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In this Summer Special of Skip the Queue, guest host and attractions industry journalist Owen Ralph is joined by three theme park operators for a closer look at their new offerings for 2026.
Lawrence Mancey discusses Paultons Park’s £12 million themed area Valgard, the largest ever investment at the UK park, also home to Peppa Pig World. He explains how the viking theme was a ‘no-brainer’, why the family-run park likes creating its own IP, and also tells us about Paultons’ embryonic holiday park plans.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s James Cox highlights the famous park’s new £8.7 million Aviktas thrill ride and its long-running Hot Ice show. He also explains how the team is trying to revitalise neglected areas of the seaside site and why its operating season is longer than most other British parks.
Finally, Hogne Høstmælingen from Hunderfossen in Norway – celebrating its 40th anniversary this season – tell us about the Lillehammer park’s troll roots and much more. We hear how an IP first introduced in 2014 has spawned three attractions including a rollercoaster, Thea Award-winning simulator experience and the new dark ride Rally Flåklypa.
Topics Discussed- Developing a new themed area
- Working with intellectual properties
- Increasing Paultons’ appeal to older kids
- The flexibility of lodge accommodation Vs a hotel
- Choosing a new thrill and where to site it
- Revitalising a forgotten corner of Blackpool Pleasure Beach
- How an eye-catching ride can be an ‘attraction’ even to those that don’t ride it
- Live entertainment and its role in broadening a park’s offering
- Squeezing a dark ride into a remarkably small building
- How Hunderfossen invested in a movie to extend an IP’s life
- A unique troll-themed dining experience
- An enchanting winter park offer
Show references:
Guest host:
International Editor, Kirmes & Park International
Regular contributor, Blooloop/World’s Fair
Marketing and Technology Director, Paultons Park, UK
- www.paultonspark.co.uk/themed-worlds/valgard-realm-of-the-vikings
- https://796f0761.flowpaper.com/GemiKirmes0726E150/#page=24
Director of Marketing, Sales and PR, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort, UK
General Manager, Hunderfossen, Norway
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Credits:
Written by Owen Ralph
Edited by Steve Folland
Produced by Emily Burrows and Sami Entwisle (Plaster)
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