The popular Blackpool theme park will reopen one of its most iconic rides next year, but fans will be in for a shock as the attraction has been re-themed and renamed
Pleasure Beach Resort has revealed plans to revamp one of its most popular rides. It will reopen next year with a new identity.
The well-loved Blackpool theme park is set to give its Ice Blast ride a makeover. The thrilling ride propelled riders 210 feet into the air at a speed of 80mph before dropping them 20 storeys in just two seconds. Currently closed for the 2024 season, the free-fall ride is being reimagined and re-themed by the Lancashire attraction’s engineers and will reopen next year as the Launch Pad.
The revamped ride 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.”
And it’s not the first time the ride has undergone a transformation.
It first opened in 1997 under the name PlayStation: The Ride, due to its sponsorship with Sony. It was the first tower ride in the UK and was opened by boyband-of-the-moment Boyzone.
The band, fronted by Ronan Keating, were the first riders alongside 94-year-old Doris Thompson, the late grandmother of current CEO, Amanda Thompson.
The ride was re-named Ice Blast after its sponsorship changed to Tango in 2000, and has operated under that name until now.
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To this day, it remains the UK’s fastest drop tower ride and is the second tallest, following The Volcano at Lincolnshire’s Fantasy Island. While an official opening date for The Launch has not been announced, park bosses anticipate it will be ready for the 2025 season.
Amanda Thompson, the CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort spoke their thrilling plans: “Earlier this year we announced that we are focusing on constantly evolving and renewing our ride offering, and confirmed our intention to make some exciting announcements in the future.”
She added: “The new era of Launch Pad is only the first, and we’re looking forward to everything the future holds at Pleasure Beach Resort.”
Karl Murphy, director of engineering at Pleasure Beach Resort, added: “A new cylinder might not sound much on paper, but it will make a huge difference in terms of the ride experience. Riders can expect to feel their stomachs drop to the floor with the increased force, and experience epic moments of weightlessness.
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“That, coupled with Launch Pad’s re-theming, makes for a very thrilling new era indeed.”
Launch Pad is expected to be open for Pleasure Beach Resort’s 2025 season, which starts on Saturday March 2 and is bookable now .
The Nickelodeon Land area of the park, which is aimed at families and younger riders, opens earlier for February half term from Saturday February 15 until Sunday February 23, at a reduced price of £25.00.
Guest can secure the best value tickets by booking online at www.pleasurebeachresort.com , where prices start at £32 for adults and £28 for children under 12.
Earlier this year, fans raged over the closure of the iconic 1960s Grand Prix ride which will also make way for something new.
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