Alton Towers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alton Towers Resort

Location	Alton, Staffordshire, England
Coordinates	52°59′13″N 1°53′06″W / 52.98694°N 1.88500°W / 52.98694; -1.88500
Opened	4 April 1980 (1980-04-04) (as theme park)
Owner	LondonMetric Property
Operated by	Merlin Entertainments
General manager	Bianca Sammut
Slogan	Theres No Feeling Like It!
Operating season	Theme Park February – January (Full park offering between March – November) Alton Towers Gardens March – November Alton Towers Hotel Year-round Splash Landings Hotel Year-round Enchanted Village Year-round CBeebies Land Hotel Year-round Stargazing Pods April – November Alton Towers Waterpark Year-round Conference Centre Year-round Extraordinary Golf Year-round
Attendance	2023: 2,350,000 (2.17%)
Area	910 acres (370 ha; 3.7 km2) (total combined resort area)
Attractions
Total	42
Roller coasters	10
Water rides	3
Website	www.AltonTowers.com

Alton Towers (also known as Alton Towers Resort) is a super fun theme park and resort in Staffordshire, England. It's near the village of Alton. This amazing park is run by Merlin Entertainments Group. It has a theme park, a cool water park, mini golf, and even a hotel complex where you can stay!

Alton Towers started as a private estate owned by the Earl of Shrewsbury. In 1860, its beautiful gardens opened to the public to help raise money. In the 1970s, a few rides were added. Then, in 1980, it became a full theme park, just like Disneyland! That's when its first roller coaster was built.

Today, Alton Towers has many exciting attractions. These include the Congo River Rapids, Nemesis Reborn, The Smiler, and Wicker Man. There are ten roller coasters in total! You can also find lots of places to stay, plus the Alton Towers Waterpark, a Conference Centre, and Extraordinary Golf.

The theme park is open for part of the year, usually from mid-March to early November. But many of its hotels and other fun spots are open all year round. They also have special events like Scarefest, Fireworks, and Christmas celebrations!

History of Alton Towers

Alton Towers first regularly opened its gardens to the public when the Alton Towers railway station was built. Money from train trips helped the Earl take care of the grounds.

In 1924, a group called Alton Towers Ltd took over the estate. They kept the gardens open for visitors. However, the estate closed during the Second World War when the military used it.

In the early 1950s, Alton Towers Ltd got the property back and reopened the gardens. The park grew with new things like a railway, a fairground, a boating lake, and a chairlift. Later, a property developer named John Broome bought most of the park. He started planning to turn it into a big theme park.

Becoming a Theme Park (1980-1990)

Under John Broome, Alton Towers officially became a theme park in 1980. They introduced a "pay-one-price" ticket, meaning you paid once to enjoy all the rides. The first big roller coaster, the Corkscrew, opened then. In the years that followed, more exciting rides and areas were added. These included The Flume, Around The World in 80 Days, The Black Hole, and the Grand Canyon Rapids.

New Owners and More Rides (1990–2007)

In 1990, John Broome sold Alton Towers to The Tussauds Group. This led to even more new areas and attractions. Some popular rides from this time include Runaway Mine Train (1992), The Haunted House (1992), Toyland Tours (1994), and Nemesis (1994).

In 1998, Oblivion opened. It was the world's first "dive coaster." Then, in 2002, Air (now Galactica) opened, which was a "flying roller coaster." Spinball Whizzer followed in 2004. In 2005, Rita–Queen of Speed was built.

Merlin Entertainments Takes Over (2007–Present)

In 2007, The Blackstone Group bought The Tussauds Group and combined it with Merlin Entertainments. Alton Towers was then sold to a private company, Prestbury, but Merlin still operates the park under a long-term lease. Today, LondonMetric Property owns the property.

In early 2008, the park changed its name to Alton Towers Resort. This showed that it was a place where people could stay for more than one day. The Corkscrew roller coaster closed that year, but its famous corkscrew loop was kept as a cool display near the park entrance. In March 2010, TH13TEEN opened. It was the first roller coaster to have a special "freefall drop track."

