THE best family-owned theme park in the country is set to launch a brand-new ride next year.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort will add a Gyro Swing to its roster of rides in 2026, with work already underway on the new attraction.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort will add a Gyro Swing to its roster of rides in 2026[/caption]
An AI image of the new ride shows 40 seats facing outwards[/caption]
Rumblings of the new £8.72million ride first circulated last August.
Today, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort unveiled more details about its latest ride, which will be the biggest of its kind in the UK.
The Gyro Swing will be a giant spinning pendulum, which will swing park-goers 120 degrees.
At its highest point, the ride will reach 138 feet.
It will be able to seat 40 riders who will all face outwards with their legs dangling from their seats.
While the UK is home to other pendulum rides, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort claims its Gyro Swing will be the highest of its kind in the country.
In comparison to the Gyro Swing’s 138 feet, Drayton Manor‘s Maelstrom reaches approximately 74 feet.
This makes the Gyro Swing nearly twice the height of Maelstrom.
The Gyro Swing will be located in the northern part of the park, close to its perimeter in a bid to make riders feel like they’re being swung over the sea.
It is not yet known what the Gyro Swing will be called, or when it will open to the public.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort Boss, Amanda Thompson OBE,
said: “We’re thrilled to confirm the addition of a Gyro Swing at Pleasure Beach Resort, with work already underway.
“We’re well known for doing things on a large scale, so becoming home to the largest Gyro Swing in the UK made complete sense.
“The Gyro Swing is one of the most exciting flat rides in existence – it’s dynamic, fast, and incredibly high, as well as being completely weightless at the top.
“It will be a fantastic addition to our ride line-up and we can’t wait to see people’s reactions when they experience it for the first time.”
Meanwhile, a much-loved ride is set to return to Blackpool Pleasure Beach resort later this year.
Formerly known as Ice Blast, the 210ft tower ride will reopen under the new name of Launch Pad for the 2025 season.
Not only has Launch Pad been treated to a fresh new look, it’s also been given a new pressure cylinder, meaning the ride is faster than before.
There are plenty of other rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort, including rollercoasters like the Big Dipper and the Big One.
The latter of which is the tallest rollercoaster in the UK.
Revolution, the country’s first looping roller coaster is also found at Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort.
Younger guests are also very well catered for, with Wallace & Gromit’s Thrill-o-matic, the Alice in Wonderland dark ride and Nickelodeon Land all on offer among many others.
Earlier this year, Blackpool Pleasure Beach was named the best family-owned theme park in the country.
How to spend a weekend in Blackpool
TRAVEL writer Catherine Lofthouse visited Blackpool last year with her family, here’s what she thought…
Bumbling along the beach in Blackpool, with the iconic tower as a backdrop, it feels like we’ve stepped inside a postcard, capturing the very essence of the great British seaside.
Whether you love a back-to-basics bucket-and-spade beach break, want a thrill a minute at one of the UK’s oldest theme parks or fancy a night on the tiles, there’s everything you need at Blackpool.
As a Strictly fan, I’d wanted to pay homage to the home of ballroom, but didn’t find much else to make me break out in song and dance.
But this summer, it feels like Blackpool is on the up.
Everywhere I look, there’s building work taking place and existing attractions being spruced up.
There’s been investment along the seafront, with Merlin, the company behind Alton Towers and Legoland, recently opening its eighth attraction in the town with the arrival of the Gruffalo Clubhouse for little ones.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is redeveloping some of its big name rides too, like Valhalla, which draws in theme park enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond.
Away from the beach, work is taking place to restore the historic Winter Gardens and their surrounds to their former glory.
At the end of last year, Alton Towers announced it would be closing its oldest ride permanently.
Meanwhile, here’s an exciting new look at the nearly-completed Epic Universe, which will open later this year.
The new ride will be located in the northern part of the theme park[/caption]
