Drayton Manor Theme Park entered administration in June 2020. Storm damage had added expenses that could not be covered during a shutdown, the pandemic had forced it to close during what should have been the peak of its working season, and the Bryanns, the family who had owned the park since its establishment in 1950, were unable to make the numbers work. In the hands of an administrator, a park that had been a Midlands mainstay for seventy years—where generations of families had waited in line for Apocalypse and strolled through Thomas Land on gloomy bank holidays—became an asset.
The park was purchased out of administration and taken over by the Looping Group, a French-based European entertainment operator. Outside of the theme park enthusiast community, which has its own media, podcasts, and strong opinions about what should happen to a park with Drayton Manor’s history, there was little coverage of the acquisition. It’s important to look at what Looping actually achieved with the asset because it reflects a specific decision about the type of park Drayton Manor should be, and that decision has influenced everything that came after.
The removal of two of the park’s most well-known extreme-thrill attractions, Apocalypse and Pandemonium, was hardly a secret decision. Fans saw it, discussed it in great detail, and some lamented it. One recognizable aspect of the park’s character was Apocalypse, a drop tower that had been in operation since 1996. However, Looping’s assessment of the market indicated that Drayton Manor’s potential as a truly accessible multi-generational family destination was underutilized, and its competitive position as an extreme thrill destination was weak—it couldn’t rival Alton Towers or Thorpe Park at that level. It was a conscious decision, not an accident, to remove the extreme coasters and reroute the site space and investment toward family-friendly activities.
The best example of that reasoning is The Wave. The ride that was once called Shockwave was a stand-up roller coaster, which was out of its prime and presented accessibility issues. By installing new trains and reducing the minimum height limit to 1.2 meters, Looping transformed it into The Wave. It’s still a roller coaster. It still offers a real experience. However, compared to the stand-up configuration, it is now accessible to a much larger audience. The accessibility argument is furthered by Gold Rush, the family lift-and-launch coaster located in the Frontier Falls western-themed area. Its 1-meter minimum height allows young children to ride alongside older siblings and parents, something that the previous ride lineup didn’t always offer.
Adventure Cove, Vikings, and Frontier Falls are examples of themed area developments that demonstrate an investment in the kind of environmental immersion that has become the norm for parks vying for family day trip budgets. The areas don’t have a Disney or Universal theme. They are not need to be. Rather than American mega-parks, Drayton Manor’s pricing point and catchment area—the Midlands, reachable from the M42—are compared to Legoland Windsor and the family zones of Alton Towers. In that regard, the investment seems to be fulfilling its purpose.
The management of Looping would be the first to admit that the financial situation is still really difficult. Since the pandemic, British theme parks have had to deal with a challenging environment: rising energy costs that haven’t completely decreased, inflationary pressure on personnel and supplies, and the unique issue of British summer weather, which is unpredictable and has a big impact on peak attendance at outdoor venues. Despite an increase in general foot traffic, Drayton Manor’s turnover has fluctuated somewhat, which is more indicative of margin pressure than a failure of the recovery.
Seeing a park that appeared completed in 2020 operating, investing, and attracting tourists in 2026 is somewhat heartening. It remains to be seen if Looping’s approach yields the kind of consistent long-term success that the park’s past merits. However, the course is evident, and the preliminary findings are encouraging enough to be regarded seriously.
