Hotly anticipated new £16m rollercoaster gets launch date

ICON, the new £16.25m rollercoaster, will be officially opened within Blackpool Pleasure Beach on Friday 25th May.

The ride has been under construction since December 2016, and has since been the subject of anticipation and speculation from thrillseekers around the world.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach managing director Amanda Thompson said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with calls and e-mails from people all over the world wanting to know when ICON will open to the public.

"I’m so excited to be able to answer and confirm 25th May! We can’t wait to invite those who dare to ride to Blackpool to experience this truly incredible ride. ICON promises to set hearts racing.”

Nick Thompson, Deputy MD of Blackpool Pleasure Beach added: “The launch of ICON is an extremely exciting day for our industry, both in the UK and beyond. We couldn’t be more pleased to see and experience it here in the UK and to showcase another world first at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.”

Upon opening ICON will be the UK’s first ever double-launch rollercoaster, propelling riders at speeds of up to 85kph during an intense two and a half minutes. The two powerful thrusts of acceleration can only be likened to that felt by Formula 1 drivers. Over the last 16 months, over 100,000 hours of manpower have been invested in the build, with thousands of tonnes of steel shipped from Germany. The carriages, which see riders in an open seat on top of the ride with arms and legs free, arrived at the amusement park in March, and can already be seen firing around the high-shine track in preparation for the launch.