In 2020, Alton Towers had a shorter season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened normally on April 12, 2021.

In 2024, Nemesis was updated and became Nemesis Reborn after a year of work. The area around it, Forbidden Valley, also got a new look. In 2025, a new ride called Toxicator opened in the Forbidden Valley area.

Rides and Attractions

Roller Coasters

Name	Picture	Status	Opened	Type	Manufacturer	Height Min.	Park section	Notes	Previous Attraction
Runaway Mine Train	Runaway Mine Train	Operational	1992	Steel/Mine Train	Mack Rides	1.1 m	Katanga Canyon	A family roller coaster that feels like a runaway mine cart.	Octopus
Nemesis Reborn	Nemesis Reborn	Operational	1994 (2024)	Steel/Inverted	Bolliger & Mabillard	1.4 m	Forbidden Valley	Europe's first inverted roller coaster. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2024.	Nemesis
Oblivion	Oblivion	Operational	1998	Steel/Dive coaster	Bolliger & Mabillard	1.4 m	X-Sector	The world's first dive coaster, with a huge vertical drop.	Alpine Bobsleigh
Galactica	Galactica	Operational	2002	Steel/Flying	Bolliger & Mabillard	1.4 m	Forbidden Valley	The world's first flying roller coaster from Bolliger & Mabillard. It was called Air until 2015.	Air
Spinball Whizzer	Spinball Whizzer	Operational	2004	Steel/Spinning	Maurer AG	1.2 m	The Towers	A roller coaster where your car spins like a pinball.
Rita	Rita	Temporarily closed	2005	Steel/Accelerator	Intamin	1.4 m	Dark Forest	A super fast roller coaster that launches you forward.	Boneshaker
TH13TEEN	TH13TEEN	Operational	2010	Multi Dimension Coaster	Intamin	1.2 m	Dark Forest	A family coaster with the world's first "vertical free-fall drop" inside.	Corkscrew
The Smiler	The Smiler	Operational	2013	Steel/Infinity	Gerstlauer	1.4 m	X-Sector	This ride holds the world record for having the most inversions (loops and twists) on a roller coaster, with 14!	Black Hole
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure	Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure	Operational	2015	Steel	Zamperla	0.9 m	CBeebies Land	A fun children's coaster based on the TV show.	Beastie
Wicker Man	Wicker Man	Operational	2018	Wooden	Great Coasters International	1.2 m	Mutiny Bay	A wooden roller coaster with cool fire effects!	The Flume

Other Exciting Rides

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes	Replaced
Toxicator		Suspended Top Spin	Operational	2025	Forbidden Valley	Huss Rides	A spinning ride that flips you around, built on a high platform.	Ripsaw
Marauder's Mayhem| Marauder's Mayhem |align=center|Teacups Ride	Operational	align=center|Mutiny Bay|align=center|Mack Rides|style="text-align:left"|A spinning teacups ride, but with barrels of gunpowder instead of teacups!	N/A

Water and Dark Rides

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes	Replaced
Battle Galleons| Battle Galleons |Splash Battle	2008|Mutiny Bay|Mack Rides|style="text-align:left"|A pirate-themed boat ride where you can spray other riders with water cannons.	Splash Kart Challenge
Congo River Rapids| Congo River Rapids |Rapids ride	1986|Katanga Canyon|Intamin|style="text-align:left"|A thrilling water ride that takes you down a rushing river.	N/A
Curse at Alton Manor| Curse at Alton Manor |Dark ride	2023|Gloomy Wood|Mack Rides|style="text-align:left"|A spooky dark ride with a haunted theme.	Duel
Hex – The Legend of the Towers| Hex – The Legend of the Towers |Walk-through/ Madhouse	2000|The Towers|Vekoma|style="text-align:left"|An attraction based on a local legend about a chained oak tree.	N/A
Gangsta Granny: The Ride |Dark ride	2021|The World of David Walliams|Garmendale Engineering|style="text-align:left"|A fun dark ride based on the book Gangsta Granny by David Walliams.	Wobble World
Nemesis Sub Terra| Nemesis Sub Terra	Drop tower / walkthrough	Operational	2012	Forbidden Valley	ABC Rides	An attraction linked to the Nemesis story, with a small indoor drop tower.	Lava Lump

