Thorpe Park

For other uses, see Thorpe Park (disambiguation).

Thorpe Park

Location	Chertsey and Staines, Surrey, England
Coordinates	51°24′17″N0°30′47″W / 51.40472°N 0.51306°W / 51.40472; -0.51306
Status	Operating
Opened	24 May 1979;45 years ago (1979-05-24)
Owner	LXi REIT [1]
Operated by	Merlin Entertainments
General manager	Neil Poulter (Divisional Director)
Slogan	The Home Of Feel-Good Thrills
Operating season	Theme Park March – November Thorpe Shark Cabins March – November / December (private events) Thorpe Park Marquee March – November / December (private events)
Attendance	2024: 1,700,000(12%)
Area	410 acres (1.7 km2; 170 ha) *Total combined area including Lakes and all back of house areas
Attractions
Total	27
Roller coasters	8
Water rides	4
Website	www.thorpepark.com

Thorpe Park, formerly also known as Thorpe Park Resort, is a theme park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertainments and includes rides, themed cabins, live events and Hyperia , the United Kingdom's tallest and fastest rollercoaster at over 236ft and 129kmph, it also includes Europe's tallest element and the worlds first outer banked airtime hill. In 2019, Thorpe Park was the UK's third most visited theme park (1.9 million visitors), behind Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor. ^[2] However, in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the park only had a 125-day operation season, along with limited capacity, leading to massively reduced visitor numbers.

After demolition of the Thorpe Park Estate in the 1930s, the site became a gravel pit, but in the early 1970s part of that gravel pit was flooded, creating a unique water-based environment for the park, with the intention of building a leisure attraction on it. Thorpe Park resort was built on that site in 1979, and being partially flooded it allowed visitors to view Thorpe Park as an island. It has since grown into a major theme park in the UK and one of the top 10 theme parks in Europe Major attractions include Tidal Wave , a large water ride; Ghost Train , a dark ride; as well as a number of rollercoasters including Colossus , Nemesis Inferno , Stealth , Saw – The Ride , The Swarm , The Walking Dead: The Ride , and Hyperia .

History

Gravel Pit and Water Sports Resort

The demolition of the Thorpe Park Estate in the 1930s transformed the grounds into a gravel pit, originally owned by Ready Mixed Concrete Limited. RMC excavated gravel from the site for 30 years from 1941 until 1970 when they began to plan a transformation of the site into a leisure based visitor attraction. Initial concepts planned for the attraction to be themed around the 'History of the British People as a Maritime Nation' achieved by flooding the now empty gravel pits ^[3]

Thorpe Park Lake in July 1979, the year the park opened to the public

In 1975 the Water Ski World Championships were held on the lake. ^[4] RMC established a subsidiary, Leisure Sport Limited, to operate the 400-acre (160 ha) park for water sports, leisure and heritage exhibitions, at a cost of £3 million. ^[5]

The park was formally opened to the public by Lord Louis Mountbatten on 24 May 1979, ^{[3] [6]} his final public appearance shortly before he was assassinated by a bomb on board a fishing boat planted by the Provisional IRA in Mullaghmore, Ireland. In addition to lakes and parkland, the park featured a replica Stone Age cave, Celtic farm, Norman castle and Viking camp as well as ancient water vehicles and aircraft. ^[5]

Operation as a theme park

In the early 1980s, the park was redeveloped into a theme park with permanent themed rides and attractions. ^[7] New attractions were opened throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Space Station Zero was the park's first rollercoaster, opening in 1984. ^[8] The last large attraction opened by the park's original owners was "X:\No Way Out" in 1996. Both attractions still operate to this day but under the names 'Flying Fish' and 'The Walking Dead: The Ride' respectively.

Between 1983 and 1989 the park was often used as a filming location for The Benny Hill Show.

In 1998, The Tussauds Group bought the park. This period saw large investment with major attractions opening such as Tidal Wave in 2000, Colossus in 2002, Nemesis Inferno in 2003 and Stealth in 2006. ^[9]

In May 2007, Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group for $1.9 billion (USD) and the company was merged into Merlin Entertainments, who took over operation of Thorpe Park. ^{[10] [11]} Dubai International Capital also acquired 20% of Merlin Entertainments. ^[12]

On 17 July 2007, as part of the financing for the Tussauds deal, Merlin sold Thorpe Park to private investment firm Prestbury, under a sale and leaseback agreement. ^[13] The site is operated by Merlin based on a renewable 35-year lease. ^[10] As of 2023, the site is owned by LXi REIT Plc. ^[1]

The target audience for the resort is teenagers and young adults, with rides such as 'Saw – The Ride' in 2009 and 'The Swarm' in 2011 being added. In 2014, Merlin also decided to target a broader family-based market with new attractions such as Angry Birds Land and the park's onsite hotel. ^[14]

On 20 February 2019, the official Twitter account of Thorpe Park confirmed the permanent closure of Logger's Leap, a log flume that had opened in 1989 but had been closed since 2015 due to the Smiler accident at Alton Towers that year. ^[15]

In 2021, Thorpe Park announced plans for a new rollercoaster in the Old Town section of the park under the project name of Project Exodus. During the 2023 Fright Nights event the name was revealed to be 'Hyperia' and it was set to be the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in the UK, at a height of 236 feet (71.9 metres) and a speed of 81 mph (130 km per hour). ^[16]

2024 Revamp

Thorpe Park's old logo (2008–2023).

