Pleasure Beach Resort urges support for the tourism sector as it launches its 130th season

Pleasure Beach Resort is calling on visitors, residents and businesses to get behind the travel and tourism sector as it officially launched its 2026 season today – marking 130 years at the heart of Blackpool’s biggest industry.

As the largest private employer in the Lancashire town’s tourism sector, Pleasure Beach used its season launch event to emphasise the importance of supporting local businesses at a critical time.

James Cox, director of marketing, sales and PR at Pleasure Beach, said: “If ever there has been a time to support local businesses and the tourism sector, it’s now.”

And while the event celebrated Pleasure Beach’s 130th year, Cox highlighted that the theme park’s longevity is rooted not in luck, but in resilience, innovation, and continuous reinvestment.

“Being in business for 130 years does not happen by chance,” he said.

“It takes hard work, overcoming challenges, and always looking ahead. That's our promise to this town and to this sector as we enter our 130th season.”

Pleasure Beach Resort also confirmed that the next major milestone for its hotly anticipated new mega-ride, Aviktas, will take place on 21st May 2026, fuelling further excitement to an already significant year.

And there were more major updates and additions for the 2026 season.

The season launch event introduced a range of new initiatives designed to improve the visitor experience and provide greater flexibility and value at Pleasure Beach.

For the first time, the park will introduce a free eTicket for under 2s. Previously, children under 2 could enter the park for free but needed to buy an eTicket if they wanted to ride. Now, they’ll have free access to suitable rides.

Another major change is the introduction of a new Annual Pass, replacing the existing Season Pass. This means better value for visitors as it offers a full year of entry to the park regardless of when it is purchased, whereas previously Season Passes were only valid until the end of that particular season.

Next, Pleasure Beach is encouraging repeat visits by automatically rewarding guests with a half price return, which can be used to re-visit at any point during the season. Guests will receive a unique code in their post-visit email. 

Also new for 2026 is the Flex Pass, offering a more personalised experience. Guests can buy a cheaper Flex Pass without committing to rides upfront, and will have the option to purchase individual ride tickets on the day via the app. Prices will be announced shortly.

The popular “2 for £60” afternoon ticket will return, giving visitors more flexibility to enjoy everything Blackpool has to offer and get 2-for-1 tickets later on. It means visitors can spend the morning exploring the town before enjoying the last four hours of the park at a lower cost.

 Cox added: “With value for money more important than ever before when people are planning their days out, we’re committed to making sure every visit feels worthwhile.”

Pleasure Beach is launching a brand-new programme of music-led events and dubbing 2026 the “Year of Festivals.”

Five brand new themed events will be taking place on the park across the season, all included for free with any eTicket.

The first of these, “Turn It Up Festival,” will run on the park from 9th-12th April, featuring “performances” from KPop Demon Hunters, Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift.