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88-594: The main circuits of the Minirail ceased service in the early 70's and 80's then demolished shortly after, however the La Ronde "Yellow" loop, segregated from the rest of the system on the north end, remained in service for over a half century. This last vestige of the Minirail was finally demolished in 2022. The main part of the system was the "Blue" Minirail on Notre Dame Island (with a small cross over loop on its neighboring island). There were also two smaller loops:

176-543: A Fire Ball ride by Larson International previously known as El Diablo when it was located at Six Flags Great Adventure from 2015 to 2018. After being relocated to La Ronde, its red color was changed to black, and it received new trains. Chaos is located on the former site of Le Moulin de la Sorcière between the rides Manitou and Boomerang. On August 25, 2019, Super Manège closed. In August 2019, Six Flags announced that Vipère, formerly Green Lantern: First Flight at Six Flags Magic Mountain , would debut in 2020. The project

264-611: A Zamperla Giant Discovery . It is the park's second pendulum ride. It is identical to the Riddler Revenge at Six Flags Over Texas . In 2017, Le Monstre had only one track open for mainly the whole season while the other track was retracked. In May 2017, on its 50th anniversary, La Ronde announced the permanent closure of one of its original rides, La Pitoune . The water log ride dated back to Expo 67, and had its final season in operation in 2016. It has since been dismantled. On Saturday, May 19, 2018, Six Flags La Ronde opened

352-626: A 1.8-kilometre (1.1 mi) loop on the south end of the island with two stations: Metro and Place des nation (that connected with the Metro , Blue Minirail, and the Expo Express ). After leaving the latter station the route swung over a corner of Swan Lake. It ceased operation when the Saint Helen's Island section of Man and His World closed in late 1981, and then later demolished in the mid-1980s. ( 1967-2019 ) The La Ronde Yellow Minirail

440-521: A 41-day strike, refusing to enter the aquarium to feed or care for its dolphins. Abandoned by their trainers, and left to starve in isolation, 3 dolphins died as a result of the neglect. Never recovering from the negativity surrounding the tragic event, the aquarium permanently closed in 1991. In 1992, the amusement park was used as a backdrop in the Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode "Laughing in

528-590: A complete reprofiling of the Big Dipper in 1936, which was extended towards the south-westerly side of the park. During this time Thompson hired Joseph Emberton , an award-winning architect who was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides and buildings. He worked on The Casino Building, Noah's Ark and the Ice Drome , a 2,000-seat ice rink. Emberton continued to design for

616-543: A contract with Viacom , owners of the American-based Nickelodeon brand to open Nickelodeon Land , a 4-acre area situated within the main park. Nickelodeon Land was a £10 million redevelopment of the parks' previous children's area Beaver Creek which closed in 2010. Notable changes include a complete retheme of the Rollercoaster which reopened under the new alias Nickelodeon Streak and

704-478: A director of the park for over 15   years, took over the whole Pleasure Beach business. Nicholas Thompson became the deputy managing director and Fiona Giljé (née Thompson), a fundamental architect, became a senior company director. Amanda had previously risen to prominence as the founder and president of Stageworks Worldwide Productions , which produced numerous stage shows at both the Pleasure Beach and international venues. Like her father and grandmother, Amanda

792-577: A failure with the rides braking system. Twenty-one were taken to hospital. On 11 August 2009, two trains on The Big Dipper carrying a total of 32 guests collided, resulting in 21 people requiring treatment for injuries ranging from whiplash and broken noses to cut and bruises. On 14 June 2011, a train on The Big One stopped abruptly, causing a few minor injuries to the occupants. One person was reportedly taken to hospital suffering from whiplash. On 24 October 2014, 58-year-old Robert Sycamore accompanied his 13-year-old nephew on The Grand National coaster. When

880-552: A long-term contract to lease the land from the city. Before the announcement of the Six Flags purchase, the city had considered offers from other bidders including Paramount Parks , Cedar Fair , and Parc Astérix . Since then, Six Flags has invested around $ 90 million in new rides and improvements, such as Le Vampire , Splash, Le Goliath and Ednör – L'Attaque as well as a new main entrance. In 2007, La Ronde celebrated its 40th anniversary with Expo 67 themed events commemorating