In preparation for the opening of Hyperia, Merlin announced major new investment for the older areas of the park to get them up to standard ready for the record breaking new rollercoaster. This began on the 30 October 2023 when Thorpe Park announced that Angry Birds Land would be permanently closing. The park closed for the 2023 season on Tuesday 31 October following the conclusion of that years Fright Nights event. Over the closed season the Sparkle Project ^[17] began which was a large refurbishment of many areas of the park which saw the refitting of many shops, repaint work for Colossus and Stealth, a new footbridge over Tidal Wave and much more. On 16 November 2023, the park revealed that the Angry Birds Land would be rethemed to Big Easy Boulevard ^[18] and on the 30 November 2023 Thorpe Park revitalised their branding, with a brand new logo (previously unchanged since 2008) and slogan, bidding farewell to their iconic "infinity" symbol (used for the park since 2001) and light-hearted An Island Like No Other tagline - instead marketing itself as the home of Feel-Good Thrills. The new logo comes with six palettes and patterns for their marketing materials and merchandise, stating that this “encapsulates the spirit of Thorpe Park”. ^[19]

The park re-opened for the 2024 season on 24 March with Big Easy Boulevard opening and construction on Hyperia completed. On 27 March 2024, Thorpe Park announced Hyperia's opening date of the 24 May 2024. The rollercoaster began testing on 16 April and cycled nearly everyday up until its press event on the 23 May when the first public riders were allowed on.

Hyperia, the UK's tallest and fastest rollercoaster opened to the public at the park on the planned date. However, on the morning of 25 May 2024, the park announced on social media that Hyperia would be closed until the 29 May due to 'unforeseen circumstances.' The re-opening was then delayed until 8 June via another social media post. The final delay to the re-opening date pushed it back to the 12 June where it did re-open successfully. The coaster would go on to valley two times once on 19 June and the 2 October 2024 but has operated reliably since. ^[20]

Rides and attractions

Rollercoasters

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Territory	Manufacturer	Additional information
Hyperia		Hyper Coaster	2024	Fearless Valley	Mack Rides	A Mack Rides Hyper Coaster. It is themed to Hyperia (the 'Golden Goddess') being trapped on an island due to her fear of the water. Seeing the birds flying above, she was inspired she fashioned wings of unbreakable gold steel to fly above and fight the water to 'find her fearless', hence the slogan. Currently the UK's tallest and fastest rollercoaster, reaching a max height of 236 ft and speeds of over 80 mph. [21]
The Swarm		Wing Coaster	2012	Swarm Island	Bolliger & Mabillard	The UK's first winged coaster, opened in 2012. Was the first winged coaster to feature an inverted 'wing-over drop'. Between 2013 and 2016, the rear two rows were modified to face backwards. It is themed to a post-apocalyptic universe in which Thorpe Park is under attack from aliens. The Swarm is the only ride on Swarm Island. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in). Max Height Limit is 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in).
SAW -The Ride		Euro-Fighter	2009	Old Town	Gerstlauer	A custom Eurofighter featuring a 100 degree 100 ft (30 m) drop. Themed around the SAW movie franchise. It was branded as the world's first horror movie themed rollercoaster. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in).
Stealth		Hydraulic Launched Coaster	2006	Amity Speedway	Intamin	An Intamin hydraulic launch coaster, 205.1 ft (62.5 m) tall and accelerating from 0 to 80 mph (0 to 129 km/h) in 1.9 seconds. [22] It is the third tallest coaster in the UK and also the second fastest in the UK, recently beaten by Hyperia. It is considered to have the fastest acceleration in the world. It was previously recognised as the parks flagship attraction (prior to the release of Hyperia). It has a loose 1950s-era drag racing theme. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in). Max height limit is 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in).
Nemesis Inferno		Inverted	2003	The Jungle	Bolliger & Mabillard	A B&M inverted coaster opened in 2003, named after Nemesis at sister park Alton Towers. It has a loose volcano theme and features the first interlocking corkscrews on an inverted coaster. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in). It was filmed for The Inbetweeners episode "Thorpe Park".
Colossus		Steel Sit down	2002	Lost City	Intamin	Opened in 2002, achieving the world record for 'most inversions on a rollercoaster', with 10 inversions (this record was beaten by The Smiler at sister park Alton Towers with 14 inversions in 2013), marketed as 'the world's first ten looping rollercoaster'. It is loosely-themed around traversing the ruins of a lost Atlantean civilization. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in). Max height limit is 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Walking Dead: The Ride		Steel Sit down	1996 (2013) (2018)	The Dock Yard	Vekoma	Located at the centre of the park in a pyramid. Based on The Walking Dead franchise. On peak days, the ride's exit also includes live actors. Previously known as X (with a rave/dance music theme) and originally X:\No Way Out (with a computer virus theme). Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in).
Flying Fish		Steel powered coaster	1984 (1990) (2007)	Amity Beach	Mack Rides	Powered coaster. Opened in 1984 as an indoor coaster named Space Station Zero. It moved outdoors in 1990, in the location now occupied by Stealth. It reopened next to Amity Beach in 2007. Minimum height 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in).

