Alton Towers facts for kids

Alton Towers Resort (pronounced OL-tən), often called Alton Towers, is a super fun theme park and resort in Staffordshire, England. It's near the village of Alton. This amazing place is run by Merlin Entertainments Group and has a theme park, a water park, mini golf, and even hotels! In 2021, it was the most popular amusement park in the UK, with about 1.8 million visitors.

Alton Towers started as a private estate owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury. Its beautiful gardens first opened to the public in 1860 to help raise money. In the 1970s, some rides were added, and parts of the park began to get special themes. Inspired by Disneyland, it became a full theme park in 1980 with its first roller coaster and many new rides.

The park has lots of exciting attractions like Congo River Rapids, Runaway Mine Train, Nemesis Reborn, Oblivion, Galactica, The Smiler, Wicker Man, Rita, and TH13TEEN. There are ten roller coasters in total! You can also find different places to stay, like hotels. Other cool spots include the Alton Towers Waterpark, Alton Towers 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 places are open all year round. Alton Towers also hosts special events like Alton Towers Scarefest (for Halloween), Oktoberfest, Festival of Thrills, Summer of Fun, and Mardi Gras.

Quick facts for kids
Alton Towers Resort

Previously known as Alton Towers Alton Abbey
Location	Alton, Staffordshire, England
Coordinates	52°59′15″N 1°53′27″W / 52.98750°N 1.89083°W / 52.98750; -1.89083
Opened	13 April 1860 (1860-04-13) (as country estate) 4 April 1980 (1980-04-04) (as theme park)
Owner	LXi REIT
Operated by	Merlin Entertainments
General manager	Bianca Sammut (Divisional Director)
Slogan	Britain's Greatest Escape
Operating season	Theme Park February - January (Full park offering between March - November) Alton Towers Gardens February - January Alton Towers Dungeon March – November Sharkbait Reef by Sealife February - January 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	2022: 2,300,000 (28%)
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

History of Alton Towers

Alton Towers first regularly opened to the public when the Alton Towers railway station was built. Money from train trips helped the Earl keep the grounds looking good.

In 1924, a group of local property agents created Alton Towers Ltd. They bought the estate and started to fix up the gardens as a place for tourists to visit. By the 1950s, it had a fairground, and by the 1970s, it even had a boating lake and a chairlift.

John Broome, a property developer, bought the park in 1973. He started turning it into a theme park by adding new areas and permanent rides. Some of these early rides included the Corkscrew, The Flume, Around The World In 80 Days, The Black Hole, and the Grand Canyon Rapids.

In 1990, Broome sold Alton Towers to The Tussauds Group. This change brought even more new developments. New themed areas and attractions opened, such as Runaway Mine Train (1992), The Haunted House (1992), Toyland Tours (1994), and Nemesis (1994). A famous attraction designer named John Wardley helped create many of these rides.

Later, in 2007, The Blackstone Group bought The Tussauds Group and combined it with Merlin Entertainments. Alton Towers was then sold to a private investment company, Prestbury, but Merlin still runs the park. In 2008, the park changed its name to 'Alton Towers Resort' to show that it's a place you can visit for more than one day. In 2020, the park had a shorter season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rides and Attractions

