Nine of the best theme parks with something new in 2026 from multi-million lands to epic thrill rides
GET ready to rock ’n’ roll – there are more thrills and spills at our favourite theme parks.
The new season has launched and families are guaranteed exhilarating new rides, amazing attractions and sensational shows.
Disneyland Paris’s World Of Frozen is making headlines but other favourite kids’ TV characters are being celebrated with coasters, heart-stopping swing rides and even a new historical theme park.
Trisha Harbord picks top parks with something new for 2026, at home and abroad.
CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES
PAW Patrol is on a roll, with a new £15million PAW Patrol Land opening at Chessington this spring.
The immersive experience, based on the children’s TV series, will be the first to open in the UK.
A replica of the show’s Lookout Tower will form part of Chase’s Mountain Mission coaster.
And families can join a rescue mission while flying high on Skye’s Helicopter Heroes.
Other rides include Zuma’s hovercraft, which will slide, drift and skid, and Marshall’s rolling and rocking fire truck.
There will be pup meet-and-greets and themed play areas, along with PAW Patrol rooms at the park’s hotel.
GO: New season started on Friday. Tickets from £37. B&B for a family of four from £155. See chessington.com.
PAULTONS PARK
A THRILLING rollercoaster and swing ride are the highlights of Paultons Park’s new £12million themed world.
Valgard: Realm Of The Vikings features Drakon, the park’s first inverted coaster, which has a vertical lift hill and two twists taking riders upside down.
It will intertwine with the coaster known as Cobra, reborn as Raven, which is an exciting bobsled adventure.
Nearby stands the massive Vild Swing — the first wild swing of its kind in the UK — which will swirl riders 40ft in the air.
Valgard, opening at the Hampshire park on May 16, will also have a Feasting Hall restaurant and Viking-inspired playground.
There will now be more than 80 rides and attractions in six themed worlds, including Peppa Pig World.
GO: New season starts Wednesday. Tickets from £46.75. Those under one metre go free. See paultonspark.co.uk.
ALTON TOWERS
IN another first, the UK’s most popular theme park launches Bluey The Ride: Here Come The Grannies! on Saturday.
Bluey and her sister Bingo, dressed as mischievous grannies Janet and Rita, take families on an adventure through the TV characters’ back yard.
Fans can also meet the lovable pup at showtime and the CBeebies Land Hotel has Bluey-themed rooms — as well as Hey Duggee themed ones, which are new for 2026.
The Staffordshire park celebrated Bluey’s arrival by creating a giant portrait on the lawn.
It’s made from 11,000 cans of beans because they feature in the TV Grannies episode.
Alton Towers Resort has more than 40 rides and attractions, including thrilling roller coasters and a waterpark.
GO: Now open, with After Dark extended openings today and on March 27 and 28. Tickets from £32. See altontowers.com.
FUTUROSCOPE
A MAJOR new immersive experience that this park based on the marvels of science and nature will allow visitors to walk among the flora and fauna of the world.
After investing nearly 300million euros in new attractions, Futuroscope has again used amazing technology to create The Greenhouse Of Worlds, a colourful visual experience.
You wander through a massive dome to discover a professor’s collection of plants from all around the globe, which you can touch and smell as they are projected around you.
Also new at the French park, just north of Poitiers, is T.Rex — where a laser projection of images takes you back 67million years to get close to the legendary monster.
The park has also partnered with EDF to open an energy theatre with workshops and activities next month.
GO: Tickets from around £40. B&B and two-day tickets for a family of four from £250. See futuroscope.com.
KYNREN
AWARD-WINNING live-action night experience Kynren is becoming the UK’s first historic show park.
There will be no roller coasters at Kynren — The Storied Lands.
Instead, it will offer immersive live performances and large-scale shows depicting historical periods and legends.
Set within County Durham’s Kynren Park, it combines storytelling with cinematic music and breathtaking stunts.
The first phase, opening on July 18, features five attractions, including The Lost Feather, with 250 birds filling the sky above you.