Thrilling flat rides

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Territory	Manufacturer	Additional Information
Samurai		Top Scan	2004	Old Town	Mondial	Top scan ride, formerly at Chessington World of Adventures Resort under the same name. The ride was repainted when it moved to Thorpe Park, and has been repainted again for the 2024 season. Loosely themed to the sword of a Japanese samurai warrior. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in).
Quantum		Magic Carpet	2003	Lost City	Fabbri Group	Large magic carpet ride. Minimum height 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in).
Zodiac		Enterprise	2000 (2001) (2006)	Lost City	HUSS	HUSS enterprise that first opened in 2000 as 'Enterprise', intended as a temporary attraction. It was renamed to 'Zodiac' (and made a permanent attraction) in 2001. At the end of the 2005 season, Zodiac was removed, and replaced by another HUSS Enterprise, relocated from Drayton Manor, where it was known as Cyclone. The replacement opened at the start of the 2006 season. [23] Minimum height 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in).
Vortex		Afterburner	2001	Lost City	KMG	KMG Afterburner ride which opened in June 2001. Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in).
Detonator		Drop Tower	2001 (2014) (2022) (2024)	Big Easy Boulevard	Fabbri Group	35m tall drop tower. Originally named 'Detonator' and was added following the Thorpe Park fire. It was intended to be a temporary addition to the park, but was later made a permanent addition. It was renamed 'Detonator: Bombs Away' for the opening of Angry Birds Land in 2014. in 2023 it was renamed back to 'Detonator'. Previously themed to the angry bird Detonator, but now loosely themed to a firework. Max speed 45 Mph, Max G-force of 5.5G. Minimum height 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in). Received a soft retheme for 2024.
Rush		Screamin' Swing	2005	Lost City	S&S Power	Screamin' Swing which opened alongside Slammer in 2005. Minimum height 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in).

Water rides

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Territory	Manufacturer	Additional Information
Rumba Rapids		River rapids ride	1987	The Jungle	Intamin	It opened in 1987 as Thunder River and is one of the earliest remaining rides at Thorpe Park. It was sponsored by Ribena as Ribena Rumba Rapids from 2002 until 2006 until 2007 when the sponsorship was removed.
Storm Surge		Spinning Rapids Ride	2011	Amity	WhiteWater West	The ride has a 19.5 m (64 ft) lift and spins riders down a spiral chute. Originally located at Cypress Gardens, until Merlin acquired the park and made it Legoland Florida.
Tidal Wave		Shoot the Chute	2000	Amity	Hopkins Rides	When the ride was opened in 2000 it was the tallest water ride in Europe. The ride has had many sponsors including Dr Pepper and Oasis. Minimum height 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in).
Depth Charge		Water slide	1991	Amity Beach	NV Aquatic	Opened as the first four lane dinghy waterslide in the UK.

Family flat rides

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Territory	Manufacturer	Additional Information
Mr Monkey's Banana Ride		Pirate Ship	1994	The Jungle	Metallbau Emmeln	A small banana themed swinging ship ride themed to one of the Thorpe Park Rangers. Minimum height 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in).
Dobble Tea Party		Teacups	1986 (2023 Retheme)	Big Easy Boulevard	Mack Rides	A teacups ride. Minimum height 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in). Originally sponsored by the Tetley brand of Tea, and was called 'Storm in a Tea Cup'. Received a Dobble card game sponsorship in 2023.
Big Easy Bumpers		Dodgems	2014 (2024)	Big Easy Boulevard	Bertazzon	Dodgems ride added in 2014 for Angry Birds Land. Minimum height 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) (with guardian over 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in)). Rebranded as 'Big Easy Bumpers' for the 2024 season. Formerly called King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems
High Striker		Jumpin' Star	2017 (2022)	Amity	Zamperla	A Jumpin' Star ride, relocated from Weymouth Sea Life, and opened in Old Town, as 'Lumber Jump', in 2017. Was rethemed and moved to Amity in 2022 as High Striker. Minimum height 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in).

