Winter Maintenance at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach

Though Great Yarmouth’s seafront may be quiet during these colder months, there’s a hive of activity behind the scenes at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach as the team gear up for their reopening at the end of March.

Jamie Jones, co-director of Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, takes us on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of this beloved family park, which has been delighting visitors since 1909. We get a closer look at family favourites such as The Haunted Hotel and Snails and Fairy Tales, along with access to other areas not accessible to the general public!

Keeping the Thrills Alive

Rewind to October 2024: Fairground Frights has just wrapped up six nights of frightful fun. As the last of the fog clears and the pumpkins vanish, a small but dedicated team returns to begin the park’s winter maintenance. Rides are dismantled and stripped down to their bare components to ensure each attraction is ready for another thrilling year.

During our visit, various departments were seen working seamlessly together to prepare Pleasure Beach for the 2025 season. This involves renewing paintwork, cleaning fascias, inspecting parts, and ensuring everything is ready for the first guests entering the park in March. The Whirlwind and Family Star have received fresh coats of paint, the Yo-Yo ride has been dismantled along with the gallopers, and the wiring and restraints of the Sky Drop sign are being checked. It’s a full-on team effort, and one for which the team should be commended.

In addition, the Pleasure Beach team has once again embarked on a significant project that began in 2023: repainting its iconic Rollercoaster, also known as the Scenic Railway. This marks the first major repaint since 2010.

Originally opened in the summer of 1932, the Scenic Railway was built by renowned German designer Herr Erich Heidrich. The ride was initially constructed for the Colonial Exhibition held in Paris in 1929. After the exhibition, it was carefully dismantled, shipped to Great Yarmouth, and reassembled over the subsequent years by the original German team. The repainting project is a substantial undertaking. To cover the entire structure, approximately 150 five-litre drums of paint are required over an 18-month period. This maintenance effort underscores the park’s commitment to preserving its historic attractions and ensuring they continue to delight visitors for generations to come.

In recent years, the park has invested in both permanent and temporary rides, attractions, and entertainment to enhance the guest experience. Rides such as the Race-O-Rama travel the country during the closed season, while Polar Express and Ghost Ship demonstrate a commitment to providing refreshed experiences of family favourites. Wherever possible, each new permanent attraction is accompanied by theming to create themed areas around each ride. While these might not be the large themed lands seen in bigger parks, landscaping and additional theming structures—such as the lighthouse next to Floaty Boaty and Pendulum—create small pockets of quality, adding an extra dimension to the park. Polar Express capitalises on the snow theme, replacing the classic Mulan, which left the park a few years ago. Meanwhile, the Ghost Ship takes the place of the Pirate Ship, bringing an eerie appearance complete with a ghostly skeleton, rope-covered rafters, and themed cladding.

Over the closed season, Pleasure Beach has also installed a brand new sound system which allows sounds to be targeted to particular areas of the park. Jamie hopes that this will enhance the guest experience, especially during Funfair Frights. It is also confirmed that the Fun Pass will continue to be used throghout the 2025 season, removing any need for physical tokens.

With all this effort, Pleasure Beach isn’t just preserving its rich history but is also looking to improve the visitor experience. As the 2025 season approaches, guests can look forward to a mix of classics and fresh attractions, including Leo’s Jungle Journey, which will debut this year. The team’s hard work ensures that each visit will be memorable, keeping the spirit of the park alive and continuing to captivate everyone who walks through its gates. Whilst maintaining the nostalgia and history that families have come to expect, they’re also infusing new energy into every corner.