968-477: A number of attractions including live shows and amusement rides . As of 2020, the amusement park had 39 amusement rides including eight roller coasters . One of the park's roller coasters, Le Monstre , a 40-metre (131 ft) holds the record for highest double-tracked roller coaster in the world. During the month of October, the park hosts an annual Fright Fest to celebrate Halloween. The festival has four haunted houses, and many costumed performers who walk around

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1056-460: A platform thrill ride called Le Tourbillon , a Larson International GX5 model (Waltzer-style) Tilt-A-Whirl, residing along L'Avenue across from the Phoenix. This addition was supposed to have been amongst the proposed featured rides for a new family section, called Carnaval En Folie (the newly added ride was due to be named La Torsade ). On May 18, 2019, La Ronde debuted a new ride called Chaos,

1144-517: A profit for several years. This move coincided with the closure of Pleasure Beach's Log Flume, Drench Falls and resulted in the introduction of Infusion , the park's first new roller coaster in 13   years. Infusion was relocated from Pleasureland, where it had operated under the name of Traumatizer since 1999, and was built on the site of the Log Flume. In 2011, the Thompson family signed

1232-427: A ride vehicle on the 'Space Invader' roller-coaster. He was reported to have possibly panicked on the dark ride and unfastened his seatbelt. Following an investigation, police were confident that the death was accidental. The ride closed in 2008 and has since relocated to Brean Leisure Park , operating from 2011 as Astro Storm . On 31 August 2000, 23 people were injured, when two trains collided on The Big One due to

1320-517: A second amusement park up the coast in Morecambe under the name West End Amusement Park , which would later become Frontierland, Morecambe . The success of the Morecambe park led to a third amusement park opening four years later in Southport under the name Pleasureland Southport . Meanwhile, the Pleasure Beach was developed with frequent large scale investments, including The Velvet Coaster ,

1408-685: A single train; one head car, seating only three passengers, seven mid-section cars and one tail car. The Yellow Minirails received their nicknames from the colour of the cars' canopies. Twelve 16-car trains operated on each line. Each train seated 60 in its 32-metre (105 ft) length. Also designed by Habegger, these cars were built in 1964 for the Swiss National Exhibition held that year in Lausanne . Originally controlled by an on-board operator, they were converted to automatic operation for Expo 67. Additional cars were purchased from

1496-473: A sister in 2024 after Six Flags merged with Cedar Fair ). La Ronde occupies 59 hectares (146 acres) of the northern tip of Saint Helen's Island , situated on a man-made extension to the landmass; the park is in the vicinity of where the smaller, adjacent Ronde Island had once been (the origin of the park's name). The park hosts the annual Montreal Fireworks Festival , an international fireworks competition. Prior to Cedar Fair's merger with Six Flags, La Ronde

1584-525: A top speed of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). The ride holds the record as the second tallest roller coaster in the United Kingdom, standing at 213 ft (65 m), with a first drop of 205 ft (62 m) and the longest roller coaster in Europe, with a track length of 5,497 ft (1,675 m). The park was the first in Europe to introduce a fully inverting steel coaster, Revolution and

1672-516: A water cannon capable of shooting water up to 100 feet into the air. A 12-hole course situated on the former Flagstaff Gardens on the promenade. Opened in 2008. A museum of oddities built across two floors and based on Ripley's Believe It Or Not . Situated along Ocean Boulevard. Interactive horror maze, situated towards the north end of Ocean Boulevard, adjacent to the entrance to Pleasure Beach. Opened in June 1998. A large ice rink situated towards

1760-480: A white ferroconcrete façade with white electric lighting, and the interior housed a billiard hall, cinema, restaurant and gift shop. In 1938, it was demolished and replaced with a more modern Art Deco style building, designed by architect Joseph Emberton . Today the Casino Building features a number of function rooms and offices, and the ground floor space is used as the main ticket centre. In 1923, land

1848-417: Is a second Moroccan-themed function room named The Attic . The basement area of the building is taken up by another licensed bar named The Horror Bar and an interactive horror maze named Pasaje del Terror . Outside The Casino building towards the left of the main entrance is a second theatre named The Globe . The main park can be accessed via a number of turnstiles, each staffed by a security ambassador at

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1936-524: Is bordered by the Promenade, Balmoral Road, Bond Street, Burlington Road West and Clifton Drive, and is situated above Watson Road, which is underneath the grounds and runs under a tunnel bridge in the centre of the park. Guests enter the park by passing under giant metal arches which are illuminated in the evening. The main Ticket Centre can be found on the ground floor of the Casino Building which