Dark rides and other rides

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Territory	Manufacturer	Additional Information
Ghost Train		Dark Ride	2016 (2017) (2023)	The Dock Yard	Merlin Magic Making, Intamin, Simworx	Multi-sensory dark ride featuring live actors. Rethemed from Derren Brown’s Ghost Train at the start of the 2023 season.
Sunset Cinema		4D Cinema	1999 (2008) (2014)	Big Easy Boulevard		Initially opened in 1999, showing Pirates 4-D , operating until the end of the 2007 season. [24] From the start of the 2008 season, it featured Time Voyagers instead, operating until the end of the 2011 season, and remaining dormant throughout the 2012 and 2013 seasons. [25] It reopened in the 2014 season, as part of Angry Birds Land, featuring the Angry Birds 4D Experience. [26] This operated until the end of the 2023 season, with the rebrand of the area into the Big Easy Boulevard for 2024. [18] In 2024, Sunset Cinema will be showing Ready Player One: 4D Experience.
Amity Beach		Beach Area with Pool and Waterslides	1979	Amity	Thorpe Park	Originally named "Fantasy Reef", and 'exclusively for families with young children'. This attraction is intermittently open, generally only being open on certain days in the summer, weather permitting. [27]

Former attractions

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Closed	Territory	Manufacturer	Additional Information
Slammer		Sky Swat	2005	2017	Old Town	S&S Worldwide	This was the last Sky Swatter in the world. It was permanently closed in 2017, after being plagued with technical issues for much of its period of operation. [28] Minimum height 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in). [29] Slammer remains standing-but-not-operating, with its removal confirmed for the 2024 closed season. [30]
Logger's Leap		Log Flume	1989	2015	Old Town	Mack Rides	Was the tallest log flume in the UK. The ride was last operational during the 2015 season, with the closure being officially confirmed during the 2019 season. [31] It was demolished in late 2022 to make way for Hyperia.
The Rocky Express		Sea Storm	1989	2021	Old Town	Mack Rides	Family friendly spinning train ride. Minimum height 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in). Closed and removed to make way for Hyperia. [32]
Canada Creek Railway		Miniature Railway	1989	2011	Old Town	Severn Lamb [33]	A miniature railway inside the park, which used to take guests from the (previously known as) 'Canada Creek' area of the park to the (now closed) 'Thorpe Farm' area of the park, with the return journey taking a detour through the woods behind the Old Town area, following a similar route to Logger's Leap. After the closure of Thorpe Farm in 2006, [34] the railway only traversed the loop by Logger's Leap. [33]
Pirates 4D		4D Cinema	1999	2007	Calypso Quay	Iwerks Entertainment	Replaced by Time Voyagers
Wicked Witches Haunt		Dark ride	1983 (1994)	2000	Central Park		Originally opened as Phantom Fantasia in 1983, with a tudor style building facade. The ride had a circular revolving loading platform area (similar in style to the one used on Rumba Rapids) with the ride vehicles themselves were being of a black ‘Clam Shell’ design, which were capable of turning 360 degrees, with a single lap bar that came down as you left the station area. These cars were different to those on most other rides as they were part of a continuous chain of cars rather than being part of separate trains. Scenes included an undertaker nailing down a coffin lid whilst the person inside tries to get out, Sweeney Todd gave his latest customer a ‘close shave’, Henry VIII having a banquet with guests while one of his wives ghostly disappeared and reappeared beside him, a knights graveyard, a ballroom scene with dancers who are later revealed to be skeletons and a sorcerer and his apprentice mixing up a potion. When the ride had finished, you exited through a gift shop themed around the ride. In 1994, it was re-themed to become Wicked Witches Haunt. As part of this re-theme, the entrance building was re-decorated and the entrance to the ride itself was moved around the corner from the original entrance, with a large cackling animatronic witch being placed above it. Inside all the scenes were painted in bright coloured UV paint to glow under the new UV lighting with new scenes being added such as witches cooking up a brew in a cauldron, large spiders and a new finale scene, in which the main Witch was stuck in a cell rattling the door as you had an On-Ride photo taken. However, on Friday 21 July 2000, after a major fire at the park which destroyed the ride buildings for both Mr Rabbit’s Tropical Travels and Wicked Witches Haunt, the latter never reopened, being burnt to the ground, eventually being replaced by Detonator.
Thorpe Farm		Petting farm	1982	2006	Thorpe Farm	N/A	A petting farm, accessible via the Canada Creek Railway or a ferry over Manor Lake (formerly being reachable by foot until 1992). This area was intended to be somewhat educational, not only allowing guests to get up close and personal with farm animals, but also to learn a bit about caring for these farm animals (and general farm activities). This area also featured a play area, and several shops and food outlets. Thorpe Farm was closed due to dwindling guest numbers in 2006, with the animals being rehomed. The area is currently inaccessible to guests, and is now used for storage and horticultural purposes. [34] [35]
Wet Wet Wet		3 Lane Water Slide	1998	2022	Amity Beach	WhiteWater West [36]	Three waterslides, primarily designed for younger children, located in the Amity Beach area. This ride was rarely open; being part of Amity Beach, it could only be open when the rest of the attraction was open, but even then, this was not guaranteed to be open as well.
Eclipse		Ferris Wheel	2003	2004	Lost City	Fabbri Group	A ferris wheel. Closed at the end of the 2004 season due to negative guest feedback. [37] Replaced by Rush for the 2005 season. Eclipse was relocated to Chessington World of Adventures, where it reopened as Peeking Heights in 2005.
Angry Birds 4D Experience		4D Cinema	2014	2023	Angry Birds Land	Simworx	4D Cinema that showed the Angry Birds 4D movie. Replaced Pirates 4-D and Time Voyagers. Closed to make way for new experiences.
Black Mirror Labyrinth		Maze Attraction	2021	2023	Old Town	Merlin Magic Making	A maze that used cutting-edge technology & sensory-defying environments. Was based on the Netflix series Black Mirror . Closed at the end of the 2023 season. [38]

