Top 5 rides coming to UK theme parks in 2021

2020 has been an extremely challenging year for the theme park industry in the UK. The delayed opening of the parks resulted in many attractions due to welcome guests in 2020 having their opening dates pushed back to 2021. This was due to either parks wanting attractions to enjoy a full season in their debuting year or, in some cases, delayed construction which was halted due to the country‘s lockdown. In this article we will list our 5 most anticipated new rides, in order, coming to UK theme parks in 2021. 

5. Black Mirror Labyrinth- Thorpe Park 

Black Mirror Labyrinth will open as the world’s first attraction based on the popular Netflix show, Black Mirror. The attraction was originally set to open in 2020 but will now open in early 2021. 

The Black Mirror Labyrinth will be an eerie walkthrough maze in which you must navigate through the digital world. The maze will incorporate cutting-edge visual technology and sensory-defying environments to create the overall effect.

We’re big fans of live, walkthrough attractions so we can’t wait to try out this experience at Thorpe Park next year. 

4. Gangsta Granny ride- Alton Towers

Originally set to open in Spring 2020, Gangsta Granny The Ride will now open at the start of the 2021 theme park season at Alton Towers. 

The ride is based on the popular children’s book Gangsta Granny written by comedian David Walliams. This indoor dark ride will see families join Granny and Ben on a heist, in a bid to get to the Crown Jewels. The ride will “whizz, twist and spin passengers 360° through a series of scenes”, using special effects, 3D projection mapping and heaps of animation inspired by the artwork of Tony Ross.

It is rumoured that the ride will be fairly short. However, we can’t wait to experience what the team at Alton Towers have created. A new dark ride will be a perfect addition to the park.

3. Tornado Springs- Paultons Park

This new themed land is set to open around Easter 2021. The land will be themed to resemble a 1950’s midwestern town.  The four-acre land will include eight new rides and attractions including a gyro swing and a driving school. The land will also be home to the UK’s first MACK free-spinning coaster, Storm Chaser. 

From the construction photos we have seen, the area looks like it will be heavily themed and full of detail. As big fans of theming, we’re really excited to explore this new area.

2. Lego Mythica-World of Mythical Creatures- Legoland Windsor

This brand-new land will open in Spring 2021 for the parks 25^th anniversary. The new area will be located next to the LEGOLAND Hotel. It will be the parks largest ever expansion.  The main attraction in this area will be the UKs first flying theatre. Flying theatre type attractions, such as Soarin’ at Epcot, have become extremely popular over the last 10 years and we cannot wait to see what LEGOLAND do with this type of attraction.

1. 10 inversion coaster- Flamingo Land

Flamingo Land were set to open this coaster this year. However, due to the pandemic, it will now open in early 2021. The coaster will feature 10 inversions and has cost the park just over £20 million. The ride, designed by Intamin, will reach a maximum height of 33 metres. It will be the largest coaster to open in the UK in the last couple of years. The coaster was fabricated in 2011 for a park in Brazil, but never built, then sold to a park in Malaysia and again never built. Flamingo Land then bought the coaster from the park in Malaysia and the ride is set to be operational for the first time ever in 2021.

This list only scratches the surface of what we have to look forward to in the 2021 UK theme park season. We‘d love to hear what other new attractions at UK theme parks in 2021 you’re looking forward to. Let us know in the comments below, on twitter or on Instagram. 

Thanks for reading our article ranking our top 5 most anticipated lands and attractions opening at UK theme parks in 2021.

Please check out our article on the history of X Sector at Alton Towers