Fun for Younger Kids

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes	Replaced
Cuckoo Cars Driving School| Cuckoo Cars Driving School |align=center|Driving Attraction|2006|style="text-align: center"|The Towers|style="text-align: center"|SB International AB|style="text-align:left"|Kids can drive miniature electric cars around a fun road course.	Vintage Cars
Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp	Mini drop tower|style="text-align: center"|1999|style="text-align: center"|The World of David Walliams|style="text-align: center"|S&S Power|style="text-align:left"|A small drop tower ride for children.	N/A
Royal Carousel |align=center|Carousel|align=center|1991|style="text-align: center"|The World of David Walliams|align=center|Bertazzon|style="text-align:left"|A classic merry-go-round ride for kids.	N/A
Heave Ho |align=center|Rockin' Tug|align=center|2008|align=center|Mutiny Bay|style="text-align:center;"|Zamperla|style="text-align:left"|A boat ride that rocks and swings back and forth.	N/A
Sharkbait Reef at Alton Towers	Sea Life Centre|2009|Mutiny Bay|Merlin Magic Making|style="text-align:left"|An Sea Life aquarium designed like a shipwreck.	3D Cinema
In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride	Boat ride|align=center|2014|style="text-align: center"|CBeebies Land|Mack Rides|style="text-align:left"|A gentle boat ride themed to In the Night Garden.
Get Set Go TreeTop Adventure	1996|CBeebies Land|Premier Rides|style="text-align:left"|Riders travel high above CBeebies Land in their own vehicle.	N/A
Bugbie Go Round	Carousel-style attraction|1995|CBeebies Land	A fun carousel ride with Bugbies characters.	N/A
JoJo & Gran Gran at Home	2022|CBeebies Land|Merlin Magic Making|An indoor, interactive area based on the CBeebies show JoJo & Gran Gran.	Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters & Greendrops
Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory	2003|CBeebies Land|Merlin Magic Making|An interactive indoor play area from the CBeebies show Justin's House.	N/A
Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig	2022|CBeebies Land|Merlin Magic Making|An interactive show and attraction based on the TV show Andy's Dinosaur Adventures.	Mr Bloom's Allotment
Something Special Sensory Garden	2014|CBeebies Land|Merlin Magic Making|An outdoor garden designed for sensory play, based on the CBeebies show Something Special.	N/A
Hey Duggee's Big Adventure Badge	2022|CBeebies Land|Merlin Magic Making|A fun play area based on the CBeebies show Hey Duggee.	Tree Fu Tom Training Camp
Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride	Aerial Roundabout|style="text-align:center;"|2017|align=center|CBeebies Land|align=center|Garmendale Engineering|style="text-align:left"|A roundabout ride that takes you up in the air, themed to Go Jetters.	N/A
The Furchester Hotel Live	2017|CBeebies Land|Merlin Magic Making|A live show based on the CBeebies programme The Furchester Hotel.	N/A
Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop	Two Junior Drop Towers|2019|CBeebies Land|S&S Power|Two small drop towers based on the CBeebies show Peter Rabbit.	N/A

Park Transport and Gardens

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes
Haunted Hollow| Haunted Hollow |Outdoor trail	2007|Gloomy Wood / Mutiny Bay|Tussauds Studios|style="text-align:left"|A spooky path through the woods with interactive sounds and features.
Monorail| Alton Towers Monorail |Monorail	1987|Links entrance plaza to car park and hotels|Von Roll Habegger|style="text-align:left"|A monorail system that takes guests from the car parks and hotels to the theme park entrance.
Sky Ride| Sky Ride |Gondola lift	1987|Stations at Towers Street, Forbidden Valley and Dark Forest|Poma|style="text-align:left"|A cable car that carries guests around the park, offering great views of the gardens.
The Gardens| Alton Towers Gardens |English landscape garden	1860|Gardens|The Talbot Family|style="text-align:left"|Beautiful historic gardens with lakes, fountains, and interesting buildings.
The Towers ruins	Ruins	1970|The Towers|The Talbot Family	The remains of the old stately home from the 1800s.

