Life is a Roller Coaster . . . 14 August 2019 by Visit Blackpool Pushing boundaries since 1896, Blackpool Pleasure Beach is home to many of the nation’s most beloved rides. With 10 celebrated rollercoasters, including the £16.25 million ICON and The Big One, a visit to the park guarantees a thrill. To celebrate National Rollercoaster Day (16th August), Blackpool Pleasure Beach takes a look back at some of the most significant (and unexpected) developments in the park’s history: OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD THRILLS As rollercoaster capital of the country, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been offering guests a wild ride for well over a hundred years. It is estimated that the park’s 10 rollercoasters have travelled a combined distance of over nine million kilometres which is the equivalent distance of travelling to the moon and back 12 times. AN ICON IS BORN Taking five years to develop and build, ICON was one of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s most ambitious rides to date. As the world’s most interactive rollercoaster – ICON propels riders to heights of 88ft at speeds of over 50mph with the same acceleration as an F1 car. One of the attraction’s most in demand rollercoasters, one million have ridden the UK’s only double launch rollercoaster, with coaster fans from as far afield as the US making the trip to experience ICON’s unique power and design. So popular is the ride that Blackpool Pleasure Beach believes ICON has already travelled the equivalent distance as three times around the world. A BUM-PY WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been the site of many world record attempts with the cheekiest taking place earlier this year, with volunteers braving the weather and stripping off in an effort to set a new record for the number of naked people to ride a rollercoaster. THE BIG ONE When The Big One opened in 1994, it was the world’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster. Still standing tall as the highest in the UK, The Big One changed the Blackpool skyline forever. Standing at 235ft and travelling at speeds of up to 85 mph, the ride is a firm favourite with stars including, Robbie Williams, Kate Moss and even Prince William. A star in its own right, the rollercoaster featured in the 2001 film The Parole Officer with Steve Coogan and in the 1995 music video for Simply Red’s single Fairground. WOOD YOU RIDE? The home of many historically significant rides, including two thirds of the UK’s remaining pre-war rollercoasters including the Big Dipper, Grand National, Nickelodeon Streak and Blue Flyer. The park’s oldest rollercoaster, the Big Dipper, cost a shilling to ride, when it first opened to the public in 1923. The second-oldest in-use rollercoaster in Britain, it is still open daily for guests looking for some good old fashioned fun.