This British theme park has been crowned one of the best in the world

TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards is an annual roundup of things that are worth travelling for, based on the opinions of its hundreds of thousands of users. Its ‘Best of the Best’ label is given to attractions that have received a particularly high amount of ‘above and beyond’ reviews on the site over a year.

Less than one percent of the more than eight million listings on the site ever earn the ‘Best of the Best’ title, so it’s not an accolade to be sniffed at. So far this year, the awards have covered the world’s best attractions, the best cities for food, the best beaches and the top trending destinations. Now, TripAdvisor has revealed the best of the best amusement and water parks in the world. And in tenth place was the UK’s very own Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

The 130-year-old theme park has an average TripAdvisor rating of four out of five, based on nearly 16,000 reviews. It’s home to more than 125 attractions, from an old-school wooden coaster and a 235ft high hypercoaster to a Wallace & Gromit ‘Thrill-O-Matic’ and a load of rides at Nickelodeon Land. Its Grade II-listed Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine is thought to be the oldest continuously operating amusement ride in Europe, having first opened all the way back in 1904. 

That’s not to mention the absolutely enormous new addition due to open later this month. Aviktas is a giant 138ft tall pendulum ride that’ll officially be the largest of its kind in the entire UK. It’ll start operating from May 21 and is one of the many reason why Time Out named Blackpool one of the best places in the UK to visit this year and one of the country’s greatest seaside towns. 

One recent five star TripAdvisor review of the park read: ‘We had an absolutely brilliant time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach — genuinely one of the best family experiences we’ve had in the UK.’ Another said: ‘I could happily visit Blackpool Pleasure Beach and just wander around not necessarily riding anything. Just absorbing the atmos!’. 

Other UK parks to make the site’s Best of the Best list were Paultons Park in 14th place, Camel Creek Family Adventure Park in 16th, the Milky Way Adventure Park in 17th and Twinlakes Family Theme Park in 20th. 

Take a look at Time Out’t pick of the UK’s greatest theme parks here.

ICYMI: This last-of-its-kind lido near London will soon reopen after a major glow-up. 

Plus: This year’s Edinburgh Fringe will have a theatre inside the UK’s biggest sauna. 

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.