Future Rides

Name	Type	Expected Opening	Site	Manufacturer	Additional Information
'Project Sunshine'	Rollercoaster	2026	Area previously occupied by Postman Pat Parcel Post	Unknown	A new family roller coaster is being built here. Work started in June 2025.
'Project Horizon'	Unconfirmed	Unconfirmed	Area formerly known as Coaster Corner	Unconfirmed	A new indoor attraction is planned for this area. Construction has not yet begun.

Past Rides and Attractions

Past Roller Coasters

Attraction	Opened	Closed	Manufacturer	Relocation
Corkscrew|1980|2008	Vekoma|
1982|1997	Pinfari|Moved to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, England, UK in 1998.
The Beastie|1983|2010	Pinfari|Removed in 2012, now at Barry Island Pleasure Park.
Black Hole|1984|2005	Anton Schwarzkopf|Operated in Furuvik Zoo from 2011 to 2021.
1985|1990	Zierer|Moved to Family Park in France.
1988|1991	Vekoma|Moved to Idlewild and Soak Zone, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, United States in 1993.
1988|1997	Anton Schwazkopf|Last operated in Salitre Magico, Colombia, from 2010 to 2017.
Thunder Looper|1990|1996	Anton Schwarzkopf|Moved to Hopi Hari, Brazil in 1999.

Main Past Attractions

Attraction	Opened	Closed	Ride Type	Fate
Around The World in 80 Days|1981|1993|Dark ride	Became Toyland Tours.
The Flume|1981|2015|Log Flume	Removed.
Toyland Tours|1994|2005|Dark Ride	Became Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride.
The Haunted House|1992|2002|Dark Ride	Became Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back!
Ripsaw|1997|2015|Huss Topspin	Removed.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride|2006|2015|Dark ride	Became the Alton Towers Dungeons.
1984|2021|HUSS Enterprise	Removed.
Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back|2003|2022|Shooting Dark Ride	Became The Curse at Alton Manor.
1980|2024|HUSS Pirate Ship	A swinging ship, the oldest ride in the park when it closed.
Flavio's Fabulous Fandango	2021	2024	Sizzler	A spinning flat ride.
The Alton Towers Dungeon	2019	2024	Boat ride and walk-through attraction	Replaced by a Scarefest attraction.
Postman Pat Parcel Post	2014	2025		An interactive car ride based on the CBeebies show Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service.

Alton Towers Theme Park Areas

The Alton Towers Theme Park is split into 11 different areas. These are Towers Street, Mutiny Bay, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest, The Towers & Gardens, The World of David Walliams, X-Sector, Adventure Land, and CBeebies Land. The SkyRide cable car can take you between Towers Street, Forbidden Valley, and The Towers, giving you great views of the gardens.

The park can have up to 28,000 guests at one time. In 2019, about 2.13 million people visited, making it Britain's second most visited theme park.

Timeline of Park Areas

      Previous themed area

      Current themed area

• 

  Mutiny Bay

• 

  Katanga Canyon

• 

  Dark Forest

• 

  The World of David Walliams
  Royal Carousel

• 

  Adventure Land
  Spinball Whizzer roller-coaster

• 

  Gloomy Wood

• 

  X-Sector Smiler and Oblivion

Towers Street

Opened in 1986, Towers Street is the first area you see when you enter the park. It looks like a town street and leads to views of the beautiful gardens and the old Towers. You'll find jumping frog fountains and a big lawn where special events happen. The first SkyRide station is here, which is a long cable car ride. The monorail also takes guests from the car parks and hotels to the park entrance.

Katanga Canyon

This area is themed like an African village and opened in 1992. It has the roller coaster Runaway Mine Train and the Congo River Rapids. Both rides are very popular and share a tunnel. The Congo River Rapids is a six-minute water ride down a wild river. The Runaway Mine Train is a steel roller coaster that goes up to 22 mph (36 km/h).