Roller Coasters

Name	Picture	Status	Opened	Type	Manufacturer	Height Min.	Park section	Notes	Previous Attraction
Galactica		Operational	2002	Steel/Flying	Bolliger & Mabillard	1.4 m	Forbidden Valley	This was the world's first flying roller coaster by Bolliger & Mabillard. It used to be called Air (2002–2015). From 2016 to 2018, it even had virtual reality!	Air
Nemesis Reborn		Closed until 2024	1994	Steel/Inverted	Bolliger & Mabillard	1.4 m	Forbidden Valley	This was Europe's first inverted roller coaster. It's currently being updated and getting new track.	N/A
Oblivion		Operational	1998	Steel/Dive coaster	Bolliger & Mabillard	1.4 m	X-Sector	This was the world's first dive coaster.	Alpine Bobsleigh
Rita		Operational	2005	Steel/Accelerator	Intamin	1.4 m	Dark Forest	A super fast coaster launched by hydraulics.	Boneshaker
Runaway Mine Train		Operational	1992	Steel/Mine Train	Mack Rides	0.9 m	Katanga Canyon	This is a fun mine train roller coaster. It's the oldest roller coaster in the park!	N/A
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure		Operational	2015	Steel	Zamperla	0.9 m	CBeebies Land	A coaster made for younger kids and families. It's themed like the TV show.	Beastie
Spinball Whizzer		Operational	2004	Steel/Spinning	Maurer AG	1.2 m	The Towers	A spinning coaster that feels like a game of pinball. It was called Sonic Spinball from 2010 to 2015.	N/A
TH13TEEN		Operational	2010	Multi Dimension Coaster	Intamin	1.2 m	Dark Forest	A family coaster with the world's first "vertical free-fall drop" on a roller coaster!	Corkscrew
The Smiler		Operational	2013	Steel/Infinity	Gerstlauer	1.4 m	X-Sector	This coaster holds the world record for the most inversions (loops and twists) on a roller coaster, with 14!	Black Hole
Wicker Man		Operational	2018	Wooden	Great Coasters International	1.2 m	Mutiny Bay	This is a wooden roller coaster themed with wood and fire. It interacts with a flaming wicker man statue!	The Flume

Roller Coaster Facts

Name	Height	Length	Top speed	Inversions	Manufacturer	Designer
Galactica	65.6 ft (20.0 m)	2,755.9 ft (840.0 m)	46.6 mph (75.0 km/h)	2	Bolliger & Mabillard	John Wardley / Bolliger & Mabillard
Nemesis	42.6 ft (13.0 m)	2,349 ft (716 m)	50 mph (80 km/h)	4	Bolliger & Mabillard	John Wardley / Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Oblivion	65 ft (20 m)	1,222 ft (372 m)	68 mph (109 km/h)	0	Bolliger & Mabillard	John Wardley / Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure	22 ft (6.7 m)	469.2 ft (143.0 m)	18.6 mph (29.9 km/h)	0	Zamperla	Zamperla
Rita	68.8 ft (21.0 m)	2,099.7 ft (640.0 m)	61.1 mph (98.3 km/h)	0	Intamin	Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
Runaway Mine Train	36 ft (11 m)	1,000 ft (300 m)	22.4 mph (36.0 km/h)	0	Mack Rides	John Wardley / Mack Rides GmbH
Spinball Whizzer	55.8 ft (17.0 m)	1,476.4 ft (450.0 m)	39 mph (63 km/h)	0	Maurer Söhne	Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH
The Smiler	72 ft (22 m)	3,838.6 ft (1,170.0 m)	52.8 mph (85.0 km/h)	14	Gerstlauer	Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH
TH13TEEN	65.6 ft (20.0 m)	2,480.3 ft (756.0 m)	41.6 mph (66.9 km/h)	0	Intamin	Intamin Amusement Rides
Wicker Man	72.2 ft (22.0 m)	2,608.3 ft (795.0 m)	43.6 mph (70.2 km/h)	0	Great Coasters International	John Wardley / Jeff Pike, Skyline Design LLC

Other Rides

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Additional information	Replaced
The Blade		Swinging ship	Operational	1997 (1980)	Forbidden Valley	HUSS	This swinging ship is themed like a giant swinging blade. It's the oldest attraction at the park!	Thunder Looper

Temporary Rides

Alton Towers sometimes adds temporary rides for a few seasons to help with how many people can ride. Some of these were part of the "Retro Squad."