Territories

In 2024, with the addition of Big Easy Boulevard and Fearless Valley, Thorpe Park is zoned into nine 'island territories'.

• 
  Port and Basecamp
• 
  Amity
• 
  The Dock Yard
• 
  The Jungle
• 
  Big Easy Boulevard
• 
  Lost City
• 
  Old Town
• 
  Swarm Island
• 
  Fearless Valley

100m
110yds

Old
Town

The
Jungle

Swarm
Island

Amity

The Dock Yard

Lost
City

Port and
Basecamp

 

  

Themed 'island territory' areas at Thorpe Park 

•  Port & Basecamp 
•  Amity 
•  The Jungle 
•  Big Easy Boulevard 
•  Old Town 
•  Lost City 
•  Swarm Island 
•  The Dock Yard 

• Port and Basecamp includes the turnstile entrance, bridge, the dome and the playground.
• Amity (originally 'Amity Cove') opened with Tidal Wave and now includes Stealth , Depth Charge, Amity Beach, High Striker, Flying Fish , and Storm Surge .
• The Jungle contains Nemesis Inferno , Rumba Rapids , Mr Monkey's Banana Ride, and a street of restaurants.
• Old Town is located towards the back of the park and includes Saw - The Ride and Samurai .
• Fearless Valley is located towards the back of the park and includes Hyperia .
• Lost City contains Colossus , Rush , Quantum, Vortex , and Zodiac .
• Swarm Island opened as the plaza for The Swarm .
• The Dock Yard (previously named 'The Depot' and 'Thorpe Junction') is the plaza immediately outside Ghost Train , previously known as "Derren Brown's Ghost Train", and includes the nearby The Walking Dead: The Ride rollercoaster, previously known as "X" and "X:\ No way out".
• Big Easy Boulevard (formerly 'Angry Birds Land' between 2014-2023) is located between Amity and The Jungle, and contains Detonator , Big Easy Bumpers (Dodgems), and Sunset Cinema (4D Theatre). ^[18]

Port and Basecamp

The 'Basecamp' area contains security, the turnstiles, toilets, business/staff reception, 'Island HQ' and bridge where guests enter the park. This leads to 'The Dome' which acts as a hub for the park, which houses 'Vibes Bar & Kitchen' (formerly Infinity Bar & Kitchen), an arcade area, The Coffee Shack, toilets, lockers, the Island Gift Shop, guest services, first aid, photo points and staff areas (canteen, 'The Core' and offices).

The dome was previously known as 'Port Atlantis' with an underwater Atlantian themed interior. Much of the scenery and underwater effects went missing since Merlin's acquisition of the park and was removed altogether after the building's change of theme.

The Dome remains open outside park operating hours to provide entertainment and dining facilities for guests staying at Thorpe Shark Cabins, including a breakfast buffet.

Amity

Amity is set as a 1950s-era American fishing village hit by a tidal wave and opened with Tidal Wave in 2000. It was previously named 'Amity Cove', as still named on themed signage. The area was expanded in 2006 with Stealth, set at 'Amity Speedway' racetrack. It later took on attractions from the former 'Neptune's Beach' family area, Depth Charge, and Amity Beach outdoor water park. Amity and Amity Speedway are no longer physically connected, being divided by Big Easy Boulevard.

It also includes attractions from the former 'European Park' area, Flying Fish and Storm In A Teacup. Flying Fish was originally located beside Tidal Wave (where Stealth sits today) but was removed following construction of Stealth in 2005. It was reopened, in its present location near The Swarm, in 2007, due to popular demand. In 2011, the raft water ride Storm Surge was re-located from Cypress Gardens in Florida, USA, before it was rethemed into Legoland Florida. Storm Surge was built on the former site of the Octopus Garden children's area.

The Jungle

The area's main attractions are Nemesis Inferno , a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted coaster set in a volcano, and Rumba Rapids a river rapids ride. The area was previously named 'Calypso Quay', the area now also includes part of the former 'Ranger County' family area, including Mr Monkey's Banana Ride, a small swinging ship ride, as well as shopfronts and restaurants from the former 'European Park' area.

The Dock Yard

This area is primarily the plaza for Ghost Train , an indoor dark ride, and also contains The Walking Dead: The Ride an indoor rollercoaster. The area has no major themed features, other than buildings and scenery remaining from 'Octopus's Garden' (a since-closed children's area) which was later themed to Amity such as the Megastore, various buoys, and a carnival game that resembles a cargo ship.

