Five rides to close at Pleasure Beach

Five "smaller, less popular rides" will be closed this year, Pleasure Beach Resort has announced.

The theme park also teased a possible Wallace and Gromit ride update, saying the team "loved" the Vengeance Most Fowl film and advised visitors to "stay tuned".

Eddie Stobart Convoy, Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, Gallopers and Red Arrows Skyforce will all be closed during the 2025 season, the Blackpool theme park has said.

"The smaller rides were already being run on reduced opening times and our rider data showed that they have some of our lowest throughput," the theme park said in a statement on its website.

"After a great deal of thought, it was clear to us that the right decision is to make changes which will allow us to reinvest into a bigger and better future."

Pleasure Beach Resort said Ice Blast, which closed for refurbishment last year, will also reopen this year as Launch Pad.

The ride will keep the original format, shooting seated riders vertically into the sky, but will be "more thrilling, immersive and dynamic", the park said.

The Grand National will also have a "short period of downtime" ahead of its 90th birthday.

"As a much older ride, Grand National is in need of extra care to keep her running at her best, so ahead of her birthday we need to carry out some essential maintenance," the theme park said.

"The nature of this maintenance, coupled with her age, meant it wasn't possible to do during the closed season."

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