Last weekend saw the start of the main 2026 season at Alton Towers Resort. Although there was no new attraction opening, in a change from the last few years, TowersTimes were of course still in attendance and are here to round-up all the details.
New for 2026 at Alton Towers is of course Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies!, a new junior coaster in CBeebies Land. With the ride set to open on Saturday 28th March, the Resort were in the final stages of testing and construction during opening weekend. The majority of theming looked to have been installed, with this including the Heeler house at the queue line entrance together with elements such as a tree, washing line and hosepipe in their ‘backyard’, which will function as the ride area. Landscaping and planting had also been completed in the ride area, and themed decals applied to both the exterior and interior of the station building, with the interior also featuring festoon lights. Elsewhere, work on the queue line and the interactive play elements that it will feature were still in progress. Overall, it is looking like the world’s first Bluey coaster will be a well-finished addition, although it is going to be interesting to see just what sort of queues the ride attracts upon its opening!
Aside from the construction of a new attraction, one of the most notable projects completed over this past closed season is the repainting of the Corkscrew monument on the entrance plaza back to its iconic original colours – yellow track and green supports. It is certainly a striking change from the purple and gold colour scheme that it has sported since its installation in 2010, but one that has nonetheless been welcomed by many on the grounds of nostalgia.
Following its introduction in 2024, Alton After Dark has returned for a third year, again seeing the theme park open until 8pm during weekends in March. It does seem that an effort has been made this year to further establish Alton After Dark as an event alongside the Resort’s February Half Term, Scarefest, Fireworks and Christmas offerings, with this firstly visible from the addition of new signage on Towers Street and new theming for the frog fountains, which were themselves appearing freshly repainted.
The first weekend of the main season has a history of not necessarily seeing optimum operations of the theme park’s rides and attractions. Nonetheless, the revelation via the Alton Towers app in advance of the weekend that Runaway Mine Train, Skyride, the Monorail, Congo River Rapids and Battle Galleons would all remain closed, did not set the best tone in advance of the weekend. The former three attractions are said to be undergoing essential maintenance for an unspecified period, while the two water rides are not planned to open until May this year. It is certainly disappointing to see the Resort’s key methods of transportation not available from the start of the season, especially after the completion of an investment programme into Skyride last year which saw the attraction remain closed throughout 2023 and 2024. There was minimal visible evidence of the maintenance work being undertaken on the Skyride during opening weekend, other than some scaffolding outside of the Forbidden Valley station. In light of the Monorail being closed, the Resort were operating a replacement bus service to transport guests between the car parks and entrance plaza, providing an alternative to the long walk.
Shortly before the weekend, the Alton Towers website was updated to indicate that the Monorail (when it returns to operation) and entrance would open at 9:30am, half an hour later than last season. Although this change was implemented during opening weekend, the Resort’s website has since been reverted to 9:00am, suggesting that the feedback received has been taken on board. A more welcome change to the entrance arrangements for 2026 is that Platinum Merlin Annual Passholders will be able to access the theme park via the Galactica Gates, alongside short break guests, throughout the season.
On Saturday morning, it also became apparent that several attractions were not scheduled to open until 11:00am, rather than at 10am with the rest of attractions. The attractions subject to staggered openings were: Galactica, Spinball Whizzer, TH13TEEN, Nemesis: Sub Terra, The Curse at Alton Manor, Cuckoo Cars Driving School and The World of David Walliams. Nonetheless, some of these attractions were observed as opening prior to 11:00am. Given their spread throughout the theme park, it is unclear on exactly what basis these attractions have been determined, but the decision is understood to have been driven by the availability of resources in the Technical Services team to complete all the necessary pre-opening checks. Although during the subsequent off-peak week days, Galactica, Spinball Whizzer and TH13TEEN have all been scheduled to open at 10:00am, the staggered openings for these attractions have returned for the second Alton After Dark weekend, suggesting that they will be implemented on peak dates when the overall park opening hours are longer.