2024-410: Is situated to the north of the park, along with a large Gift Shop. The rest of the ground floor space is taken up by a show bar named The Horseshoe and a large Café named W.G Beans . The second tier of the building, known as the penthouse floor is home to a function suite named The Paradise Room and The White Tower Restaurant , a luxury restaurant overlooking the promenade. Above The Paradise Room

2112-499: Is the last remaining park in the world to still operate a Steeplechase roller coaster. The Grand National is one of only five Möbius loop coasters still operating (and the oldest), where a singular track "loops" around itself, offering a facsimile out-and-back layout and creating a "racing" effect on two parallel tracks. Sir Hiram Maxims Captive Flying Machine is the oldest amusement park ride in Europe having opened in August 1904. At

2200-455: The Batman media franchise because the licence with Warner Bros. and DC Comics is not valid in unbranded Six Flags parks. It is not yet known whether Le Vampire will be re-branded to Batman: The Ride once the branding of the park commences. The Serial Thriller, a Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster that used to be located at the now defunct Six Flags AstroWorld , was shipped to La Ronde from

2288-575: The Big Blue Hotel and the Boulevard Hotel are situated towards the south end of the park. The park is split up into three sections: North Park, Nickelodeon Land and South Park. The main park is divided by separate themed areas. These are North Entrance Plaza , Heidi Strasse , Bean Street FY4 , The Watson Overpass and South Entrance Plaza . Many of the rides in the park are built over or under other attractions and buildings, making

2376-518: The Concordia bridge at the island's opposite end. Public transit provides accessibility by means of the island's Metro station with seasonal shuttle bus service to the park. The amusement park opens to the public from mid-May to late October (with peak season in July). La Ronde closes for the season in the last weekend of October. In 1967, La Ronde was built as the entertainment complex for Expo 67 ,

2464-471: The Expo Express , permanently closed. Its terminus station sat right above La Ronde's main entrance, and brought off-island visitors directly to the park during Expo 67 and the early days of Man and His World . Although the transit system has long since been demolished, La Ronde's main entrance is built around the former train station, and an (abandoned) train bridge still sits in the St Lawrence river to

2552-645: The Great Escape , another Six Flags property where it had laid in storage since 2005. The roller coaster, which opened in 1999 at Six Flags AstroWorld, was installed over the Lac des Dauphins at the park for the 2010 season and is named Ednör – L'Attaque . It features special effects and is themed around an alleged sea monster that was purported to have appeared in the Lac des Dauphins. On March 9, 2010, La Ronde announced that Terminator X: A Laser Battle for Salvation , an interactive laser-tag attraction themed around

2640-711: The House of Nonsense , The Joy Wheel and The Whip . Outhwaite died in 1911, leaving most of the remaining business to Bean; however, the Outhwaite family still obtained shares in the park and would occasionally have input into its growth. Following the First World War investment at the park ceased due to the difficulty in exporting rides from the United States and the next investments would not be until 1922 when The Virginia Reel and Noah's Ark opened. Despite

2728-484: The Loopy Landscapes expansion. The map was created by Scottish game designer Chris Sawyer . It was one of two British amusement parks to be included as a scenario in the game, the other being Alton Towers . Despite his reputation as a leading businessman in the industry, Thompson often found himself in dispute with Blackpool Council over their decision to allow private traders to operate on land opposite

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2816-542: The Terminator series , would also be featured in the park for the 2010 season. On January 19, 2012, Six Flags announced Vol Ultime at La Ronde; it is similar to the SkyScreamers and it is 45-metre (148 ft) tall. In 2013, the park opened a water-themed attraction, Aqua Twist. On August 29, 2013, Six Flags announced the addition of Demon, a top spin ride, for the 2014 season. As a world premiere, Goliath

2904-674: The world fair held in Montreal from April 28 to October 29, 1967. The exposition was located on 400 hectares (990 acres ) of man-made islands in the St Lawrence River adjacent to Montreal, and comprised six "theme" pavilions, 48 national pavilions, four provincial pavilions, 27 private-industry and institutional pavilions, and La Ronde – a 54 ha (130 acres) entertainment complex with theatres, midway attractions, drinking and dining. The rides, restaurants and beer halls of La Ronde remained open until 2:30 a.m. nightly, after

