Every closed season Thorpe Park is transformed into a hive of activity. From buildings being repainted, areas being transformed and this year, a new rollercoaster being built. However this year the park is the busiest ever! With Project Sparkle ongoing and lots of projects taking place across the park, 2024 is looking to be the best season ever.
These photos were taken with permission from Thorpe Park, wearing high-vis jacket and adhering to health and safety rules.
We started our closed-season adventure walking across the bridge. Normally full of guests walking into the park, this felt a little weird with no one around. We've never seen the dome so empty before.
Already, since the park closed, some of the rides have been jet-washed to freshen them up. Today it appears that The Swarm and the plaza outside the Camden Junction bar are on the list for being jet-washed. Over at The Swarm, the small ponds around the ride have been drained and the water jets are being serviced. Unfortunately, we couldn't get too close but the second train for the ride can be seen on the break run.
The Flying Fish is undergoing some TLC this winter, the ride is currently surrounded by scaffolding and the electrical track around the ride is being replaced. All of the cars for the ride have been taken off and are undergoing their annual strip-down checks.
Rush is part way through having work done, a few weeks ago the top of the structure was removed and has since been refitted. However, the swings remain off and parts of the ride can be seen on the plaza outside of the ride.
The bleachers and lighting rigs for Creature Campus have been removed and the Stealth plaza is back to normal again. A small yellow maintenance vehicle can be seen on the Stealth track. We think this is used to lift the heavy magnets on the ride. The shells for the Stealth cars can be seen by Flying Fish.
Major work is happening for Tidal Wave! The bridge and connecting ramps have been removed and are being replaced. It's very strange seeing Tidal Wave without its bridge.
Storm Surge looks to have been jet-washed and a new belt for the lift hill has been delivered waiting to be installed.
Work on Big Easy Boulevard is continuing, the iconic structure into the Angry Birds area has been removed and old signage and props can be seen in the skip. Looking into the area from afar you can see marks where signs were once installed on buildings. It's going to be great to see this area refreshed!
Mr Monkey's Banana Ride is having some maintenance done to it. So many rides around the park have scaffolding around them for access.
A new Coke Freestyle station has been places outside of Nemesis Inferno's exit shop. However, unlike any we've seen before this one has been themed to fit in with its surroundings. A new bottle recycling unit will also be installed in this space.
The signage for Trailers has been removed and put into storage. Samurai is undergoing yearly maintenance. Cars and parts for the ride can be seen all around the plaza. It's not often you get to see this ride in pieces like this. 2023 was the best season ever for Samurai!
Project Sparkle work on Colossus is making amazing progress. Scaffolding is coming down around part of the ride revealing the freshly painted track. A few supports around the ride have also been freshly painted. We can't believe how fresh and new Colossus is looking already!
A train for Nemesis Inferno can be seen sitting on the brake run. Some of the chairs and restraints for the ride have been removed. Scaffolding can be seen inside the station area.
Rumba Rapids is having work done to the lift hill, and in the wave pit, the spinning barrels have been removed and refreshed. New motors for these spinning barrels can be seen on the floor waiting to be reinstalled.
The Dobble Teacup ride is having work done to its facade and some of the cars on the ride have been removed for maintenance.
Thorpe Park might not have any guests in the park but there's a huge team working behind the scenes to get the park ready for 2024! When we say there is so much work going on around the park, it's crazy! The average guest would never guess how much work and effort goes into running a theme park.
A big thank you to Thorpe Park for allowing us to come on-site and explore the park during the closed season. It's a huge insight into what goes on behind closed doors.