Medieval knights charge into combat on horseback, a vast lake is turned into a stage, Vikings clash while fires rage, and a maze is full of surprise characters.
The night show Kynren — An Epic Tale of England continues on Saturday nights from July 18 to September 12.
GO: Tickets on sale next month. Night show tickets are £30 for adults and £20 for children. See kynren.com.
WALT DISNEY WORLD
FROZEN characters Anna and Elsa aren’t just in Disneyland Paris — they have sailed back to sunny Orlando in Florida.
The Frozen Ever After boat ride, closed for super technology changes, has reopened at Epcot — with the famous sisters looking even more life-like as they appear to the soundtrack of the hit movie song, Let It Go.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has had a makeover and opens at Magic Kingdom this spring, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
In the summer, Hollywood Studios launches two new live shows, where you will be able to dance along with Mickey and Minnie, while Animal Kingdom welcomes two new creatures to play with — Bluey and Bingo.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the Disney All-Star Movies Resort, including seven-day park tickets and flights from Heathrow to Tampa on September 2, costs from £1,250 per person. Check out virginatlantic.com.
BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH
THE buzzing resort has a giant new ride costing nearly £9million.
Aviktas, a 138ft gyro swing — the UK’s tallest — opens at the town’s Pleasure Beach this summer as the attraction celebrates its 130th birthday.
The ride can seat 40 people at a time on a spinning circle at the end of a pendulum, which then swings to arc 120 degrees over Blackpool’s seafront.
It’s not for the faint-hearted, but there should be some great views from up there.
Aviktas joins other thrill rides including ten roller coasters, such as the Big One, which drops 235ft, and ICON, where you can feel the G-force of an F1 driver.
There’s also Nickelodeon rides for younger children, featuring favourite characters, plus water rides and shows.
GO: The Pleasure Beach is now open, tickets from £30. See blackpoolpleasurebeach.com.
LEGOLAND FLORIDA
NEW space adventure Lego Galaxy has blasted off, featuring the indoor Galacticoaster, with speeds of up to 40mph, and spectacular lighting and sound effects.
Rookie cadets are briefed by a moving, talking Lego engineer before designing their own digital spacecrafts, linked to the ride-by wristbands.
With up to 625 ride combinations, the coaster navigates twists, turns and dynamic launches.
Throughout Lego Galaxy — also open in Legoland California — there’s brick-building opportunities and galactic-themed food.
The park in Winter Haven has more than 60 rides, shows and attractions.
GO: Seven nights’ B&B at the Legoland Florida Hotel, including flights from Gatwick and two-day park tickets, is from £1,065 per person. See travelplanners.co.uk.
LIGHTWATER VALLEY
YOU’LL get an idea about this new ride from its name, Spinning Racer.
The roller coaster opens at the park, near Ripon in North Yorkshire, for the start of the new season on March 28.
Climb aboard and speed up to 45mph on the colourful track as the carriages whirl, twist and turn.
Lightwater, in 175 acres of countryside, prides itself on being a family-friendly park and has more than 35 rides and attractions including a swinging pirate ship, beautifully decorated chair swings, waterslides and an express train.
Easter events, including meet-and-greets with Ebor the resident dragon, are also planned, from the opening day.
GO: Tickets from £22, children under 90cm free. Special offer for opening weekend from £17. See lightwatervalley.co.uk.
THORPE PARK
THE legendary home of big-thrill rides, Thorpe Park is unveiling its very first recharge zone, The Launch Pad.
The dedicated space, in the heart of the Surrey theme park, is designed for guests to relax, refuel and rest before their next adrenalin hit.
Set on the site’s former Amity Beach, the new zone will be a vibrant space where you can take a breath before diving back into the action.
And there’s plenty of that, with the Big Six coasters to experience — led by Hyperia, the UK’s tallest, fastest, most weightless coaster.
Standing 236ft tall, it can reach up to 81mph.
Add to that Stealth, The Swarm, SAW — The Ride, Nemesis Inferno and Colossus, and you’ve got a thrilling half dozen.
GO: The season starts on March 27. Tickets from £32pp, see thorpepark.com.