Queue times were further exacerbated on opening weekend (most significantly on Saturday) by several attractions operating on reduced capacity. Wicker Man was operating on two trains (and unfortunately without fire), Oblivion on a single station, and Galactica on a single train on Saturday, although a second was in operation on Sunday. This is presumably a further symptom of insufficient resources in the Technical Services team to fully complete the annual winter maintenance programme during the closed season. Saturday also saw a point where the vast majority of attractions had to temporarily close for a weather delay, causing guests further disruption. It was also disappointing to see 2025’s new addition, Toxicator, operating without its fountains – a key element of the ride experience. The troughs on both sides of the gondola were completely empty of water, suggesting an issue which could not be resolved during the closed season.
Smaller park improvement projects completed over the closed season, include a new accessibility ramp at Rita, theming touch-ups at TH13TEEN, replacement of the wicker fencing in Wicker Man’s batching area, new screens at Galactica, repaving of the pathway between the Towers and X Sector, and the relocation of the exterior seating area at Corner Coffee to accommodate Bluey the Ride’s queue line. These come alongside the likes of repainting and cleaning that would be expected. Although the new accessibility ramp at Rita does mean one less unreliable lift that could prevent guests from being able to enjoy Alton Towers’ attractions, the lifts on both Wicker Man and The Smiler were disappointingly out of order during opening weekend.
Changes have also been made to some of the theme park’s food and beverage offerings. Three of the trailers previously located in X-Sector are now situated in Fountain Square, whilst one has been placed in the Mutiny Bay Courtyard. Elsewhere in Mutiny Bay, bubble waffles and tea have been replaced by jacket potatoes. In Katanga Canyon, although Explorers Pizza Pasta Buffet has seen price increases for the new season, the refillable soft drinks have been replaced by fruit juice. Following the experimentation seen this time last year at Oak in Chains with some curiously flavoured donut burgers and tear and share breads, the start of the 2026 season sees the restaurant get a more conventional menu, with a selection of conventional burgers, hanging skewers and loaded fries/nachos, although fajita sizzlers are a more notable new addition.
The start of a new season is expected to bring an array of new merchandise. Although there were new additions for 2026, these did not seem as extensive as previous years and most notably did not include any new pin badges. New for 2026 items that we spotted were: a range of rainbow clothing items, several black ride t-shirts, ride resins, a wooden Runaway Mine Train model, Wicker Man stationery items, and a selection of sunglasses themed to the Resort’s rollercoasters and Alton Bear.
As noted, with the theme park open until 8pm for Alton After Dark, this again provided an opportunity for early season rides in the dark. There is no denying that the park looks great after dark, with the use of lighting seemingly improving year-on-year. A notable new addition for 2026, and highlight of opening weekend, is Symphony of the Towers – a light and music spectacular where the iconic Towers ruins become the stage for a dazzling orchestration of colour, projection and sound. The approximately 5 minute show utilises the orchestral soundtrack that was originally used in a previous year’s Fireworks finale, featuring the themes of Nemesis and Hex, alongside In the Hall of the Mountain King, and runs every 15 minutes from 6:30pm – 8:15pm. This is an addition which feels like it captures the magic of Alton Towers that has sometimes felt lacking in recent years, and so it would certainly be pleasing to see further enhancements made in the same spirit.
When reflecting on opening weekend, the combination of ride closures and staggered openings / reduced capacity on some of the open attractions proved a frustrating combination for guests and does create a sense that the start of the new season came around quicker than Alton Towers could fully prepare for. It appears that key factors in this are insufficient Technical Services resources, combined with the Resort’s aging attractions, infrastructure and facilities. If these are left unaddressed, then it is difficult to see how the Resort can return to its full potential. Of course, that is not to say that you can’t still have an enjoyable time at Alton Towers – overall, it was still good to get back on the rides and catch up with so many in the community over the course of the weekend. We can only hope that Alton Towers receives a long term plan and supporting investment in order to recapture its magic and ensure that it endures for decades to come.
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