Gloomy Wood

Gloomy Wood is home to the dark ride The Curse at Alton Manor. This ride first opened in 1992 as The Haunted House.

In 2007, a themed path called Haunted Hollow was added. This path goes through the woods and connects to Mutiny Bay. It has spooky tombstones, statues, and sound effects that react to guests.

Forbidden Valley

Forbidden Valley is designed like a "research facility" run by an organization called Phalanx. Before 2024, it had a "post-apocalyptic" look with lots of scrapyard structures. There's also a SkyRide station in this area.

The main attraction here is Nemesis Reborn, which opened in 1994 and was updated in 2024. It's a steel inverted roller coaster that reaches 50 mph (81 km/h) and has four inversions. It's themed around an alien creature in a rocky quarry.

Galactica is a flying roller coaster that opened in 2002 as Air. It was re-themed to Galactica in 2016 with a space travel theme.

This area also has two smaller attractions. Nemesis Sub-Terra is an indoor attraction with a small drop tower. It's themed around the Nemesis story. In 2025, the HUSS suspended topspin ride Toxicator opened here.

The 'Rollercoaster Restaurant' opened in May 2016. Here, your food is delivered to your table on looping rails! It's open daily and you can visit it even if you don't have a theme park ticket after the park closes.

Adventure Land

Adventure Land is a small family area with Spinball Whizzer. This ride is like a giant pinball machine where your car spins as it goes around the track. It was called Sonic Spinball for a few years.

This area is named after an adventure playground that used to be here.

X-Sector

X-Sector looks like a secret facility where park guests are part of experiments. In 2013, the theme changed to include the Ministry of Joy, which tries to make riders smile with their machines, like The Smiler.

This area has two thrilling rides. The steel dive coaster Oblivion opened in 1998. Its cars hang over an 87.5° drop before diving into a deep tunnel. The Smiler is a roller coaster that opened in May 2013. It holds the world record for having 14 inversions!

Mutiny Bay

Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed family area that opened in 2008. It used to be called Merrie England.

Attractions here include: Battle Galleons, a boat ride where you can spray other riders with water cannons. There's also the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho. The park's original teacups ride was re-themed to Marauders Mayhem, with cars shaped like gunpowder barrels.

In 2009, a Sea Life Centre called Sharkbait Reef opened. It's themed like a shipwreck and has "touch pools" where you can interact with sea creatures, plus a 10 m (33 ft) underwater tunnel.

The World of David Walliams

The World of David Walliams opened in May 2021. It's designed for younger children, aged 7–11, and is based on the popular books by David Walliams. Rides include Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp, and Royal Carousel. This area has had different names over the years, like "Cloud Cuckoo Land."

The opening of this area was delayed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dark Forest

The Dark Forest is a spooky woodland area. It opened with TH13TEEN, a steel family coaster themed like a haunted crypt, which opened on March 20, 2010. Th13teen has the "world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster" inside. This ride replaced the Corkscrew, which was the park's first roller coaster.

Rita is a super fast steel coaster that launches you to 61 mph (100 km/h). It's themed as an abandoned drag racer used to escape the Dark Forest. The area was previously called Ug Land.

CBeebies Land

CBeebies Land is based on the BBC children's TV channel: CBeebies. It opened on May 24, 2014. This area has rides, shows, and interactive experiences based on CBeebies shows like In the Night Garden... and Postman Pat.

Attractions include: In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride, Get Set Go Treetop Adventure, Something Special Sensory Garden, Bugbie Go Round, Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory, Hey Dugee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, Jojo & Gran Gran at Home, Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure, and The Furchester Hotel Live. There are also shows at the Big Fun Show Time stage.

In 2015, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened. In 2017, Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride and The Furchester Hotel Live were added. In 2019, Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop and Teletubbies Big Band Live Show opened. In 2022, three new attractions arrived: Hey Dugee Big Adventure Badge, Andys Adventures Dinosaur Dig, and JoJo and Gran Gran at Home. A new Bluey themed attraction opened on March 23, 2024.