2992-558: The "Watson Estate" which was used to expand the amusement park in Blackpool. The original Pleasure Beach was built on the sand dunes along the promenade and consisted of a few roundabouts, a Bicycle Railway and several Gypsy stalls. Bean and Outhwaite decided to grow the business after visiting Coney Island in the United States. Using a small static fairground in London's Earls Court for inspiration, Bean added more rides and sideshows to

3080-516: The "Yellow" Minirails on opposite ends of Saint Helen's Island . The minimum system radius was 15 metres (50 ft), and maximum grade 10%. ( 1967-1973 ) The larger Minirail was laid out to pass as many major points as possible. Stations were named for nearby major attractions. The 6.8-kilometre (4.2 mi) circuit had six stops at four stations: Metro , Canada , Theme and Agriculture (the latter two stations being served twice). Although on an elevated structure up to 12 metres (40 ft) above

3168-531: The Aqua park, making for a slightly shortened route. Service finally ceased in 2019, after 52 years in service. In November 2022, the park demolished the ride, the longest serving and final vestige of the Expo 67 Minirail. The Blue Minirail received its nickname from the color of the cars' body, accented with white roof and doors. Passengers rode in open cars that carried a maximum of 12 people in each. Nine cars made up

3256-596: The Chute ride) and SpongeBob 3D. In May 2006, La Ronde opened its ninth roller coaster, Goliath , a 53-metre (174 ft) high Bolliger & Mabillard mega coaster. It reaches speeds of 110 km/h (68 mph), making it the fourth tallest and the fourth fastest roller coaster in Canada. In 2006, La Ronde permanently closed the Nintendo Megadome, housed in the former Alcan Aquarium building since 1995. It

3344-452: The Dark" (season 1, episode 2) and was given the fictional name "Playland". The episode featured the park's giant roller coaster, haunted house with a dragon on the front and its old-fashioned carousel. In 2001, the City of Montreal sold La Ronde to Six Flags , an American theme park chain, in a deal completed on May 4, 2001. It acquired all of the assets of the park for $ 20 million USD and has

3432-584: The Gold Mine. Two years later, in 2015, the park teamed up with the RAF to open the Red Arrows Skyforce a thrill ride based on the famous air acrobatic team. In 2018 the park opened Icon , a £16.25 million multi-launched coaster built by Mack Rides of Germany and the first roller coaster to be built at the park in over a decade. In 2019 a second hotel Boulevard Hotel was built on the site of

3520-469: The New Era Laundries in London before returning to the family business as head of catering at the Casino Building. He married his wife, Barbara Thompson (née Foxcroft) in 1962 and shortly afterwards they had three children: Amanda, Nicholas and Fiona. Geoffrey invested millions of pounds developing the business, carrying forward his father's legacy, which was for the Pleasure Beach to always be at

3608-475: The Pleasure Beach the most densely populated amusement park in terms of ride space in the world. Pleasure Beach is the only private company in the United Kingdom not imposed by planning restrictions; however, attractions over 60 meters (200 ft) in height must meet strict regulations set out by the Civil Aviation Authority . These regulations include the placing of red and white lights at

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3696-715: The Pleasure Beach up to his death in 1956. After which Jack Ratcliffe, who had been involved in the Festival of Britain , was brought in to continue the work. Ratcliffe worked for many years at the park, and much of his work can still be seen today. Investments steadily decreased during the Second World War ; however, the park remained open throughout the year to offer solace to the British public. The park returned to prominence between 1958 and 1961 when The Wild Mouse , Derby Racer and Alice In Wonderland opened and over

3784-408: The Pleasure Beach which began to garner the attention of holidaymakers. Bean's aim was to establish a fun park of a relative size that would "make adults feel like children again and inspire gaiety of a primarily innocent character." The first notable attraction of interest to open at Pleasure Beach was Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine , a rotary swing ride designed by the British inventor of

3872-453: The Pleasure Beach, including Spin Doctor in 2002, the Big Blue Hotel in 2003 and Bling , the following year. Geoffrey Thompson died of a heart attack at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on 12 June 2004 while attending a party to celebrate his daughter's wedding. Doris Thompson, MBE OBE died nine days later, on 23 June, the date of her son's funeral. Amanda Thompson, Geoffrey's eldest daughter and