Lost City

The Lost City's theme is that of the ruins of a recently unearthed Atlantean civilisation, with Colossus as the main attraction (since 2002). The area first opened in 2001 with the Vortex and Zodiac rides as the only attractions. In 2003, this area was expanded further, with the additions of Quantum (a magic carpet ride) and Eclipse (a Ferris Wheel). Eclipse was removed after the 2004 season (being relocated to Chessington World of Adventures); ^[37] in its place, Rush , an S&S Screamin' Swing, was opened in the 2005 season. At the end of the 2005 season, Zodiac was removed, and replaced with a new HUSS Enterprise (relocated from Drayton Manor, where it operated under the name Cyclone, until it had to be closed down due to noise complaints). The replacement Zodiac opened (without fanfare) for the 2006 season. ^[23]

Old Town

The main ride in this area is Saw - The Ride , a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter with a 100 ft (30 m), 100-degree beyond vertical drop. The ride is themed to the Saw horror movie franchise and is set in a derelict warehouse/sawmill. A flat ride called Samurai was relocated from Chessington World of Adventures in 2004.

The area was previously named 'Canada Creek' and was the plaza for Logger's Leap, which opened in 1989 as one of the tallest log flumes in the world. It had a loose Canadian forest theme, although this has mostly been lost through redevelopments and resembles more of a Western town theme. The main attractions listed in the area sat outside the plaza. Logger's Leap ceased to operate after the 2015 season, and its permanent closure was confirmed in 2019. ^[15] It also used to have the main station for the Canada Creek Railway, a miniature railway which used to take guests to and from the (now closed) 'Thorpe Farm' area of the park, and around the backwoods of Canada Creek (after the closure of Thorpe Farm, it only traversed the backwoods of the Canada Creek area). The railway was closed during the 2008 season (and the track had to be partially rerouted due to the construction of SAW - The Ride), before being closed permanently at the end of the 2011 season. ^[33] In the years since its closure, the trains, station, and route used by this ride were utilized by several Fright Nights attractions. ^[39] The area was also home to the experience Black Mirror Labyrinth from 2021-2023.

Most of the rides in this area have been closed since the start of the 2022 season, due to construction work for Hyperia (opening 24 May). ^[32]

Fearless Valley

The main ride in this area is Hyperia , the UK's tallest and fastest rollercoaster. Fearless Valley also includes a Burger King, Victorious Games, Hyporium gift shop, Cloud Nine Treats and toilets themed to Hyperia.

Swarm Island

Swarm Island is the plaza area for The Swarm , a Bolliger & Mabillard wing coaster, opened in 2012. The area was built on land reclaimed from the surrounding lakes. The area is themed as the scene of an apocalyptic disaster/alien invasion from "The Swarm" which is intertwined with the area and ride station. Major theming pieces include a crashed plane, various damaged emergency vehicles like a helicopter and fire truck, a partially destroyed church (used as the ride station), and other destroyed structures. Many of the areas facilities are based within these structures, such as the ride station being housed in the church, the shop being housed in a shipping container, and the ride control room being based in an overturned police trailer wedged in the roof of the church.

Timeline of park areas

Years areas opened

1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Fantasy Reef										Port Atlantis							Port and Basecamp
										Neptune’s Kingdom														Amity Beach		Amity
										Octopus Gardens
Central Park									Amity Cove
Thorpe Farm
Canada Creek																					Old Town										Old Town
																																	Fearless Valley
			Ranger County																								The Dock Yard
										Lost City
											Calypso Quay												The Jungle
																							Angry Birds Land										Big Easy Boulevard
																					Swarm Island

   Previous themed area

   Current themed area

Records held by the park

• Nemesis Inferno is the first inverted coaster to feature interlocking corkscrews (in the same layout).
• Additionally, the world record for 'most naked people on a rollercoaster' was set on Nemesis Inferno in May 2004. ^[40]
• The Swarm opened as Europe's tallest wing coaster and the first coaster in the world to feature the "wing over drop".
• SAW - The Ride was marketed as having the world's steepest 'freefall' drop, ^[41] and as the world's first horror movie themed roller coaster. SAW - The Ride was not actually the steepest rollercoaster in the world when it opened in March 2009 - Steel Hawg at Indiana Beach had opened the previous year with a steeper 111° drop. However, whilst Steel Hawg's drop has brakes on it, SAW's drop is brakeless - hence it being marketed as having the steepest freefall drop. This particular accolade was taken by The Monster in 2016 (and, as of 2022, is held by Defiance).
• Colossus held the world record for the most inversions on a rollercoaster when it opened in 2002, with 10 inversions. This record was matched in 2006 by "10 Inversion Coaster" (an exact clone of Colossus) and then beaten in 2013 by The Smiler at Alton Towers Resort, with 14 inversions.
• Stealth was the UK's fastest roller coaster, launching from 0–80 mph (0–129 km/h) in 1.8 seconds (as of 2024 this record has been taken by Hyperia) Standing at 205.1 ft (62.5 m), it is also the UK's third tallest roller coaster (behind The Big One and Hyperia ).
• Tidal Wave opened as Europe's tallest water ride.
• Hyperia is the tallest roller coaster in the UK at 236 ft (72 m), and the fastest roller coaster in the UK at 81 mph (130 km/h). ^[16] Hyperia also contains Europe's tallest inversion at 168 ft (51.2 m), and a world's first outer-banked turn inversion. Thorpe Park also claim that Hyperia has 14.8s of airtime being the UK's most weightless coaster. ^[42] However, this is debated as they have included a 3s stall in this statistic, which is widely regarded as hangtime and not airtime.
• Stealth is the world's fastest accelerating rollercoaster ^[43] (0–80 mph (0–129 km/h) in 1.8 seconds) with the announced closure of Do-Dodonpa at Fuji-Q Highland on 13 March 2024.