The Towers

The Towers are the ruins of the old Alton Towers stately home, which is where the park gets its name. They belonged to the Talbot family until 1924. The ruins are now open for guided tours.

Hex – The Legend of the Towers is a walk-through dark ride inside the ruins. It opened in 2000. The ride's story is based on a local legend about a chained oak tree and the history of the Towers.

Cuckoo Cars Driving School lets children drive miniature electric cars around a fun road course. A SkyRide station is also located nearby.

The Gardens

Near the garden entrance is a monument to the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury, who created these gardens in the early 1800s. Other cool spots include a Chinese Pagoda Fountain, The Swiss Cottage, and Miniature 'Stonehenge'.

Alton Towers Waterpark

The Alton Towers Waterpark, once called Cariba Creek, opened in 2003. It's a big waterpark with 7 pools and 10 water slides, themed like a tropical Caribbean lagoon. It has fast slides, a lazy river, a giant tipping bucket, and many other water features. You need a separate ticket to enter the waterpark.

Some attractions include Lagoona Bay, the main tropical pool with water cannons. The Little Leak is a shallow pool for young children. The Wacky Waterworks Treehouse is a wooden 'treehouse' with water cannons to spray people.

The biggest ride is the water coaster The Master Blaster. It's a high-speed water flume with sharp turns, drops, and dark sections.

Other rides include Rush & Rampage, which are twin racing slides. The Lazy River (Calypso Creek) is a slow-moving water circuit. The Tipping Bucket fills with 1000 litres of water and tips it over people below! Flash Floods are outdoor pools with slides. There are also heated pools like Volcanic Springs and Bubbly Wubbly Pool.

Resort Accommodation

The resort has 3 hotels and 2 types of glamping-style places to stay:

Alton Towers Hotel

The Alton Towers Hotel is a four-star hotel with an explorer theme. It opened in 1996 and has 180 rooms. It features restaurants, bars, an arcade, and a gift shop. There are many themed rooms, including Gangsta Granny, Chocolate, and The Smiler themes.

Splash Landings Hotel

The Splash Landings Hotel opened in 2003. It has a relaxed Caribbean theme and is connected to the Alton Towers Waterpark. This four-star hotel has 216 rooms, a buffet restaurant, a bar, a gift shop, and a large arcade. It's connected to the Alton Towers Hotel by a walkway.

Enchanted Village

The Enchanted Village opened in 2015. It has 120 lodges and 5 treehouses set in a magical woodland. It's next to the Alton Towers hotel and has small playgrounds for children.

CBeebies Land Hotel

The CBeebies Land Hotel opened on July 8, 2017. It has 76 themed rooms based on CBeebies shows like Bing, Octonauts, Postman Pat, and Bluey.

Stargazing Pods

The Stargazing Pods opened on April 12, 2019. These are small "pod"-style rooms, with 102 individual pods, each sleeping up to four people.

Recreation

Extraordinary Golf

Opened in 2007, Extraordinary Golf is a mini-golf course themed to different rides and attractions from the park's past and present. It's located near the Splash Landings Hotel.

Future Plans

Alton Towers is in a Conservation Area. This means there are rules about building new things. For example, new structures shouldn't be taller than the trees and should be hidden from outside the park. You can see this on the ride Rita, where the highest parts of the track are painted green to blend in.

Noise can also be a problem because the park is close to nearby villages. Alton Towers has had to deal with noise complaints in the past.

In September 2022, Alton Towers shared plans for a new indoor roller coaster called "Project Horizon." These plans were approved in early 2023, but the opening date is not yet known.

Alton Towers often gives its new roller coaster projects secret code names like "Secret Weapon."

Events

Scarefest

Scarefest is the park's annual Halloween event. It runs from the first weekend of October until early November. It celebrates Halloween with spooky attractions, costumed characters, and longer opening hours. Rides stay open and lit up after dark, often until 9pm. Scarefest has been happening since 2007. Some of the scare attractions cost extra. The 2024 Scarefest ran from October 11 to November 3.