3960-415: The Pleasure Beach. He also clashed with Morecambe Town Council, who would regularly oppose and disrupt his plans to develop the Morecambe amusement park. As a result of his frustration and due to declining attendance, Thompson closed Frontierland in 2000, which had operated for 91   years. Many of the rides were either destroyed, sold or relocated to Thompson's other parks. Further investments followed at

4048-470: The United Kingdom in 1897 and opened two separate amusement parks; one adjacent to Euston Road in Great Yarmouth and another in Blackpool, opposite the tram terminus. The Great Yarmouth amusement park failed to generate much interest and so Bean moved to Blackpool full-time towards the end of the century. In 1903, Bean, along with local businessman John Outhwaite, purchased 30 acres of land known as

4136-606: The closure and abandonment of the park below two years earlier. During these final two years there were no stops as all stations on Notre Dame Island were closed, therefore passengers boarded and exited at the Metro Minirail station on Saint Helen's Island. Service ceased by the end of the 1973 season. The circuit itself was dismantled by the mid-1970s, primarily due to construction of the Olympic rowing basin. ( 1967-1981 ) The Saint Helen's Island Yellow Minirail ran around

4224-586: The closure of the Velvet Coaster. Thompson's next major investment was the construction of the Fun House in 1934 and The Grand National , a Möbius loop wooden coaster built by celebrated coaster designer Charles Paige in 1935. Paige had designed numerous other rides at the Pleasure Beach, including the Rollercoaster , another wooden coaster that was constructed on the site of The Velvet Coaster in 1933. The success of Paiges' wooden coasters resulted in

4312-538: The company. Here are a selection of the awards and nominations received over the last decade: Pleasure Beach is alleged to be haunted by several ghosts and over the years there have been a number of high-profile paranormal investigations held within its grounds. The most well-known and reported ghost story involves the Ghost Train ride, which is supposedly haunted by the spirit of a former ride operator named "Cloggy". Other stories involve poltergeist activity in both

4400-522: The company. Over the next two years, Thompson worked with the Outhwaites to expand the business further, starting with the construction of The Ghost Train which opened in 1930. In 1931 the remaining Outhwaite family sold their share of the park to the Thompsons, who now had complete control and ownership of the business. The following year Watson Road was built alongside the park, which resulted in

4488-473: The cost of £15 million, Valhalla was one of the largest and most expensive indoor dark rides in the world. Designed by Sarner and manufactured by Intamin , Valhalla won "Best Water Ride" at the 2018 Golden Ticket awards, an accolade it has held over a consecutive number of years. The park also operates a Nickelodeon Land and the world's only Wallace & Gromit ride, the Thrill-O-Matic . In 2015

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4576-463: The east of the park. In 1979, on July 8, the drowning deaths of three people occurred at La Ronde's Dolphin Lake when "The Mississippi" tour boat, ferrying up to 60 passengers, capsized. Two weeks later, on July 22, a fourth drowning death occurred when a man attempted a swim across Dolphin Lake at late-night, after the park had closed. In 1980, blue-collar workers at La Ronde's Alcan Aquarium enacted

4664-496: The east of the park. Home to Hot Ice and open year-round. A family hotel "The Big Blue Hotel" with a four-star AA rating, situated adjacent to Blackpool Pleasure Beach railway station towards the south end of Ocean Boulevard opened in Spring 2003. In 2019 a second hotel, the Boulevard Hotel , was built on the site of the former Star pub. The hotel features 120 rooms and 10 suites and is the second four-star hotel to be operated by

4752-673: The extension was made around, was destroyed by blasting and the resulting crater it left turned into Dolphin lake, which the park surrounds. South of the amusement park is Jean-Drapeau Park , an urban park and former grounds of Expo 67, as well as the Jean-Drapeau Metro station and Montreal Biosphere museum. Access to the park from Montreal and the South Shore is primarily served by the Jacques Cartier Bridge , or alternatively through Cité du Havre via

4840-503: The first companies in the United Kingdom to register with the Government Profit Related Pay Unit. Under this scheme, the company agreed that, where profits exceeded £1 million, 10 per cent would be distributed among the permanent staff according to their length of service. In 2000, a recreation of Blackpool Pleasure Beach appeared in the theme park management video game Rollercoaster Tycoon as part of

