Top UK theme park scraps much-loved free entry policy for new £25 tickets and visitors are furious
BLACKPOOL Pleasure Beach has scrapped free-entry and has added a £25 fee for non-riders.
The seaside theme park had been free to enter for years, so the addition of new ticket prices hasn’t been well received by visitors.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach had been known for its free entry, with people previously just having to pay for the rides they went on.
Charges per ride would be between £2 and around £10 per ride.
Now, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has updated its ticket prices and added a fee for general admission.
An adult ticket on the day is now £50, or £30 online if paid in advance.
But it’s the fixed fee for anyone not planning to go on rides that has received the most backlash.
The new non-rider ticket of £25 has been designed to offer guests greater ‘flexibility when planning their day out.’
Included in the price is £5 worth of ‘Pleasure Beach Pounds’ to put towards food, discounted show tickets and attractions like the Chinese Puzzle Maze.
But it still hasn’t sat well with visitors, one wrote on Facebook: “Wow £25 to walk around only, I’ll stick to the pier thanks.”
Another added: “Overpriced, £10 per non rider would have got far more people through the gates.”
Some even went as far as to call it a “con” and called the whole thing “daylight robbery”.
This isn’t the first time the seaside theme park has introduced non-rider fees.
In 2010, Blackpool Pleasure Beach introduced £5 and £10 non-rider passes, but these were axed in 2019, allowing guests to enter Blackpool Pleasure Beach for free again, until now.
While regular theme park goers have been left unhappy by the fees, others have said the same.
The likes of Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Drayton Manor and Flamingo Land all have general admission fees for all.
These range from £27.50-£68 – all of which are more expensive than Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s non-rider fee.
The only theme park in the UK that still has a different fee for non-riders is Paultons Park.
The amusement park located in the New Forest National Park has a £45 fee for adults going on rides, but is free for children and non-riders.
Our Expert Opinion On The Ticket Changes
Head of Sun Travel Lisa Minot gives her verdict on the new Blackpool Pleasure Beach fees...
Times have never been more challenging for our classic seaside resorts. The cost of living crisis continues to impact spending power and the lure of cheap trips abroad can turn the head of even the most ardent fan.
So it’s no surprise that Blackpool Pleasure Resort has had to introduce a new entrance fee.
Just two months ago, the attraction announced pre-tax losses of more than £2.7million and announced the closure of some of its smaller rides as well as a small number of job losses.
Like many businesses, it has been hit with a double whammy of national insurance and minimum wage increases following last year’s Budget.
If we want Blackpool Pleasure Resort – and the city in general – to survive and thrive, then measures like the new entry ticket are essential.
The resort is investing in new thrill rides and this new fee will help bosses invest in more.
It’s also worth noting you get a fair amount of extras in your ticket – from £5 to spend on food to character meet-and-greets, discounted show tickets and access to all the non-ride attractions plus, across the summer, a free matinee performance of the Hot Ice Show.
If theme park fans are happy to pay even greater sums to enter the likes of Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, surely the chance to enjoy all the fun of Blackpool Pleasure Resort is worth the money?
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is home to 10 rollercoasters, five ‘dark’ (indoor) rides, five water rides and 12 Nickelodeon-themed rides.
The attraction also has a number of shows and events throughout the year, including late night riding and fireworks.
It first opened in 1896, and is still popular today.
It was recently named as the number one destination to take kids to during the summer holidays, based on its reviews.
The seaside park is still being upgrade too and in 2025, introduced a new ride called the Launch Pad, which reaches speeds of 80mph and sends riders 210ft into the air on a towering steel structure.
One Sun Travel writer attended the literal ‘launch’ of the ride and gave us his verdict.
And Blackpool is planning to revamp its major tourist attraction, Winter Gardens.