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Additional information	Replaced
Flavio's Fabulous Fandango		Sizzler	Operational	2021	The World of David Walliams	PWS Rides	A fun spinning ride.	Twirling Toadstool

Water and Dark Rides

Name	Picture	Type	Status	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes	Replaced
Alton Towers Dungeon		Boat ride and walk-through attraction	Operational	2019	The Towers	Merlin Magic Making / Mack Rides	This is like a mini version of Merlin's Dungeon attractions. It has five interactive scenes and a boat ride, but you pay extra to go on it.	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride
Battle Galleons		Splash Battle	Operational	2008	Mutiny Bay	Mack Rides	On this ride, you shoot water guns at other riders while going past pirate scenes.	Splash Kart Challenge
Congo River Rapids		Rapids ride	Operational	1986	Katanga Canyon	Intamin	A river rapids ride that goes around Katanga Canyon. It was updated in 1992.	N/A
The Curse at Alton Manor		Dark ride	Operational	2023	Gloomy Wood	Mack Rides	A spooky dark ride themed as a haunted house.	Duel – The Haunted House Strikes Back
Hex - The Legend of the Towers		Walk-through/ Madhouse dark ride combination	Closed until 2024	2000	The Towers	Vekoma	This attraction is based on the legend of the chained oak. It ends with a Madhouse ride.	N/A
Gangsta Granny: The Ride		Dark ride	Operational	2021	The World of David Walliams	Garmendale Engineering	A dark ride based on the book Gangsta Granny by David Walliams.	Wobble World
Nemesis Sub Terra		Walk-through/ ABC Rides Drop Tower combination	Operational	2012	Forbidden Valley	ABC Rides	This experience is themed around the story of Nemesis. It has a small indoor drop tower. It closed in 2015 but reopened in 2023.	Lava Lump

Children's Rides and Attractions

Name	Picture	Type	Opened	Area	Manufacturer	Notes	Replaced
Cuckoo Cars Driving School		Driving Attraction	2006	The Towers	SB International AB	Kids can drive miniature electric cars around a road course.	Vintage Cars
Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp		Mini drop tower	1999	The World of David Walliams	S&S Power	A small drop tower ride for children.	N/A
Royal Carousel		Carousel	1991	The World of David Walliams	Bertazzon	A children's merry-go-round ride.	N/A
Heave Ho		Rockin' Tug	2008	Mutiny Bay	Zamperla	A rocking and swinging boat ride.	N/A
Marauder's Mayhem		Teacups Ride	1987	Mutiny Bay	Mack Rides	A teacups ride themed as barrels of gunpowder.	N/A
Sharkbait Reef		Sea Life Centre	2009	Mutiny Bay	Merlin Magic Making	An Sea Life aquarium themed like a shipwreck.	3D Cinema
In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride		Boat ride	2014	CBeebies Land	Mack Rides	A boat ride themed to In the Night Garden.
Get Set Go TreeTop Adventure		Powered monocab ride	1996	CBeebies Land	Premier Rides	Riders travel through the tree tops in their own vehicle above CBeebies Land.	N/A
Postman Pat's Parcel Post		Convoy Ride	2014	CBeebies Land	Metallbau Emmeln	An interactive car ride based on the CBeebies show Postman Pat.	Old Macdonalds Tractor Ride
Bugbie Go Round		Carousel-style attraction	1995	CBeebies Land		A carousel-style ride with Bugbies.	N/A
JoJo & Gran Gran At Home		Walk Through	2022	CBeebies Land	Merlin Magic Making	An indoor interactive attraction based on the CBeebies show JoJo & Gran Gran.	Charlie & Lola's Moonsquirters & Greendrops
Justin's House: Pie-O-Matic Factory		Playhouse	2003	CBeebies Land	Merlin Magic Making	An interactive indoor play area based on the CBeebies show Justin's House.	N/A
Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig		Show	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		Sensory Trail	2014	CBeebies Land	Merlin Magic Making	An outdoor sensory garden based on the CBeebies show Something Special.	N/A
Hey Duggee's Big Adventure Badge		Play Area	2022	CBeebies Land	Merlin Magic Making	A play adventure land based on the CBeebies show Hey Duggee.	Tree Fu Tom Training Camp
Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride		Aerial Roundabout	2017	CBeebies Land	Garmendale Engineering	An aerial roundabout ride themed to the CBeebies show Go Jetters.	N/A
The Furchester Hotel Live		Show	2017	CBeebies Land	Merlin Magic Making	A live show based on the CBeebies show 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		Walkthrough	Open	2007	Gloomy Wood / Mutiny Bay	Tussauds Studios	This is a spooky path with interactive features. It's a shortcut between Gloomy Wood and Mutiny Bay.
Monorail		Monorail	Open	1987	Links entrance plaza to car park and hotels	Von Roll Habegger	A monorail system that takes guests from the hotels and car parks to the theme park entrance.
Sky Ride		Gondola lift	Closed until 2024	1987	Stations at Towers Street, Forbidden Valley and the Towers	Poma	A cable car that takes guests around the theme park, offering great views of the gardens.
The Gardens		English landscape garden	Open	1860	Gardens	The Talbot Family	Beautiful gardens with lakes, fountains, and cool buildings. Look for the Chinese Pagoda Fountain!
The Towers ruins		Ruins	Temporarily Closed	1970	The Towers	The Talbot Family	These are the old ruins of the Alton Towers stately home. You can explore them, and they are used for scare mazes during Halloween.