4928-559: The forefront of global amusement parks. He hired Keith Ingham to make extensive alterations to the Casino Building which was re-launched as the Wonderful World Building (since then the building has reverted to its original name of the 'Casino'). Thompson's reign saw the opening of the Steeplechase , Avalanche , Revolution and Ice Blast . His most notable investments include The Big One which opened in 1994 and

5016-665: The former Star Pub . The hotel features 120 en-suite rooms, two restaurants and ten suites. In February 2024 Blackpool Pleasure Beach rebranded as Pleasure Beach Resort. On 6 March 2024, The Big One lost its title as the UK's tallest roller coaster, after 30 years, with the completion of Hyperia at Thorpe Park . Pleasure Beach is situated on a 42-acre (170,000 m ) site along the South Promenade (Ocean Boulevard) area of Blackpool, approximately 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (3.6 km) from Blackpool North Railway Station. It

5104-497: The future running of the Pleasure Beach were in discussion. Leonard up until that point had not had any active involvement with the Pleasure Beach whatsoever, however on a mutual agreement with his wife, it was agreed that Thompson would take over the running of the Pleasure Beach and have full responsibility for all its affairs. His first move was to appoint Oscar Haworth as the General Manager and George Palmer as chairman of

5192-467: The gift shop under Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine and The Star pub on Ocean Boulevard. The Arena is also said to be the home of a ghostly presence which inhabits the backstage dressing rooms and tractor bay. The park has featured on many paranormal-related TV shows, including Most Haunted and Great British Ghosts and features in many books written on the subject . On 21 July 2000, 11-year-old Christopher Sharrat died after falling from

5280-695: The ground for most of its length, the line also swung out over the water near the Quebec Pavilion , dropping to within 1.8 metres (6 ft) of the St. Lawrence. It also ran through the Ontario pavilion and the geodesic dome of the U.S. Pavilion . A section of the Blue line crossed over and ran a small loop on Saint Helen's Island, primarily to connect to the Metro and (south) Yellow Minirail line. The track structure

5368-481: The lack of investment, profits at the Pleasure Beach soared, and the company was noted as being one of the most prolific employers in the north-west of England. Further into the 1920s, Bean invested in the Casino Building . Opened in 1913, it was designed by local architect, and former Mayor of Blackpool, Alderman Robert Butcher Mather , JP and styled on an Indian palace. The exterior of the building featured

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5456-467: The largest collection of wooden roller coasters of any park in the United Kingdom with four: the Big Dipper , Blue Flyer , Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak . Many of the roller coasters in the park are record-breaking attractions. When it opened in 1994, The Big One was the tallest roller coaster in the world. It was also the steepest, with an incline angle of 65° and the second fastest with

5544-485: The managing director of the Pleasure Beach, Leonard Thompson died in 1976, having run the business for 47 years. Following Thompson's death, Doris Thompson was appointed chairman of the business. Their only son, Geoffrey Thompson inherited his father's role and became the new managing director. William Geoffrey Thompson (businessman) was born in Manchester in 1936. He spent most of his early working life administering

5632-490: The manufacturer, Von Roll Seilbahnen AG . to replace the rolling stock and rail from Lausanne that were sold to Blackpool's Pleasure Beach . The Yellow Minirails ran on a pair of outward-facing 89-millimetre ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) × 305-millimetre (12 in) "C" channels, 116 millimetres ( 4 + 9 ⁄ 16  in) apart and supported on A-frames. Both Yellow loop routes were built by Mojan Ltée. When Six Flags Corporation took over management of La Ronde at

5720-418: The most significant amusement parks in the world. Following his death, his only daughter Lillian-Doris inherited the Pleasure Beach business. Lillian-Doris Bean married Leonard Thompson, an Oxford Natural Sciences graduate and businessman in 1928. The Thompsons lived in London where Leonard worked at a Swedish Match Company. However, after Bean's death, the couple returned to Blackpool, where decisions regarding

5808-562: The next few years the scale of investments increased, with the world's longest Log Flume opening in 1967 and The Goldmine opening four years later. The Walt Disney Company visited the park earlier in the decade, and Pleasure Beach was one of a few parks which became the basis for the first Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney formed a friendship with Thompson, and the two would regularly inspire one another when developing their respective parks. After many successful years as

5896-446: The north entrance. A separate entrance towards the south end of the park is available for hotel residents only, and a third entrance is situated towards the east side of the park via The Arena . The park is heavily secured by metal gates; however, these gates are occasionally opened to permit large groups of guests into the park during the peak season. The park has five car parks and a coach park. Blackpool Pleasure Beach railway station ,

