I think we can all agree that when it comes to days out, a visit to a theme park is always the best. The UK has a bunch to offer, whether that be Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Drayton Manor, the list goes on. But over the past 10 years or so, UK theme parks haven’t changed all that much in terms of what they have to offer. I think the last time I got excited about something new at a UK theme park was when the Wicker Man opened at Alton Towers in 2018 and also when Icon opened at Blackpool Pleasure Beach the same year. But other than that, especially when you compare to other parks around the world, there’s not been a big year for UK theme parks in a very long time. But, that is about to change in 2024, because this coming year could quite possibly be the best year ever to visit a UK theme park.
Nemesis Reborn
Let’s start off by talking about Nemesis 2.0. Alton Towers has felt a little bit different this year, and rightfully so because arguably the best rollercoaster in the park Nemesis has been closed. If you’ve taken a visit to the park this year you will have noticed that it has undergone a complete retrack, changing from the old rusty, dirty looking track to the brand new black track with the red vein design. At the time of recording this video we haven’t heard any information on whether there’ll be any changes to the station or the scenery, but we will find out very soon because Nemesis will be reopening in 2024. This year the park just hasn’t been the same without it, but Alton Towers have done a fantastic job of building up to the reopening of the ride by doing some of the best marketing I’ve seen at any theme park ever. In it’s absence we’ve seen the return of Nemesis Sub Terra and we were also introduced to the Nemesis Observation Platform to get a full glance of the construction process. But 2024 is the year to visit Alton Towers because you’ll finally get to ride the new and improved Nemesis. And hopefully in 2024 we’ll also learn new details in regards to a brand new rollercoaster coming to the park, currently only known as Project Horizon. We’ll also hopefully be receiving some new permanent flat rides at the park in the near future too. The future is looking very bright for the Alton Towers Resort, with so many exciting developments to come.
Hyperia
Alton Towers may be reopening one of their old rollercoasters, but over at Thorpe Park they’ll be opening a brand new rollercoaster in 2024. Now this isn’t just any rollercoaster, this is going to be not only the UK’s tallest, but also the UK’s fastest rollercoaster too. Hyperia is the name of this new coaster and it’s being built by the manufacturers Mack Rides. Hyperia will stand at a whopping 236ft. It will also reach speeds over 80 miles per hour. The current tallest rollercoaster in the UK is The Big One which is 213ft. Hyperia just beats The Big One in terms of height, and also just beats it in speed too as The Big One reaches speeds up to 74mph. But what is going to make Hyperia so great is not only the speed and the height, but also the elements on the coaster too. So far we’ve only seen the construction for the ride and also a virtual POV of what the ride is going to look like when it’s built and honestly, it looks fantastic and will most likely be the best coaster in the country. So not only will we be seeing the return of a classic rollercoaster in 2024, we’ll also be receiving a brand new coaster too, it’s going to be an amazing year if you’re a thrillseeker.
As well as Hyperia, Thorpe Park will be rebranding their former Angry Birds Land. Let’s face it, although it was a big thing 10 years ago, Angry Birds is now in the past. Thorpe Park will be sticking with the vibrant theme that Angry Birds Land had, but it will now be called Big Easy Boulevard and will still feature the attractions in the area, but of course be rethemed. So a big year ahead for Thorpe Park, and with all these additions they also have new logo to go along with them too!
New Coaster at Drayton Manor
2024 is the year of rollercoasters in the UK, because it’s not just Alton Towers and Thorpe Park getting two new additions. Drayton Manor will also be receiving a brand new rollercoaster this coming year. If you don’t already know, Drayton Manor is a family park which means they don’t focus too much on the thrills. Having said that they do have a few coasters in the park and some pretty scary flat rides too. Shockwave was their biggest coaster and the UK’s only stand up rollercoaster, however this closed at the end of the 2023 season. It will be reopening, but the stand up element will be removed. But the main focus is on a brand new rollercoaster coming to the park in 2024.
Drayton Manor have done a great job of keeping the details of this new coaster a secret, I honestly don’t know too much about it at this time. All I do know is that it will be a family coaster manufactured by Intamin and will feature both a lift hill and launch elements. Now there was a time that the future didn’t look too bright for Drayton Manor, so it is fantastic to see this family park now thriving going into the new year and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the park. They may be reducing the number of thrill rides in the park such as the former drop ride Apocalypse and the stand up element on Shockwave, but Drayton Manor know where they want to go with the future of the park and sticking with it, and they are definitely heading in the right direction. This new coaster could be one of the best family coasters in the UK for sure, we’ll find out more information soon as we get closer to the opening of the new ride.
Legoland Rollercoaster
If you thought 3 rollercoasters wasn’t enough then don’t worry because there’s another new coaster coming to Legoland Windsor in 2024 too. The Minifigure Speedway will be the world’s first Lego themed duelling rollercoaster that not only races forwards, but also races in reverse too. Being a family theme park, this will be a family coaster so don’t expect major thrills like you’ll get on Nemesis and Hyperia, but this will still be a fantastic new addition for thrillseekers of all ages. UK theme parks are really stepping up their game when it comes to family coasters, with Minifigure Speedway, the new coaster at Drayton Manor and also the new for 2023 Mandrill Mayhem at Chessington World of Adventures. It’s great to see parks brining in these family attractions and I’m sure we’ll see plenty more introduced in the years to come.
If you are looking at visiting Legoland Windsor in 2024 to check out the new rollercoaster, then why not turn it into a short break? Because also new for 2024 is the Legoland Woodland Village. This reminds me of the Enchanted Village at the Alton Towers Resort, but obviously the lego version. The little lego cabins will be the perfect way to make your trip to Legoland even more special.
So 2024 is looking to be the year of rollercoasters in the UK and quite possibly the biggest year ever for UK theme parks. There’s so many new and exciting additions coming to the parks making it a better year than ever to visit. Will you be heading to any UK theme parks in 2024 to ride these new rollercoasters? If so which ones? Let me know down in the comments below.
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