Strap in park fans because this is a long one!

This week I’m dissecting my trip to Universal’s newest theme park Epic Universe! Having booked an impulsive 5 day trip to go and check it out, was it worth it?

We’ll go through the portals discussing the highlights of each area of the park, and anything to note along the way.

And how does visiting make me feel about Universal coming to the UK?!

It’s about time for another trip across the pond! We’re joined by our favourite US-based enthusiast and industry insider Mark Rosenzweig, and there’s a lot to talk about! From Epic Universe previews, to Top Thrill 2 finally reopening, a Canadian coaster to get really excited about and just a general look at how parks in the US are holding up - we’re doing it all in this episode!

A few weeks ago UK theme park fans got the news we had all been waiting for - Universal are going to be building a park here! Set to open in 2031 it could be a game changer for the UK industry and will undoubtedly bring a world class park experience to our shores.

There was only one person we could get back on to dissect what we know so far - our friend Lawrence from Universally Bedford.  In this episode we look at absolutely everything we know so far, the strong predictions and what will happen next. 

Hold onto your lap bars park fans - Universal is coming! 

In this episode we continue our chat with former Alton Towers Resort Operations Director and General Manager Francis Jackson. 

Francis talks to us about how building cohesive teams hugely impacts ride operations, why we see staggered openings and we find out what his “Just Gotta Ride it” rollercoaster is.

We’re delighted to bring a theme park legend back to the UK for this episode! Francis Jackson was both Operations Director and General Manager at Alton Towers from 2016 - 2023 and his personable style and viral social media videos gave him renowned status amongst enthusiasts and the general public. 

Now living back in his native Australia and working globally as an attractions industry consultant, we’re delighted to have him on Parkcast to explain the realities behind some of our theme park frustrations!

This is Part 1 with Part 2 to follow next week….

35 years ago on the 11th April 1990 Vampire opened at Chessington World of Adventures. Along with the much acclaimed Bubbleworks, the rides were the focus of Transylvania, the first truly themed area at a theme park in the UK. In this episode we celebrate both rides by chatting to the creative genius who brought them to life and made them the special attractions we have known and loved - John Wardley. 

John takes us through the history of the rides, the problems he faced along the way and shares some details you may not have heard before!

We’ve all got one…..

This week it’s been over to you as we ask - what are your unpopular theme park opinions?

From SLC’s to POV’s - we’re covering off the unpopular opinions you sent in; and whether we agree or not….

We’ll be revisiting this topic so if you have your own please send it over!

As theme parks have started to reopen for the 2025 season, things haven’t all been plain sailing. As theme park enthusiasts we often get called overly critical, so do we care too much? Do we notice things and get worked up over things your average park guest wouldn’t? Or are we right to push for higher standards for everyone? 

In this episode we talk about the Alton Towers 2025 opening day which didn’t go as well as hoped and try and work out if we were right to be upset by it. 

Despite our climate we’ve always had a strong line up of water rides in the UK, but are we starting to fall out of love with them? Especially the classic log flume?! In this episode we look at some of our favourite water attractions - past and present - and discuss what we think the future of water-based rides could look like. 

The UK theme park enthusiast community has been left reeling from the shock announcement of the closure of Oakwood Theme Park in Wales. This week we’re joined by RCCGB Chairman Andy Hine to look back at the park over the years and try and work out what went wrong? Is there any chance Megafobia can be saved and what does the future hold for the park once held in such high regard by enthusiasts and the public?