5984-471: The park introduced Red Arrows Sky Force , a Gerstlauer Sky Fly thrill ride which is the first ride of its kind in the United Kingdom. The latest record is taken by Icon , a multi-launch coaster manufactured by Mack Rides in Germany. Pleasure Beach was founded in 1896 by Alderman William George Bean after he failed in his attempt to become an advertising man on New York's Madison Avenue. He returned to

6072-618: The park. Park admission is free for toddlers under the age of two, accompanied by an adult. In May 2002, La Ronde announced the installation of a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster called Le Vampire , which was the first major investment by Six Flags. It is a mirror image of the "Batman – The Ride" roller coasters found at many other Six Flags parks. In 2003, La Ronde opened six new rides including Auto Tamponneuses, Tour de Ville, Manitou, Vertigo, Grand Carrousel, and Toboggan Nordique. Some existing rides were replaced by these new rides. In 2004, La Ronde opened Le splash (a Shoot

6160-427: The park. They include: Blackpool Pleasure Beach Pleasure Beach Resort , formerly known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach , is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore , in the county of Lancashire , North West England . The park was founded in 1896 by A. W. G. Bean and his partner John Outhwaite. The current managing director is Amanda Thompson . The park is host to many records, including

6248-501: The rest of the Expo site closed down at 10:30 p.m. After Expo 67 World's Fair, the City of Montreal continued to run the amusement park for the next 34 years. In 1973, on July 8, the drowning deaths of two police officers occurred at La Ronde's Dolphin Lake, after the officers attempted to aid an intoxicated woman who had fallen into the water that night. In 1973, in October, the rapid transit train system that served La Ronde,

6336-484: The same name in 1904. A Mill Chute water ride followed in 1905, which opened under the name The River Caves of the World. Both of these rides are still operational today. In 1907 the park opened its first wooden roller coaster, which was known as The Scenic Railway . It was during this time that the park began to trade under the name Blackpool Pleasure Beach . In 1909, Bean expanded the Pleasure Beach business by purchasing

6424-932: The top of structures and warning signals and beacons to alert airline traffic.    – Rides located in Nickelodeon Land . A seasonal show performed at The Arena (previously the Ice Drome). The show has been running since 1936 and is produced by Amanda Thompson and choreographed by Oula Jaaskelainen . A seasonal adult comedy hypnotism show performed by veteran hypnotist Ken Webster . A Las Vegas-style magic and illusion show performed by award-winning magicians Craig Christian and Elizabeth Best. Performed seasonally in The Horseshoe . A £500,000 half an hourly musical water show designed by Aquatique Show International. It features thirty individual jets synchronized to move to different styles of music, and

6512-502: The turn of the century, the company replaced the minirail's eponymous yellow canopies with aqua-green colored ones. Additionally, snack food advertisements relating to the park were affixed to the sides of each Minirail car. anon. (1967). Expo 67: Official Guide . Toronto: Maclean-Hunter. La Ronde (amusement park) La Ronde ( lit.   ' The Round ' ) is an amusement park in Montreal , Quebec, Canada. It

6600-583: The use of the formerly defunct Space Invader 2 building which is now occupied by a pizza restaurant. Many of the other rides were either replaced or repainted and renamed to represent the Nickelodeon brand. In 2013, the park worked alongside Aardman Animations , owners of the Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep brands, to introduce Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic , a dark ride which replaced

6688-548: The world fair. In 2012, a man was struck and killed by "The Vampire" roller-coaster after entering a restricted zone while the ride was operating. In 2020, after a three-month delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic , La Ronde opened belatedly for its 54th operating season. It closed early for the season too due to the ongoing pandemic. Only a limited number of rides were open during its unprecedented two-month season that only ran from August 3 to October 3, 2020. La Ronde holds

6776-432: Was a Nintendo -sponsored video game centre with the (then) latest Nintendo video games and attractions. Filling the gap, in 2009 the former 3D theatre housed Nintendo DS and Wii consoles, advertisements and had a Nintendo Store. This attraction too was permanently phased out a few years later. For the 2007 season, La Ronde painted its observation tower bright orange to advertise Pizza Pizza , an Ontario pizza chain that

