A popular Essex tourist attraction and family day-trip has been named the UK’s best value and best seaside park. Southend’s Adventure Island, located on the town’s Western Esplanade, was given the recognition in the UK Theme Park Awards for 2024.
The winners were announced as part a public-led vote for Britain’s favourite theme parks. The awards include 22 categories from Best New Attraction, Best Theme Park for Families and Theme Park of the year.
More than 367,000 votes were submitted by members of the public and combined with the scores from the judging panel to determine overall winners. Adventure Island in Southend, owned by local businessman Phillip Miller MBE, picked up two gongs at the prestigious national awards.
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The Essex theme park was a winner in the Best Value Theme Park (Small) and Best Seaside Park (South) categories. Other winners included the likes of Hyperia at Thorpe Park (Best New Attraction) and Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Best Seaside Park – North). Alton Towers and Drayton Manor picked up 12 and eight awards respectively.
Owned by the Stockvale Group, Adventure Island has a Tripadvisor rating of 4.5/5 based on 4,477 reviews. It is also ranked as the top attraction in Southend-on-Sea and was a recipient of the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2024.
Adventure Island has operating as a theme park since 1976. It used to be known as Peter Pan’s Playground and then Peter Pan’s Adventure Island.
Phillip Miller MBE said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the Adventure Island team bringing home two gold awards from the UK Theme Park Awards 2024. Being nominated alongside some of the biggest Theme Parks in the country is a proud moment for all of us. We know it’s been a tough year so being recognised for ‘Best Value’ just highlights this.”
The other winners were:
Theme Park of the Year presented by ADIPS
- GOLD: Thorpe Park
- SILVER: Alton Towers
- BRONZE: Drayton Manor
Best New Attraction presented by LEAPS
- GOLD: Hyperia (Thorpe Park)
- SILVER: Gold Rush (Drayton Manor)
- BRONZE: Minifigure Speedway (LEGOLAND Windsor)
Best Reimagined Attraction presented by The Experiences Group
- GOLD: Nemesis Reborn (Alton Towers)
- SILVER: The Wave (Drayton Manor)
- BRONZE: Big Easy Boulevard (Thorpe Park)
Best Theme Park for Families presented by Vennersys
- GOLD (Large): Paultons Park
- SILVER (Large): Chessington World of Adventures
- BRONZE (Large): LEGOLAND Windsor
- GOLD (Small): Gulliver’s Theme Parks
- SILVER (Small): Fantasy Island
- BRONZE (Small): Crealy
Best Theme Park for Toddlers
- GOLD (Large): Paultons Park (Peppa Pig World)
- SILVER (Large): Drayton Manor (Thomas Land)
- BRONZE (Large): Alton Towers (Cbeebies Land)
- GOLD (Small): BeWILDerwood
- SILVER (Small): Sundown Adventureland
- BRONZE (Small): Crealy (Sooty Land)
Best Theme Park for Thrills presented by Semantic
- GOLD: Thorpe Park
- SILVER: Alton Towers
- BRONZE: Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Best Theme Park with Animals
- GOLD: Chessington World of Adventures
- SILVER: West Midlands Safari Park
- BRONZE: Flamingo Land
Best Seaside Park presented by Universal Verification
- GOLD (North): Blackpool Pleasure Beach
- SILVER (North): Fantasy Island
- BRONZE (North): Southport Pleasureland
- GOLD (South): Adventure Island
- SILVER (South): Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach
- BRONZE (South): Blackgang Chine
Best Ride Storytelling presented by The Business Creative
- GOLD: The Curse at Alton Manor (Alton Towers)
- SILVER: Flight of the Sky Lion (LEGOLAND Windsor)
- BRONZE: Valhalla (Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
Best Accessibility Initiative presented by Katapult
- GOLD: Cbeebies Land Sensory Space (Alton Towers)
- SILVER: Total Sensory Space (LEGOLAND Windsor)
- BRONZE: Magic On Tour (Merlin Entertainments)
Best Sustainability Initiative presented by Taylor Made Designs
- GOLD: Reverse Vending Machines (Merlin Entertainments)
- SILVER: Going Green (GreenWood Family Park)
- BRONZE: Paultons Promise (Paultons Park)
Best New Event presented by Pure Entertainment Group
- GOLD (Large): Alton After Dark (Alton Towers)
- SILVER (Large): Vikings Festival (Drayton Manor)
- BRONZE (Large): Ninjas Unite (LEGOLAND Windsor)
- GOLD (Small): Land of Lights (Gulliver’s World)
- SILVER (Small): Fiesta of the Dead (Blackgang Chine)
- BRONZE (Small): Ibiza Sunset Party (Flamingo Land)
Best New Entertainment presented by TAG Live
- GOLD: Stitches (Thorpe Park)
- SILVER: The Phalanx (Alton Towers)
- BRONZE: Blast Off – A Space Rocket Adventure (Paultons Park)
Best Theme Park Map
- GOLD: Alton Towers
- SILVER: LEGOLAND Windsor
- BRONZE: Pleasurewood Hills
Best New Food or Retail Outlet
- GOLD (Food): Grande Central (Paultons Park)
- GOLD (Retail): Bunker ’94 (Alton Towers)
Best Theme Park Lodges or Glamping presented by Lichfields
- GOLD (Lodges): Safari Lodges (West Midlands Safari Park)
- GOLD (Glamping): Explorer Glamping (Chessington World of Adventures)
Most Missed Attraction From The Past presented by Brave New Beast
- Bubbleworks (Chessington World of Adventures)
Best Customer Service presented by Rose Events
- GOLD (Large): Paultons Park
- GOLD (Small): BeWILDerwood
Best Value Theme Park presented by Semnox
- GOLD (Large): Drayton Manor
- GOLD (Small): Adventure Island
Best Marketing Campaign presented by Agility
- GOLD: Nemesis Reborn (Alton Towers)
- SILVER: Hyperia (Thorpe Park)
- BRONZE: Frontier Falls (Drayton Manor)
Best Social Media Content presented by Rubber Cheese
- GOLD: Thorpe Park
- SILVER: Alton Towers
- BRONZE: Drayton Manor
Content Creator of the Year presented by Magic Little Giants
- GOLD: DigitalDan
- SILVER: Theme Park Worldwide
- BRONZE: TheJackSilkstone