On Friday 16th of March, we were kindly invited down by Alton Towers to preview the new wooden roller coaster, known as Wicker Man! This evening was put together to showcase the new wooden beast before the public opening on Saturday 17th of March. However, due to the exceedingly bad weather, the new opening ceremony will be hosted on Saturday 24th of March!
As we arrived, we gathered in the Alton Towers hotel to check in and await our coach service into the park. The event started by The Beornen group slowly roaming into the hotel and interacting with all the guests. Explaining a bit more into the story, who they were and we were chosen to participate in the ritual they were hosting. The acting was very strange and matched perfectly with the story line of the coaster.
We were then boarded onto a coach that would take us into the park. Joining each of the coaches was an actor who continued to engage with all the guests. Continuing to act in their unusual ways, they would bring into topic about wood & fire and how we would be apart of their celebrations.
Once just outside the ride area, the Beornen led us on route accompanied by a live band which played music to match the theme and mood, which changed as we got closer and closer to the ride. This made the experience more unnerving, spooky and mysterious as we got closer to the Wicker Man.
When reaching the area of the Wicker Man, the band split and we were then greeted by a range of actors who danced in cults, celebrated our arrival and chanted around the ride. Among the Beornen's, there were skilled flame dancers and stilt creatures which filled the area and created a more immersive scene.
The Wicker Man ride itself was an amazing sight, especially at night. Welcomed by a huge wooden structure, engulfed in smoke, lit up in red as it burst into flames as the ride went around. Amazed by looks alone, we then ventured into the queue line to get our first full experience of the Wicker Man.
The staff on the other side played a perfect match to the rides theme by keeping very mysterious and strange as they loaded you into the batching area. We then shortly entered into a pre-show area. Without containing spoilers, it contained some amazing world class effects which explained the story, the ritual and what was going on. We then entered into the ride area itself which was like a massive wicker basket and waited to board the ride.
The family friendly coaster is definitely a top thrilling attraction added to the resort. A fantastic layout which continued to give excitement all the way around. Passing through the structure and bursting through the mist into the dark night sky really made it one of the best rides in the UK to date. This is perfect attraction to bridge the gap between Th13teen and Nemesis, which have already proved ever so popular at the resort. Creating an immersive and thrilling experience for families who love to be thrill junkies.
However, we are yet to ride this coaster during the day time when most of the guests throughout 2018 will be riding. We are sure you will be able to see a lot more of the ride and surrounding areas and see the Wicker Man structure for it's impressive self. The next time you'll be able to ride during the night is expected to be during the Halloween period, Scarefest!
Join the chosen ones on the world’s most immersive rollercoaster experience to date, unifying cutting edge special effects with classic wooden coaster technology for the first time! The chosen ones can climb on-board the Beornen’s works train passing further into their secretive world, splintering around a labyrinth of twisted track. The burning embers light the path as the train hurtles towards the six-storey high flaming effigy. Speeding towards the Wicker Man, he spectacularly ignites into flames as the train bursts through his chest three times.Wicker Man is the UK’s first new wooden coaster built in over 20 years, a globally unique experience that will reconnect riders with the primal essence of rollercoasters.
We highly recommend you head down to Alton Towers Resort to get your thrill fix on Wicker Man for 2018! Tickets and all further information can be found over on the Alton Towers website found below!
#WickerMan #Wicker #Man #2018 #New #Spring #Coaster #RollerCoaster #ThemePark #Park #AltonTowers #AltonTowersResort #BrandNew #Newfor2018 #SpringOpened #PressEvent #Review #Fire #Wodd #Night #Exclusive #Images #Beornen #Actors #Ceremony #SW8 #Launch #21Years #Cults #SpoilerFree #NoSpoilers #Wood #FamilyFriendly #March #Ignites #Ritual #Join #Thrilling