Blackpool Pleasure Beach publicizes new £8.7m swing journey ‘greater than Drayton Manor’s’
The Blackpool theme park is undergoing a revamp with new rides and upgrades in the pipeline, including a giant spinning pendulum that swings 120 degrees and reaches 138 feet at its highest point
Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach Resort has unveiled its plans for a new £8.72m ride, which will be the biggest of its kind in the UK. A Gyro Swing is being added to the park’s line up of rides in 2026, and work has already begun on its delivery.
The ride is a giant spinning pendulum that swings 120 degrees and reaches 138 feet at its highest point. It can seat 40 riders who face outwards with their legs dangling, and will experience an exhilarating feeling of flying. Although other swinging pendulum rides exist in the UK, none come close to the Pleasure Beach model in terms of height. For example, Drayton Manor’s Maelstrom reaches approximately 74 feet, with the new ride almost double that in size.
CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort, Amanda Thompson, 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.
“We’ll be announcing more details soon and we’re very excited for the future at Pleasure Beach Resort.”
Pleasure Beach had previously teased the arrival of a new ride when it sent a digital van to rivals Thorpe Park on the day it opened its Hyperia rollercoaster, stating “We’ll just have to come up with something else then, won’t we?”
Preparation work began earlier this year with the demolition of the former Bowl-A-Drome building, but Pleasure Beach had remained tight-lipped on the plans until now.
The ride and its location were confirmed at Pleasure Beach’s season launch event earlier today.
It will be located in the north of the park close to the perimeter, meaning riders will feel as though they are being swung over the sea.
The news comes after Pleasure Beach Resort revealed plans to revamp its Ice Blast ride.
The thrilling ride propelled riders 210 feet into the air at a speed of 80mph before dropping them 20 storeys in just two seconds.
Now it will reopen this spring as the Launch Pad and will take on a space shuttle launcher theme and include a new pressure cylinder designed to “thrust riders with more force than they’ve experienced in recent years.”
Elsewhere in the theme park, new scenes will be added to Wallace & Gromit’s Thrill-O-Matic ride, from the new BAFTA award-winning film, Vengeance Most Fowl.
A further announcement was also made that the beloved River Caves ride will become the next attraction at Pleasure Beach to receive a re-imagining.
Pleasure Beach Resort is currently open for weekends in March, before opening both weekends and weekdays from Saturday April 5 onwards.
Tickets can be booked online.
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