Pleasure Beach Resort urges support for the tourism sector as it launches its 130th season

Pleasure Beach Resort is calling on visitors, residents and businesses to get behind the travel and tourism sector as it officially launched its 2026 season today – marking 130 years at the heart of Blackpool’s biggest industry.

As the largest private employer in the Lancashire town’s tourism sector, Pleasure Beach used its season launch event to emphasise the importance of supporting local businesses at a critical time.

If ever there has been a time to support local businesses and the tourism sector, it’s now.
 
And while the event celebrated Pleasure Beach’s 130^th year, Cox highlighted that the theme park’s longevity is rooted not in luck, but in resilience, innovation, and continuous reinvestment.
 
Being in business for 130 years does not happen by chance

It takes hard work, overcoming challenges, and always looking ahead. That’s our promise to this town and to this sector as we enter our 130th season.

James Cox, director of marketing, sales and PR at Pleasure Beach

Pleasure Beach Resort also confirmed that the next major milestone for its hotly anticipated new mega-ride, Aviktas, will take place on 21st May 2026, fuelling further excitement to an already significant year.

And there were more major updates and additions for the 2026 season.

A season of change and guest-focused improvements

The season launch event introduced a range of new initiatives designed to improve the visitor experience and provide greater flexibility and value at Pleasure Beach.

For the first time, the park will introduce a free eTicket for under 2s. Previously, children under 2 could enter the park for free but needed to buy an eTicket if they wanted to ride. Now, they’ll have free access to suitable rides.

Another major change is the introduction of a new Annual Pass, replacing the existing Season Pass. This means better value for visitors as it offers a full year of entry to the park regardless of when it is purchased, whereas previously Season Passes were only valid until the end of that particular season.

Next, Pleasure Beach is encouraging repeat visits by automatically rewarding guests with a half price return, which can be used to re-visit at any point during the season. Guests will receive a unique code in their post-visit email.

Also new for 2026 is the Flex Pass, offering a more personalised experience. Guests can buy a cheaper Flex Pass without committing to rides upfront, and will have the option to purchase individual ride tickets on the day via the app. Prices will be announced shortly.

The popular “2 for £60” afternoon ticket will return, giving visitors more flexibility to enjoy everything Blackpool has to offer and get 2-for-1 tickets later on. It means visitors can spend the morning exploring the town before enjoying the last four hours of the park at a lower cost.

And to further enhance value, guests who download the Pleasure Beach app will receive exclusive daily offers while on the park, including discounts across events, retail and food outlets.

Entertainment takes centre stage

While some attractions across the industry are scaling back entertainment, Pleasure Beach is doing the opposite and is doubling down on its live offering.

A brand-new matinee ice show, “Alice: Frozen in a Wonderland of Dreams,” will debut in the Pleasure Beach Arena in July.

The 45-minute production blends the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland with world-class ice skating and stunning visual effects, and is free for anyone who has a Pleasure Beach eTicket.

Conversely, anyone with a show ticket will get a free Flex Pass to Pleasure Beach Resort.

2026 also marks a historic milestone for Pleasure Beach’s iconic ice show, as Hot Ice celebrates its 90th anniversary. A special 90^th year production, Hot Ice XC, will debut on Thursday 9^th July and run until the beginning of September.

Finally, Pleasure Beach is launching a brand-new programme of music-led events and dubbing 2026 the “Year of Festivals.” Five brand new themed events will be taking place on the park across the season, all included for free with any eTicket.

The first of these, “Turn It Up Festival,” will run on the park from 9^th-12th April, featuring “performances” from KPop Demon Hunters, Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift.

More reasons to visit

With new attractions, enhanced ticketing options, expanded entertainment and a renewed focus on value and flexibility, Pleasure Beach Resort says that 2026 offers more reasons than ever to visit.

Pleasure Beach Resort is now open for the season. Tickets start at £30 and can be booked online for the best value at www.pleasurebeachresort.com