The winners of this year’s UK Theme Park Awards have been announced following a public vote, with Paultons Park taking the crown of Theme Park of the Year, with key honours shared around the industry.
Paultons Park has been named Theme Park of the Year alongside wins in nine other categories including a Best New Attraction gong for Ghostly Manor
The UK Theme Parks Awards ceremony took place at Wicksteed Park on 18 September, with more than 180 representatives from the UK theme park industry coming together to discover the result of a nationwide public vote.
“We are delighted to have been awarded ten awards this year at the annual UK Theme Park Awards, including the prestigious Theme Park of the Year Award,” said Paultons’ marketing and technology director, Lawrence Mancey. “These awards are testament to the hard work and dedication of our whole team.”
“We’re looking forward to building on our success next year with the opening of our first inverting rollercoaster, Drakon, in our new immersive world Valgard: Realm of the Vikings opening May 2026.”
In other categories, Blackpool Pleasure Beach won Best Reimagined Attraction for Launch Pad and was named Best Seaside Theme Park (North), while Adventure Island took home Best Seaside Theme Park (South.)
Thorpe Park took Best Theme Park for Thrills, and Chessington World of Adventures was awarded Best Large Theme Park with Animals. Best Small Theme Park with Animals went to Drusillas Park.
Lost Island Grill at Fantasy Island was awarded Best New Food or Retail Outlet, Best New Event went to Legoland for its LEGO Festival, and Best New Entertainment was claimed by Thorpe Park for DeadBeat.
First time winners included Bottons Pleasure Beach in Lincolnshire, which took the Best New Attraction bronze medal for Jurassic Resurrection, while Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire and The Big Sheep in Devon were also recognised.
Host of the awards ceremony, Wicksteed Park, itself took bronze in Best New Sustainability Initiative for the Hedgehog Charter, and speaking after the awards, director Kelly Richardson said the ceremony “truly was an amazing event, showcasing everything that is unique and innovative about UK theme parks.”
“Wicksteed Park is the home of children’s play and has been providing fun for the whole family for more than 100 years, so was the perfect venue and it gave guests the chance to experience everything that is amazing about the Park.”