Scarefest attraction history

Year	Attractions (number of seasons)
2002	Terror of the Towers (1)
2003	Terror of the Towers: Bloodfest Banquet (3)
2006
2007	Terror of the Towers: Bloodfest Banquet (3)	The Field of 1000 Screams (3)	Haunted Hollow Live (2)
2008				The Boilerhouse (4)	Duel Live (2)
2009	Terror of the Towers: What Lies Within (9)
2010		Carnival of Screams (4)			Skelvin's Haunted Adventure (1)
2011			Zombies Scare Zone (4)
2012				The Sanctuary (3)
2013
2014		Scary Tales Scare Zone (1)
2015		Dark Apocalypse Scare Zone (2)	The Haunting of Molly Crowe (1)	Nox Inferous Scare Zone (1)	Sub Species (5)
2016			House of Monsters (3)	Altonville Mine Tours (9)		Freak Show Scare Zone (2)
2017		The Welcoming (2)
2018	Project 42 (2)
2019		Darkest Depths (5)	The Attic (6)
2020	Freak Show: Toxic Junkyard (2)				Garden Lights Walk: Whispering Souls (3)
2021						Trick O' Treat Town (4)
2022	The Invitation (2)
2023					Daz Games: PANIC! (2)		Burial Grounds Scare Zone (2)
2024	Compound (1)	Amigos in the Afterlife (1)

     – Previous Scarefest attraction.      – Current Scarefest attraction.

Other Events

Fireworks

At the end of the season, Alton Towers hosts amazing firework shows. These have been happening every year since the 1990s.

Concerts

Alton Towers has hosted many concerts over the years. Famous artists like P!nk and Tina Turner have performed there.

Records Held by the Park

• Corkscrew was the first roller coaster in Europe with two inversions.
• The Flume was the longest log flume ride in the world when it opened in 1981.
• Nemesis was the first inverted roller coaster in Europe.
• Oblivion was the world's first B&M dive coaster.
• Galactica was the world's first B&M flying coaster.
• TH13TEEN had the first "freefall drop" track element on a roller coaster.
• The Smiler holds the world record for the most inversions on a roller coaster, with 14.

Incidents and Safety

Alton Towers works hard to keep guests safe. Like any large park, there have been a few incidents over the years.

The Smiler

In June 2015, some people were injured on The Smiler ride. The park's operator, Merlin Entertainments, later admitted that the incident happened because they didn't have the right safety procedures in place. They were fined a large amount of money.

Sky Ride

On June 30, 2004, strong winds caused the Sky Ride cables to get stuck. About 80 people were on the ride, and some had to be helped down from high up.

On October 28, 2007, a fire broke out at the Forbidden Valley Skyride station. Another fire happened on July 21, 2009, at the Cloud Cuckoo Land station, which was then rebuilt.

Runaway Mine Train

On July 20, 2006, two carriages of the Runaway Mine Train came apart. The front part rolled back and hit the back part. Six people went to the hospital, and others had minor injuries. The ride was closed for the rest of that season.

Toxicator

On March 15, 2025, the new ride Toxicator had to close for a few hours on its opening day because of a burst pipe.

Images for kids

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  Alton Towers Monorail

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  Hex – The Legend of the Towers

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  Cuckoo Cars Driving School

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  The Gardens

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  Alton Towers Waterpark

• 

  Alton Towers Hotel

• 

  Haunted Hollow

• 

  Marauder's Mayhem

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  Battle Galleons

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  Congo River Rapids

• 

  Curse at Alton Manor

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  Gangsta Granny: The Ride

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  Nemesis Sub Terra

• 

  Cuckoo Cars Driving School

• 

  Royal Carousel

• 

  Heave Ho

• 

  Sharkbait Reef

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  Monorail

• 

  Sky Ride

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  The Towers ruins

• 

  Runaway Mine Train

• 

  Nemesis Reborn

• 

  Oblivion

• 

  Galactica

• 

  Spinball Whizzer

• 

  Rita

• 

  TH13TEEN

• 

  The Smiler

• 

  Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure

• 

  Wicker Man

• 

  View of Oblivion

See also

In Spanish: Alton Towers para niños