was a time when the classic seaside resort was in a state of decline and deterioration, but now, it\u2019s undergoing an enormous \u00a32 billion regeneration that could restore it to its former glory. And there are plenty of reasons to give it a visit in 2026.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most notably, the town\u2019s\u00a0iconic Pleasure Beach turns 130 this year. For its birthday, it\u2019s getting a brand new ride \u2013 the\u00a0tallest of its kind in the UK, in fact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aviktas\u00a0will be a colossal\u00a0138-foot-tall\u00a0ride\u00a0with an enormous pendulum swinging riders 120 degrees back and forth. There isn\u2019t an exact date for the ride\u2019s opening yet but\u00a0when it\u2019s ready, it\u2019ll be nearly double the height of the UK\u2019s current tallest gyro swing ride (Drayton Manor\u2019s Maelstrom).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"CGI
\nImage: Pleasure Beach <\/p>\n

For Pleasure Beach visitors after something a little less petrifying, there will also be a\u00a0lovely\u00a0new Alice in Wonderland themed ice show arriving in the summer. \u2018Alice Frozen in a Wonderland of Dreams\u2019 will run in the park\u2019s arena between July and September \u2013 perfect for families stopping by Blackpool in the summer holidays.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Pleasure Beach isn\u2019t all there is to do in the town, though. In 2024, it became home to the UK\u2019s\u00a0first ever circus museum<\/a>\u00a0and, of course there are the Illuminations that dazzle every year from around September to January.\u00a0There\u2019s also Blackpool Pride in June,\u00a0Blackpool Air Show in August, the World Fireworks Championship in October and Christmas By The Sea during the festive season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you visit the town in the\u00a0spring,\u00a0book a stay at The Royal Carlton.\u00a0The art deco accom is\u00a0one of Blackpool\u2019s most legendary places to stay, but has been closed for a huge refurb since summer 2024. It\u2019s set to reopen and reveal its grand makeover in a few months time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plus:\u00a0The best new things to do in the UK in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stay in the loop:\u00a0sign up to our\u00a0free Time Out UK newsletter<\/a>\u00a0for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At the start of this year,\u00a0Time Out editors and writers revealed their picks\u00a0for the best parts of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":450135,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1422,59,57,58,50,1423,1420,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-450134","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-kingdom","8":"tag-categories-things-to-do","9":"tag-gb","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-greatbritain","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-news-city-life","14":"tag-things-to-do","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/450135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}