Future Rides

Name	Type	Expected Opening	Site	Manufacturer	Additional Information
'Project Horizon'	Rollercoaster	2025	Area formerly known as 'Coaster Corner'	Unknown	A new roller coaster is being built inside a building. We don't know much about it yet!

Alton Towers Theme Park Areas

The Alton Towers Theme Park is split into 11 exciting 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 hold up to 28,000 guests at one time. In 2019, about 2.13 million people visited Alton Towers, making it Britain's second most visited theme park.

Timeline of Park Areas

      Previous themed area

      Active themed area

• 

  Mutiny Bay

• 

  Katanga Canyon

• 

  Dark Forest

• 

  The World of David Walliams
  Royal Carousel

• 

  Forbidden Valley
  Nemesis theming

• 

  The Towers
  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 Towers. You'll see 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 hotels and car parks to the theme park entrance.

Katanga Canyon

This area is themed like an African village and was created in 1992. It has the Runaway Mine Train roller coaster and the Congo River Rapids. Both rides are very popular and their tracks even share a tunnel! The Congo River Rapids is a long river rapids ride that takes about six minutes. The Runaway Mine Train is a steel coaster that goes up to 22 miles per hour (36 km/h).

Gloomy Wood

Gloomy Wood is home to the dark ride The Curse At Alton Manor. This ride opened in 1992 and was once Europe's biggest haunted dark ride. It was changed in 2003 to have interactive laser guns, but these were removed in 2023. The ride closed for updates in September 2022 and reopened in 2023 as "The Curse at Alton Manor," telling the story of Emily Alton.

In 2007, a spooky path called Haunted Hollow was added. It goes through the woods and has tombstones and statues that make sounds. This path is a shortcut between Gloomy Wood and Mutiny Bay.

Forbidden Valley

Forbidden Valley looks like a 'post-apocalyptic' (after the end of the world) place, with big stones and old-looking buildings. There's also a SkyRide station here.

The main ride in this area is Nemesis, which opened in 1994. Nemesis is a steel inverted coaster that goes up to 50 miles per hour (81 km/h) and has four inversions (where you go upside down). It's built into a rocky quarry with waterfalls. The ride is themed around an alien creature living in the quarry.

The Blade is a swinging ship ride that opened in 1980. It was moved to Forbidden Valley in 1997.

Galactica is a flying coaster that first opened as Air in 2002. It was changed to Galactica in 2016 and used to have virtual reality headsets, but those have since been removed.

Nemesis Sub-Terra is a walk-through experience with a small drop tower. It's themed around the story of Nemesis and reopened in May 2023.

In May 2016, the 'Rollercoaster Restaurant' opened here. Your food is delivered to your table on looping rails!

Adventure Land

Adventure Land is a small area for families, featuring Spinball Whizzer. This ride is like a giant pinball machine where your car spins around the track. It was called Sonic Spinball for a few years. Spinball Whizzer is now considered part of The Towers area.

This area used to be an adventure playground. In 1996, it became Adventure Land and Storybook Land.

