In what feels like times of terrible news continuously, I was very happy to find out the official Alton Towers Resort 2020 opening date has been announced! Whilst the park had some ‘soft’ openings for friends and family day and a few corporate hires – there’s been no ‘proper’ Alton Towers Resort 2020 opening!

That’s about to change.. VERY soon!

Alton Towers Resort 2020 opening will be the 6th June 2020!

But the story didn’t end there.

Because of the current government restrictions, Alton Towers Resort 2020 opening is going to be a little different. No rides or attractions will be open (at the moment) – Alton Towers Resort is just opening the Alton Towers Gardens to guests. A very limited number of guests!

So, how will the Alton Towers Resort 2020 Opening work?

Bottom line is, you can’t just rock up and go for a wander around the gardens. All guests, no matter if they are Merlin Annual Passholders or Alton Towers Passholders have to have pre-booked tickers. This is to ensure safe social distancing can be maintained, and the park isn’t too crowded. You can pre-book tickets on the Alton Towers Resort website.

Before you enter the resort, all guests will have to have their temperature taken. There will be plenty of signage and social distancing markers in areas of the resort where crowds gather. There will be a limited food and beverage offering, with everything being ‘grab and go’ items including hot and cold drinks, snacks and ice creams. Guests will be able to bring their own picnics to the resort, but alcohol and barbecues won’t be allowed.

The park will be open every day from the 6th June 2020 from 10am until 4pm – with the last admission at 2pm.

How much will tickets cost?

IF you don’t hold a Merlin or Alton Towers Annual Pass, then you’ll have to pay full price for tickets – these prices are :

Adults (12 Years+) – £12.00
Children (Aged 3-11) – £5.00
Infants (Under 3) – Free

If you DO hold a Merlin or Alton Towers Annual Pass you just have to pay a ‘Booking Fee’ which is £1 per person (Adult or Children). EVERYONE has to have pre-booked entry, I cannot stress that enough!

Why would I want to just go to Alton Towers for the Gardens?

Well.. Alton Towers Gardens was one of the main reasons people actually started visiting Alton Towers in the first place. Visitors used to flock from miles around to see them. The rides and attractions just started off as an added bonus! Obviously now, things have changed – but the gardens are still a masterpiece steeped in history.

The Gardens as they are today were largely laid out by Charles Talbot, 15th Earl of Shrewsbury at resident of Alton Towers, over 150 years ago. Work began in 1814 to transform the farmland around the main house into one of the largest formal gardens in Britain, when more than 13,000 trees were planted and many features installed including the Pagoda Fountain.

This is flanked by the fantastic Conservatory, which has undergone a £1.9m restoration in the past few years. The gardens are lovingly maintained by a team of full-time gardeners, who maintain the planting in keeping with Charles Talbot’s original vision.

I am old enough to remember when you could just pay to visit the Alton Towers Gardens. If you wanted to go on the rides, you had to pay more. You paid for what you used. I sometimes wish it was still an option!

Also, it’s really good to support the endeavours at any UK Themed Attractions right now – not all of them will make it through this. It’s good to see Alton Towers (and indeed Warwick Castle) offering SOME kind of opening. It’s good to see these little slithers of normality, lights at the end of the tunnel. Although I’m not convinced there will be much normal about Theme Park trips in 2020, but that leads me nicely onto my last point..

When will the Alton Towers Resort Opening 2020 ACTUALLY happen?

No one knows! I guess we’ve got to see what the government says. Alton Towers are getting prepared to welcome guests onto rides and attractions just as soon as they can. There will be social distancing, strict guest numbers and crowd control. Rides being sent around half full (if that), cleaning of rides, temperature checks on guests. It’s going to be very odd indeed.

Alton Towers Resort have already announced that The World of David Walliams opening has now been postponed until March 2021. I guess it’s better to launch an exciting new area when it can get the opening that it deserves rather than a low key, socially distant affair.

Regardless, I imagine I’ve got a handful of trips up to Staffordshire in me before the season ends!

It might not be the Alton Towers Resort 2020 Opening we wanted, but it’s a start. It’s something. It’s a way of supporting these places we love. I know as soon as The Doggy Lodge is open for overnight boarding, we’ll be booking Duggee in, and taking a trip to Alton Towers Resort.

Oh… If you like your information in video form, I made a Vlog for kiphakes.tv with all the information below..

0 thoughts on “Alton Towers Resort 2020 Opening Announced

  1. Pingback: I'm not sure if I want to go to a socially distant Theme Park... - Kip Hakes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.