Chessington Zoo

Parents who are wondering how to fill the six week holidays should take a look at this offer on Merlin passes, which not only offer unlimited park visits, but also other passholder perks

Merlin has launched a summer sale that slashes the cost of annual passes and monthly memberships in time for the six-week school holidays.

The sale, launched today by the owner of a number of theme parks and attractions across the UK, means theme park fans can enjoy discounts on both Gold and Platinum passes, as well as monthly memberships, giving them unlimited access to over 20 UK attractions. These include Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, LEGOLAND, and Chessington.

Best of all, if you opt for a Gold membership at the discounted price of £16.99 a month, this works out cheaper than a monthly Netflix Premium subscription, which costs £18.99 a month. So, you can enjoy lots of days out with the kids and screen-free time over the summer without worrying about entry fees.

You can currently buy an annual pass at Gold or Platinum level with £50 off the total price. This brings Gold membership down from £239 to £189 a year, and Platinum down from £299 to £249. If you prefer to pay monthly, the sale has slashed Gold from £19.99 a month to £16.99, and Platinum from £24.99 to £20.99.

Gold memberships, whether annual or monthly, include 364 days’ entry to over 20 Merlin attractions, free parking, and 20% off food, drinks, and shopping. Platinum members get these perks with no exclusion dates, four bring-a-friend passes, a free one-shot Fastrack per visit, and other extras.

While it’s not included in the sale, there’s also the cheapest Merlin Essentials pass for £139 a year, which offers unlimited access for 339 days of the year. However, parents should note that exclusion dates include Saturdays in August, at the peak of the school holidays.

Merlin’s parks are set to be popular with families this summer thanks to the addition of some major new rides aimed at the younger crowd. The brand-new World of PAW Patrol at Chessington World of Adventures Resort opened in early May, and includes four pup-themed rides, play areas, and meet and greets. Over at Alton Towers, CBeebies Land also recently opened Bluey the Ride: Here Come The Grannies!, a must-visit for fans of the Heeler family.

In addition to its well-known theme parks, Merlin also operates a range of family-friendly attractions that make perfect school holiday days out. These include the London Eye, SEA LIFE centres, Madame Tussauds, and Cadbury World, meaning it’s easy to make the most out of your pass.

For comparison, booking a day ticket to Alton Towers starts at £34, so if you live near a Merlin theme park or visit a lot, you could soon get your money’s worth.

If you’re planning a one-off visit, then Cadbury is currently running a promotion on selected packs offering half-price tickets. Simply pick up an eligible product and visit fun.cadbury.co.uk to enter your barcode to receive a discount code and a link to book your tickets at 50% off.

The Merlin Pass Summer Sale ends June 28. For more information or to purchase, visit the Merlin website.

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The new land will add playful puppy-themed fun to Chessington and comes with new rides, places for kids to play, as well as meet and greets with the much-loved hero doggy characters

Chessington World of Adventures has finally revealed the opening date of its long-anticipated PAW Patrol land, and parents will be pleased to hear that the gates will be open to meet the pups before May half-term.

From May 3, kids and their parents will be able to enjoy a brand-new and very colourful PAW Patrol-themed area at Chessington in a new £15 million immersive experience.

The date also coincides with the early May bank holiday, so parents may wish to book Chessington tickets now to avoid missing out on this paw-some experience. At the heart of the new land are four kid-friendly rides, each one inspired by a different pup from the brave crew.

The land’s four new rides are: Chase’s Mountain Mission, Marshall’s Firetruck Rescue, Skye’s Helicopter Heroes, and Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure, which also claims to be the UK’s first ‘Drifter’ ride. The 1.4 acre land will also have three themed play areas, perfect for little pups to burn off energy, and include Rubble & Rocky’s Play Zone where they can climb and crawl through a maze of construction parts.

At The Flounder Boat Play, kids can enjoy a high-seas adventure with Captain Turbot, and there will also be themed food and drink offerings throughout the area. And of course, there will be a gift shop with plenty of PAW Patrol themed merch to take home as a souvenir. Regular meet and greets will also take place, so kids can get a photo with their favourite hero.

And if simply spending the day at Adventure Bay wasn’t enough, fans of the pups can also book a PAW Patrol themed room at the resort’s hotels. These colourful and fun rooms are fully-themed including bunk beds shaped like the pups’ rescue vehicles and colourful murals. Guests also enjoy early access to the park from 9am, allowing parents with young kids to get on the rides with minimal queues.

The park is the UK’s first and only land themed around PAW Patrol, a series that has become massively popular among pre-schoolers. The series airs on Channel 5 and Nickelodeon, as well as streaming on Paramount+.

Chessington isn’t the only park getting a new themed land this year. Over at Paultons Park guests will be able to enjoy the new Valgard — Realm of the Vikings land from May 16. This will include a new rollercoaster and swing ride.

Crealy Theme Park is also adding two new rides to its offerings for summer 2026, although dates are still to be confirmed. This includes Pirates’ Plummet, which claims it’ll be the tallest ride in the south west, and Rotor, an inverting flat ride which will spin passengers around and upside-down for a “heart pounding adventure”.

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