Fright Nights

Fright Nights, ^[44] formerly "Fright Nites" is Thorpe Park's annual Halloween event and also its largest Halloween event in the UK. It is an event that has been running at Thorpe Park since 2002, celebrating Halloween with the park staying open until late at night, as well as operating a range of temporary Halloween attractions. Roaming actors in costume or with make up can also be found around the park. ^[45] During Fright Nights, the park stays open until 9pm, with a range of "scare mazes" available for guests, who normally enter in groups of 8–10. "Face it Alone" has sometimes been available as an upcharge, where a guest enters unaccompanied and must sign a disclaimer before entering. ^[46]

In 2013, Fright Nights was relaunched with a horror movie theme, courtesy of a three-year contract with Lionsgate. All of the pre-existing Fright Nights attractions were removed with the exception of The Asylum and SAW: Alive to make way for new horror-film themed attractions.

In 2014, when the Thorpe Shark Hotel opened, Thorpe Park offered two overnight scare attractions, one of which involved a 'night terror' character appearing in guests' hotel rooms during the night. The other attraction, the 'Extra Cut', involved guests being 'kidnapped' from their hotel room during the night and chased throughout the park. ^{[47] [48]}

In 2017 Fright Nights was reinvented with a Walking Dead theme. The addition of two Walking Dead attractions coincided with the season 8 premier of the show. SAW Alive, The Big Top and Platform 15 remained in operation from previous years, with Containment returning as an upcharge attraction. ^[49]

In 2020, restrictions put into place due to the COVID-19 Pandemic meant that only two mazes operated: Platform 15 and Roots of Evil, both of which took place primarily outdoors. This led to a wide selection of scare zones introduced for the first time to Fright Nights, with The Swarm: Invasion located on Swarm Island, Creek Freaks Unchained in Old Town, The Fearstival Arena in The Dockyard, The Howling of LycanThorpe High in Lost City (on the site near Zodiac and Rush typically used for a scare maze), and Terror at Amity High returning for its third year on the Stealth Plaza. The Crows were also added as roaming actors dressed as scarecrows, based in a few main locations but found anywhere around the park, including interacting with other scare zones. ^[50]

Fright Nights attraction history

Year	Attractions (number of seasons)
2002	THE FREEZER (3)	Freakshow 3D (3)
2003
2004			Carnival of the Bizarre (5)
2005	The Asylum (9)	Hellgate (6)
2006				Se7en (6)
2007
2008					The Curse (5)
2009
2010			SAW: Alive (9)			Dead End (1)
2011		Experiment 10 (2)
2012				The Passing (1)
2013		My Bloody Valentine (3)		Cabin in the Woods (4)	Blair Witch (4)
2014	Studio 13 (1)					Extra Cut (1)
2015	Containment (5)					The Big Top (3)
2016		Platform 15 (5)
2017				The Walking Dead: Living Nightmare (3)	The Walking Dead: Sanctum (1)
2018					The Walking Dead: Do or Die (2)	The Big Top: Showtime (1)	Blair Witch (2)	Terror at Amity High: High School SUCKS! (3)	Screamplexx Cinema (3)	Vulcan Peak (1)	Dead Creek Woods (1)
2019			Creek Freak Massacre (1)
2020	The Swarm: Invasion (2)		Roots of Evil (1)	The Howling of LycanThorpe High (1)	Creek Freaks Unchained [as a Scare Zone] (2)	The Fearstival Arena (1)	The Crows (2)
2021		Platform 15: End of the Line (1)	Creek Freak Massacre (1)	Amity High vs LycanThorpe: LoveBITES! (1)		Trailers (4)		The Crows of Mawkin Meadow (4)	Birthday Bash (2)	Legacy (2)
2022	Survival Games (3)	The Terminal (1)	Creek Freak Massacre: The Final Cut (1)	Amity High vs LycanThorpe: Graduation SUCKS! (1)	Creek Freaks Unchained [as a Roaming Team] (1)		Death's Doors (2)
2023		Creature Campus: Trouble's Brewing (1)	Lucifer's Lair (2)	Stitches (2)
2024		Creature Campus: Looks Can Kill! (1)			Deadbeat (1)

  – Previous Fright Night attraction.   – Current Fright Night attraction.

