UK Theme Park Awards 2026

11 September 2026

It was an honour to be back supporting the UK Theme Park Awards, this time up at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

We missed last year's ceremony at Wicksteed Park (the last one we went to was THORPE PARK Resort in 2024), so it was great to see how much the event has grown. Record attendance, strong entries, and a very polished evening. Tom and Lawrence at UK Theme Park Network should be proud.

At Semantic we love attractions, and I've always had a soft spot for theme parks and coasters in particular. Supporting the sector at events like this is a big part of why we created LOOP in the first place.

It was brilliant to see so many of our clients up for awards:

• Crealy Theme Park & Resort won gold for Sooty Land (Best Theme Park for Toddlers) and silver for Rotor (Best New Attraction), Best Theme Park for Families, Spookfest (Best Halloween Event) and SEND Days (Best New Accessibility Initiative). Josh at Crealy also picked up the Outstanding Achievement award
• Sundown Adventureland took gold for Christmas Spectacular and bronze for Best Theme Park for Toddlers
• Gulliver's Theme Park Resorts won gold for Best Theme Park for Families and silver for Toddlers
• Sandcastle Waterpark was named Waterpark of the Year

None of that is down to us, of course. It's the teams who run these parks every day. But it did feel a bit like sitting in the audience as proud parents.

It's been a tough year for attractions, with rising costs and squeezed spending. Whatever the sector, though, the same things keep showing up. Turn up with passion and you get rewarded. The attractions taking risks and investing are the ones winning. And the community is full of talent that's generous in sharing it.

Congratulations to everyone, and see you next year. Oh, and Oz's first go on the new Aviktas ride, in the pouring rain, will stay with me for a long time.

Read the full story on the LOOP website

Created by Neil Lewin, Modified on Wed, 7 Oct at 12:43 PM by Neil Lewin