6864-600: Was also on Saint Helen's Island, at its north end, but was completely separate from the rest of the system. It circled the amusement park, and its 1.3-mile (2.1 km) route also passed the Marina and ran in between Dolphin Lake and the Saint Lawrence River . It had two stations: Fort Edmonton (nee Pioneerland ) and Village . In the mid 80's the track loop behind the Alcan aquarium was removed for construction of

6952-479: Was appointed an OBE for her contribution to tourism. During Amanda's reign, the park has seen vast redevelopment, including a re-branding exercise, as well as the removal of numerous rides including The Whip , Space Invader 2 , Turtle Chase , Spin Doctor , Trauma Towers , Noah's Ark, Black Hole , Bling , Wild Mouse and Superbowl . In 2006, the family decided to close Pleasureland Southport which, despite extensive investment and development, had not turned

7040-530: Was delayed several times and ultimately cancelled in 2022. In November 2022, La Ronde began the demolition and removal of the Minirail , another original ride dating back to Expo 67. It had been out of service since 2019, and was the last vestige of the monorail system that ran three separate circuits, with one on Notre-Dame Island and two on opposite ends of Saint Helen's Island. In May 2023, La Ronde silently retired its Galopant carousel (built in 1885) when it

7128-520: Was designed by the Swiss firm of Maschinenfabrik Habegger and fabricated on-site by Dominion Bridge Company . The running rails were twin 533-millimetre (21 in) × 8 + 1 ⁄ 4 -inch (210 mm) "I" beams 552 millimetres ( 21 + 3 ⁄ 4  in) apart, supported on A-frame pylons on 15-metre (50 ft) centres, reduced to 10 metres (34 ft) on curves. The Blue Minirail continued to operate on Notre Dame Island until late 1973, despite

7216-497: Was emerging into the Quebec market at the time. All of the pizza stands inside the park were renamed from Pizza Ronde to Pizza Pizza. In January 2009, La Ronde announced its intention to become a Six Flags branded park, using the rights to Warner Bros. ( Looney Tunes ) and DC Comics trademarks under the licensing agreement with Six Flags. Le Vampire, a mirror image of Batman: The Ride constructed in 2002, carries no association to

7304-516: Was one of only two Six Flags properties, along with Frontier City in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma , that were not officially branded as Six Flags parks. The Montreal region park is located within the St. Lawrence River on Saint Helen's Island , situated atop a man-made extension on its northern tip where the small (water-enclosed) Ronde Island had once been. The former granite Ronde island , which

7392-464: Was originally built as the entertainment complex for Expo 67 , the 1967 world's fair . Today, it is operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation , under an emphyteutic lease with the City of Montreal until 2065. In-addition to being the Six Flags chain's northernmost location, La Ronde is the largest amusement park in Quebec and the second-largest in Canada (behind Canada's Wonderland , which became

7480-548: Was reclaimed from the Blackpool seafront, and it was during this period that the Pleasure Beach moved to its 42-acre (17 ha) current location along the promenade. The same year Bean brought in John Miller to design and build the Big Dipper , an out-and-back wooden coaster and shortly afterwards a boating pool was built for boat rides. This was Bean's final investment before he died of pneumonia in 1929, having spent 33 years shaping and developing what would become one of

7568-426: Was removed from its official park map and list of rides. Its final season of operation was 2019 (its 19th century music organ stopped working two decades earlier). The carousel has been at La Ronde since Expo 67, but heritage groups are concerned as its upkeep and maintenance have been abandoned and its now in a deteriorating state. A number of attractions and amusement rides have been installed and later removed from

7656-468: Was the first roller coaster equipped and exploited with a virtual reality headset. On August 28, 2014, Six Flags announced Maison Rouge, a haunted house, for the 2015 season. On September 3, 2015, Six Flags announced Avenue Aventure, a section of the park which includes Bateau Pirate, Condor and two new rides: Phoenix, a Larson flying scooters, and Gravitor, a Chance Falling Star from Six Flags St. Louis . On September 1, 2016, Six Flags announced Titan,

7744-827: Was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at the time, and Valhalla which opened in 2000. Geoffrey was actively involved in promoting tourism in the North West of England. He sat on almost all the relevant agencies, including the English Tourist Board and the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire status along with his mother for their contribution to tourism. In 1986, Blackpool Pleasure Beach Limited became one of

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