Thorpe Shark Cabins

Guests can stay over on-park at the 'Thorpe Shark Cabins', comprising 90 rooms converted from shipping containers with a link to facilities in the adjacent Dome. The accommodation takes its name from its shark head entrance feature built from recycled park signage.

The hotel initially opened in 2013 as 'The Crash Pad', run by external company Snoozebox. The temporary development was purchased by the park the following year and rebranded as the Thorpe Shark Hotel. ^[51]

Thorpe Park had originally been planning to build a permanent 250-bed hotel as far back as 2006. This would have been located on the opposite side of the lake, on the site of former excavation works, featuring a lakeside bar, health club and restaurant. Planning permission was granted in 2011. ^[52]

The development was pitched again following the installation of 'The Crash Pad' to "test market conditions". The park received planning permission to construct the permanent hotel in 2014, with construction planned to begin in 2016 and an opening in 2018. However, the hotel was never constructed and the Shark Hotel's planning permission was extended by 10 years instead. ^[53]

In 2023, new Swarm, Nemesis Inferno and Stealth themed rooms opened in the Thorpe Shark Cabins. They feature special theming in the room and unlimited fastrack on each rooms roller coaster on your 2nd day. ^[54]

In 2024, new Colossus and Hyperia themed rooms opened in the Thorpe Shark Cabins.

Operations and developments

Thorpe Park has a maximum capacity of 15,000 guests. ^{[55] [56]}

In 2010, the park outlined a 5-year development plan that outlined new rollercoasters for 2012, which was later realised in The Swarm. The plan outlined another rollercoaster scheduled for 2015 as well as a permanent lakeside hotel, both of which have not come to fruition. No application was ever submitted for the 2015 development and the earmarked site behind The Swarm remains undeveloped. ^[57]

On 26 November 2021, the park launched a public consultation website outlining a proposal for a brand new roller coaster. ^[58] Alongside this, leaflets were handed out to local residents, stating the proposal will 'involve the removal of existing old rides and replacement with a new roller coaster in the Old Town part of the resort'. The public consultation began on 10 December 2021, with plans detailing a 236-foot (72 m) tall steel hyper coaster codenamed "Project Exodus". ^[58]

An application for planning permission was submitted on 14 March 2022. ^[59] Objections were raised by Surrey Wildlife Trust, Natural England, and the Environment Agency; citing concerns regarding biodiversity impacts, pollution, and flood risks. ^[60] The concerns raised by Surrey Wildlife Trust and Natural England were addressed, leading to their objections subsequently being withdrawn. ^[61] On 5 October 2022, Runnymede Borough Council approved the application for "Project Exodus", but, due to the unresolved objection from the Environment Agency, the application had to be referred to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for approval ^[62] (under the terms of The Town and Country Planning (Consultation) (England) Direction 2021).

On 1 November 2022, a letter sent to Runnymede Borough Council on behalf of the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities stated that 'He is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority'. ^[63] Subsequently, Runnymede Borough Council granted planning permission for "Project Exodus" on 2 November 2022. ^{[64] [65]}

Construction for the project began in January 2023, ^[66] with the manufacturer being confirmed as Mack Rides. On 17 July 2023, the first supports arrived for the coaster. In August 2023, Project Exodus was confirmed to be the UK's fastest roller coaster and the colour scheme of black, gold and white was confirmed. ^[67]

On 5 October 2023, the name for Project Exodus, Hyperia, was revealed and, on 6 March 2024, the track was completed. ^[68] The rollercoaster opened on 24 May 2024, but was closed the following day. It reopened on 12 June 2024, ^[69] but was temporarily closed again on 19 June following an incident four days earlier, in which riders were stuck on part of the ride for an hour. ^[70]

Transport

There are no direct rail connections to Thorpe Park; the nearest railway station is Chertsey, 2 km away.

Thorpe Park is served by the 950 express bus, which runs from Staines railway station, ^[71] from which journeys from London Waterloo or Reading can be made. Other local bus routes that serve the park include routes 461 and 446. ^[72] There is also the seasonal 951 bus between Watford and Thorpe Park, operating once daily (arriving in the morning, departing in the evening) although there are two return journeys during Fright Nights. ^[73]

Incidents

Main article: Incidents at European amusement parks: Thorpe Park

See also

• Surrey portal

• Merlin Entertainments
• The Tussauds Group
• RMC Group
• "Thorpe Park", an episode of The Inbetweeners in which the main characters visit Thorpe Park
• Primeval – the third episode of Series 2 featured the park under a fictitious name.
• Staines railway station
• Chertsey railway station
• Alton Towers
• Chessington World of Adventures
• Theme Park
• Drayton Manor Theme Park

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External links

• Official website
• Memories of Thorpe Park