Blackpool Pleasure Beach Announce New Ride Opening Date.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach have announced the opening date of their NEW 2025 ride, and you don’t have too much longer to wait.
The Fylde Coaster based amusement park announced the news via their social media this week revealing Launch Pad – the newly re-imagined Ice Blast (aka. Playstation The Ride) will open to the public after an extensive overhaul next month.
The new take on Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s iconic S&S Worldwide Shot Tower brings the punch back to this classic thrill ride launching those brave enough to heights of 210 ft reaching speeds of up to 80 mph.
This latest new take on Ice Blast signals the beginning of a brand new era for the park too with more and more changes set to come to the park over the next few years including the arrival of the UK’s LARGEST Intamin Gyro Swing next year.
Reaching up to 20 storeys in height this thrilling ride has stood proud at the entrance to Blackpool Pleasure Beach since first opening in 1997 making Launch Pad 28 years old this year.
Speaking about Launch Pad’s upcoming relaunch, Amanda Thompson OBE – CEO of Blackpool Pleasure Beach said;
“After months of hard work we’re thrilled to now be unveiling Launch Pad to the public. Our team has poured so much creativity, passion and expertise into this bold re-imagining, and I can’t wait for guests to experience it in two weeks’ time.
“From the 7th May, anyone brave enough to take to the skies will have the opportunity to launch 210 feet into the air at maximum power. It’s time to get ready for lift off.”
Launch Pad’s reimagining has not only seen the ride receive a fresh new look, but has also seen the arrival and installation of a new 210 ft cylinder which is said to “revolutionise” the ride experience with the cylinder having pressure of up to 105 PSI, which means that each square inch inside the cylinder is experiencing a force of 105 pounds.
Also talking about Launch Pad’s new mechanics, Karl Murphy – director of engineering explained;
“The higher the pressure, the greater the build-up of kinetic energy. By increasing the PSI we’ve increased the force, and therefore the acceleration of speed is greater, meaning riders will feel a huge difference and shoot to the sky with more power than ever before.”
The majority of the work has been carried out by Pleasure Beach Resort’s in-house team made up of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, painters and artists, and a project manager, as well as the director of engineering.
An engineer from S&S, the ride’s manufacturer, also flew over from the United States of America to help oversee the cylinder’s installation.
As previously mentioned Blackpool Pleasure Beach will continue it’s “Period of Evolution” in 2026 with the introduction of the UK’s Largest Gyro Swing (currently rumoured to be named Aviktas after the recent discovery of a trademark file request online) said to cost the park a whopping £8.72M.
Launch Pad will open to guests on Wednesday 07th May 2025 bringing back the much loved thrill ride for guests to enjoy this May half term!
