Dreamland will open eight rides from Saturday (July 10) but others, including the Scenic Railway, will not return until next year.
A collection of eight specially selected amusement park rides have been commissioned for visitors to the Dreamland Summer Social programme to enjoy throughout the summer holidays.
Joining established classics such as the Waltzer, Scrambler Twist and Gallopers will be a new attraction — The Ghost Train. Originally built in the 1960s the ride has been lovingly restored.
The Toytown Carousel and Austin Cars will be ready for younger riders while all the family can enjoy The Rocking Tug and a new Giant Dodgem Track with 20 superfast cars.
A previous statement from Dreamland said: ““We treasure our vintage rides but maintaining and operating the larger ones is an expensive labour of love. The cost of certifying the rides to adhere to modern health and safety regulations as well as rehiring and training hundreds of ride operators, is one that requires significant financial commitment long, long before reopening.
“Making such an outlay at a time of such uncertainty and accepting this level of loss would be a poor business decision for any organisation, but especially so for an independent business that has largely been without revenue since the start of the pandemic, and one not in receipt of any COVID-19 Government grants.”
Bosses at the amusement park say hosting events, rather than reopening all rides, is the right decision for 2021.
A statement previously issued said: “Unlike other large scale theme parks, the Dreamland estate has a very limited acreage, and does not allow guests to spread out adequately. Hosting events is the right decision for Dreamland in 2021 because capacity is easier to manage, and we can know who’s on site when.”
Rides for this summer will be available on a pay-per-ride basis with prices starting from £2.