X-Sector

X-Sector is themed like a secret government facility. It makes you feel like you're part of an experiment!

This area has two thrilling rides. The steel dive coaster Oblivion opened in 1998 as the "world's first vertical drop rollercoaster." Your car is held over the edge of a huge drop before diving into a tunnel. The Smiler is a coaster that opened in May 2013. It holds the world record for the most inversions on a roller coaster, with 14!

Older rides in X-Sector included The Black Hole and Enterprise, which spun riders 360 degrees. Enterprise was removed in 2023.

Mutiny Bay

Mutiny Bay is a pirate-themed area that opened in 2008.

Attractions here include: Battle Galleons, where you shoot water cannons from your boat. There's also the rocking boat ride, Heave Ho. Marauders Mayhem is a teacups ride themed as gunpowder barrels.

In 2009, a Sea Life Centre called Sharkbait Reef opened. It's an aquarium themed like a shipwreck, with "touch pools" and an underwater tunnel.

The World of David Walliams

The World of David Walliams opened in May 2021 and is for younger children, aged 7–11. It's based on the popular children's 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 because of 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, in 2010. Th13teen has the "world's first freefall drop on a roller coaster" inside a building! This ride replaced the Corkscrew, which was the park's first roller coaster.

Rita is a super fast steel coaster that goes up to 62 miles per hour (100 km/h). It's themed around an abandoned drag racer used to escape the Dark Forest. This area used to be 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.

In 2015, Octonauts Roller Coaster Adventure opened. It's an underwater-themed children's roller coaster. CBeebies Land has grown even more with rides like Go Jetters Vroomster Zoom Ride and Peter Rabbit Hippity Hop.

The Towers

The Towers are the ruins of the old Alton Towers stately home. They gave the park its name! The Towers used to be a grand home until 1924. They were designed by Augustus Pugin, who also worked on the Palace of Westminster. The ruins are open to the public for most of the year.

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

The Alton Towers Dungeon was added in 2019. During the park's Halloween 'Scarefest' event, spooky scare mazes are set up inside The Towers.

The Gardens

Near the garden entrance, you'll find a monument to the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury. He built Alton Towers and created these beautiful gardens in the early 1800s. Other cool spots include a Chinese Pagoda Fountain, The Swiss Cottage, and a tiny 'Stonehenge'.

Alton Towers Waterpark

The Alton Towers Waterpark, once called Cariba Creek, opened in 2003 with the Splash Landings Hotel. It's a big water park 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 lots of other water fun. You need a separate ticket for the water park.

Some attractions include Lagoona Bay, the main tropical pool. The Little Leak is a pool for young children. The Wacky Waterworks Treehouse has water cannons and other interactive features.

The biggest ride is The Master Blaster, a water coaster with uphill sections, sharp turns, and drops. Other rides include Rush & Rampage racing slides and the Lazy River (Calypso Creek). The Tipping Bucket fills with 1000 litres of water and tips it over people below!

The indoor part of the water park is open almost all year.

Resort Accommodation

Alton Towers Hotel

The Alton Towers Hotel is a four-star hotel that opened in 1996. It's themed around a quirky character named Sir Algenon Alton and his travels. It has 180 rooms with different themes like Explorer and Moon Voyager. The hotel has two restaurants and a bar.

Splash Landings Hotel

The Splash Landings Hotel opened in 2003. This hotel has a relaxed Caribbean theme and is connected to the Alton Towers Waterpark. It's also a four-star hotel with 216 rooms. You can find two shops here, including 'The Pool Shop' which sells swimming gear.

Enchanted Village

The Enchanted Village has 120 lodges and 5 treehouses in a magical woodland setting. It's next to the Alton Towers hotel and has small playgrounds for kids. The "Crooked Spoon" restaurant serves pub-style food. The Enchanted Village opened in 2015.

CBeebies Land Hotel

The CBeebies Land Hotel opened in 2017 with 76 themed rooms. Rooms are themed to CBeebies shows like Bing and Something Special. The hotel has child-friendly features like steps to the sink. It offers CBeebies-themed shows and entertainment every day, plus the "Windmill Restaurant."

