IT’S official – the 2024 theme park season is go, with new thrills and spills galore, both at home and abroad.
Expect adrenaline-pumping coasters, including the UK’s highest and speediest, exhilarating water rides, thrilling shows and brilliant high-tech effects.
Trisha Harbord brings you the highlights of ten family-favourite parks with all the new fun for 2024 . . .
Disneyland Paris
SLEEPING Beauty’s Castle is shining like never before – Disneyland Paris has a new night-time spectacular, Symphony of Colours.
The castle and Main Street will be bathed in colour by more than 500 synchronised drones, video projections, lights and fountains – all put to music.
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Mickey and other favourite characters and 30 dancers perform A Million Splashes Of Colour – an all-singing, all-dancing show to celebrate Disney’s animated films – at various times during the day.
There will also be a new musical, Alice & The Queen Of Hearts: Back To Wonderland, at sister park Walt Disney Studios.
GO: One night room-only at Disney’s Hotel Cheyenne, two-day park tickets and return flights from Gatwick on June 2, is from £304pp. See disneylandparis.com.
Alton Towers, Staffs
THE ever-popular theme park has new thrills for all ages, be they toddlers or terror-loving teens and adults.
Roller coaster Nemesis is back with a bang to leave thrillseekers all shook up.
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The alien predator had been dormant in Forbidden Valley since the ride, dating to 1994, closed 16 months ago for a revamp.
Now the beast has awoken and brave riders on Nemesis Reborn can only scream as they hurtle along the half-mile track at 50mph.
But it’s much less scary in CBeebies Land, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
There will be lots of celebrations and special guests – kicking off with Bluey, who has moved in with sister Bingo.
Plus, there will be a new Bluey room at the CBeebies Land Hotel from May 25.
GO: Tickets from £35pp. See altontowers.com.
Walt Disney World, Florida
IT will be Mardi Gras every day at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
New splash ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure sees the animated character invite everyone to her Mardi Gras bash.
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The attraction, replacing Splash Mountain, follows on from the story of the movie The Princess And The Frog.
You’ll become Tiana’s new friend on boats floating through cypress trees, meeting incredible animatronic characters along the way before swooping into a wave of water.
Clever features promised when it opens in Frontierland, Magic Kingdom in summer will include the ride’s queue smelling of chef Tiana’s pastries.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, flights from Heathrow on Sept 10 and 7-day park tickets, costs from £1,391pp. See disney holidays.co.uk.
Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey
THE action-packed Surrey theme park has a new family-fun Summer Festival throughout the school holidays.
The stage is set for live music, dancing, circus acts and stalls aplenty with delicious food from around the world.
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Next weekend Chessington also kicks off its Easter celebrations with EGGSplorers – returning for a second year with a show, a meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny and an activity trail where kids get to search for giant decorated eggs.
Chessington has more than 40 rides and attractions including the World Of Jumanji, a zoo and SEA LIFE Aquarium.
There are two themed hotels, with new Oreo and Capri-Sun rooms, and a glamping site.
GO: Tickets from £34pp. B&B and one-day ticket from £50pp. See chessington.com.
Drayton Manor, Staffs
AN exciting new Wild West land opens today.
Frontier Falls takes families back to the days of cowboys, outlaws and frontier towns.
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There’s a western twist on the classic teacup ride, a shoot-out attraction and a 4D theatre featuring a Looney Tunes show.
The park has also announced that a roller-coaster will be added to the land.
This follows the unveiling of The Wave, which is replacing the coaster ShockWave, next month.
Riders will experience a double corkscrew and zero-gravity roll as they hit 53mph.
There are more than 50 attractions, and train-mad little ones will love Europe’s only Thomas Land.
The on-site four-star hotel also has Thomas-themed rooms.
GO: Tickets are from £29.50. A one-night stay and 2-day tickets are from £72pp. See draytonmanor.co.uk.
Thorpe Park, Surrey
THE UK’s tallest, fastest rollercoaster arrives this spring at Thorpe Park.
Hyperia is 236ft tall and reaches speeds of 80mph on a track that covers half a mile.
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It features three inversions including a dive loop and one where riders are held upside down for longer.
There’s a splashdown feature too – you’ll descend then glide over the lake.
The coaster’s final piece of track was installed earlier this month.
Also, stroll down the new Big Easy Boulevard to be one of the first on Detonator, a drop tower ride that sends you plummeting 100ft.
The Surrey park has 25 rides and attractions including heart-stopping Stealth, which is now the UK’s second-fastest ride, and The Swarm where you feel the force of 4.5G.
GO: Tickets from £29. For more details, see thorpepark.com.
Universal Orlando Resort, Florida
SHREK, Trolls and Kung Fu Pandas all under one roof – perfect for animation lovers.
The new DreamWorks land arrives at the Universal Studios Florida theme park this summer.
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It will include a family-friendly coaster, multiple interactive play areas, live entertainment and character meet-and-greets.
In Shrek’s Swamp, you can cuddle the green man himself, plus meet Princess Fiona and Donkey.
The Trolls Village features a Trollercoaster with evil spiders, and Kung Fu Panda movies come to life in a training camp.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the Endless Summer Resort, including flights from Heathrow on December 4 and tickets to Universal’s three parks costs from £956 per person, based on a family of four.
For details, see virginholidays.co.uk.
Legoland, Windsor
A NEW £10million rollercoaster for adrenaline lovers opens at Legoland Windsor this Friday.
Minifigure Speedway will be the first Lego duelling coaster in the world and the Berkshire park’s fastest, with speeds of up to 34mph.
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Cars on Team Legends or Team Allstars will race forwards and backwards with a winning team every time.
Roxie, the tallest minifigure in the world, is the attraction’s mascot.
There’s also a new holiday park coming to the Windsor park.
The Woodland Village will welcome guests from May with 130 lodges, sleeping two to five people, ten premium lodges accommodating up to seven and 20 camping barrels sleeping four.
GO: Tickets from £35 per person. B&B from £295 for a family of four, including tickets. See legoland.co.uk.
Paultons Park, Hants
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NEVER mind muddy puddles, the home of Peppa Pig is set to get wet, wet, wet.
New flume ride Splash Lagoon opens on May 18.
The water boat attraction will take young explorers on a Jurassic adventure in the dinosaur-themed world Lost Kingdom.
Moving life-size dinosaurs greet families before they tackle rapids and drop into a lagoon. Park boss James Mancey said: “It’s a great addition for junior thrillseekers, balancing our coaster for older children, Flight Of The Pterosaur.”
The park in the New Forest has 70 rides and attractions in five themed worlds, one belonging to the famous pink pig.
A new restaurant, Grande Central, also opens at Easter.
GO: Tickets from £43.50. B&B at a nearby hotel and two-day tickets from £50pp. See paultonspark.co.uk.
Futuroscope, France
ONE of France’s favourite theme parks will have lots of new attractions including a unique waterpark.
This summer the park, near Poitiers in western France, will open Aquascope.
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It has eight slides and a wave pool in a thrill zone, and an immersion zone with a cinema, lazy river, outdoor pool, bar and DJ area.
Eclipse – a 20-minute show where reality and virtual reality come together as a dancer and giant robotic arm perform with illusions, lasers and special effects – is already open.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
The park is also showing Antarctica 3D, a BBC Earth production. Futuroscope has 40 attractions, from rollercoasters to high-tech screen adventures, two themed hotels and restaurants.
GO: B&B at on-site hotel and two-day park ticket costs from £102 per adult. See futuroscope.com.