Stargazing Pods

The Stargazing Pods opened in 2019. These are 102 small pods, each sleeping up to four people. They offer a unique camping-style experience.

Recreation

Extraordinary Golf

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

Future Plans

Alton Towers is in a special Conservation Area, which means there are rules about what can be built. For example, rides can't be taller than the trees unless they are hidden. Noise can also be a problem because the park is close to villages.

In 2022, Nemesis closed for a big update and will reopen in 2024. A new indoor attraction called "Project Horizon" is planned for 2025.

Secret Weapon Roller Coasters

Alton Towers has a cool tradition of calling its new roller coasters "Secret Weapon," or "SW," followed by a number. This name started because the park likes to build rides with "world first" or "innovative" features. The first "Secret Weapon" (SW1) was a roller coaster that was planned but never built. The name then stuck for future big projects.

Some famous "Secret Weapon" rides include:

• Nemesis (SW3): Europe's first inverted coaster.
• Oblivion (SW4): The world's first 'vertical drop' roller coaster and dive coaster.
• Galactica (SW5): The world's first flying coaster by B&M.
• TH13TEEN (SW6): The world's first freefall drop roller coaster.
• The Smiler (SW7): The coaster with the most inversions in the world (14).
• Wickerman (SW8): The first wooden coaster built in the UK in 20 years, and the world's first wooden coaster to mix wood and fire.

Scarefest

Scarefest is Alton Towers' biggest yearly event, held in October for Halloween. It has temporary scare mazes, spooky areas, costumed characters, and longer opening hours. Rides stay open until 9 pm, and the park is lit up with colorful lights. Scarefest has been running since 2007. The scare mazes cost extra to enter.

Scarefest Attractions (2023)

• Daz Games: PANIC! - A new escape room and scare maze experience.
• Altonville Mine Tours: Tiny's Revenge - Explore spooky mines.
• The Invitation - An audio experience in a cemetery.
• Darkest Depths - A terrifying adventure on a ghost ship.
• The Attic: Terror of the Towers - Explore the haunted attic of The Towers.
• Trick O' Treat Town - A fun place to get treats, but watch out for tricks!
• Burial Grounds - An outdoor scare zone near Wicker Man.

Other Events

Alton Towers hosts other events throughout the year besides Scarefest. These include Festival of Thrills, Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, and Fireworks. There are also smaller events like Christmas.

Fireworks

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

Oktoberfest

The "Alton Towers Oktoberfest" started in 2020. It's based on the German festival and happens in September and early October. It has special food, drinks, entertainment, and rides stay open longer.

Mardi Gras

This event started in 2021 with a summer carnival theme. It's held from May to June and features performers, food stalls, and colorful decorations.

Festival of Thrills

This event started in 2022 to celebrate the park's thrill coasters with music. In 2023, it was called Festival of Thrills - The Smiler Takeover to celebrate The Smiler's 10th birthday.

Santa's Sleepover

In December, the Santa's Sleepover event takes place. The hotels are decorated for Christmas, and there's a pantomime. The theme park also opens with a few rides and Santa's Grotto. This event is mostly for children.

Records Held by the Park

Alton Towers holds many cool records:

• It's the largest theme park in the UK.
• Nemesis was the first inverted coaster in Europe.
• Oblivion was the world's first 'vertical drop' roller coaster and first dive coaster.
• Galactica was the world's first flying coaster by B&M.
• TH13TEEN was the world's first freefall drop roller coaster.
• The Smiler has the most inversions (14) in the world.
• Wickerman is the first wooden coaster built in the UK in 20 years, and the world's first wooden coaster to mix wood and fire.
• The Flume was the world's longest log flume when it opened in 1981.
• Corkscrew was the first double inverting coaster in Europe.

See Also

In Spanish: Alton Towers para niños

• List of theme parks in the United Kingdom

Images for kids

• 

  Monument to Charles Talbot, the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury set in gardens he created