Blackpool Circus & Dungeon Review
Blackpool Circus & Dungeon
Reviewed by Linzi Davies
Our trip to Blackpool was as usual accompanied by wind and rain, I don’t think I’ve ever been in the sunshine. The journey took around an hour and we parked in the Central Car Park which has jumped a bit in price for the new season at £9 for over 4 hours. A short walk to the Tower to join the queue for pre-booked and Merlin passes. After collecting our tickets we headed for straight for the circus.
Onto the circus, the Endresz brothers were celebrating 25 years of circus life this season and the show started with a TV montage of Mr Boo growing up, learning the trade including a poignant appearance on TV with the late Paul Daniels. The show encompassed an array of extremely talented acrobats, dancers and performers whose skills were impressive and kept the children on the edge of their seats. Each act was broken up by the comedy clown style of Mooky and Mr Boo and Thom’s favourite part was Mooky’s ‘bum’ble bee outfit!!! Without doubt the performers were a talented group, the strength and death defying triple somersaults on display were brilliant and I’m sure the show will get slightly slicker in places over the coming months as it only opened the day before. Circus’s of old are no more with the restrictions on animals and Heath and safety regulations but this will certainly keep the family young and old entertained for the 2 hours it lasts. One tip for people who may be planing to go, sit the sides closest to the refreshments kiosks if possible as all the acts face this way, if you sit the opposite side you’ll see a lot of the performers backs.
Shortly after 3:15 after escaping the exiting crowds we were literally blown around the promenade towards the dungeons, it was stormy conditions and the Tower viewing deck had been closed due to winds being over 40mph. Evie and I took our place at the Dungeon whilst Les and the boys went on the arcades for a bit before their allotted time slot at Jungle Jim’s.
Evie was certainly a little bit scared and gripped my hand for dear life, I was looking forward to the experience as I’d never been. The setting was eerie and the actors looked the part with fake bruises and blood. Our first experience into murky Lancastrian history and horrifying details of the plague was the descent down the clunky lift shaft as we embarked on the hunt for the wicked witch Meg Shelton. I really don’t want to give too much of this unique 60 minute experience away but for me it was far more enjoyable than the circus. The actors were polished, scary and totally believable in their roles as the torturer and the judge amongst others. Once Evie settled down and got her fears under control she absolutely loved it. The end of the show involves a ride on Drop Dead, not for the faint hearted. The exit as most other attractions these days gave you the option to purchase a variety of photos of your experience and Dungeon related gifts but to be honest were were too busy talking about the best bits to notice. Word of caution, the attraction does suggest that under 8’s may not be advised to attend and I would definitely concur with this, one family left part way in as their two younger children were both crying and hating every second.
Over to Jungle Jim’s then to meet up with the little people who were running, jumping and climbing their way around the ‘Lost City’ playground. With the Tower being so busy, the time slot of one hour had to be booked and the place was extremely busy. The boys loved it though and apart from nipping back for a drink we didn’t see them. We left slightly before our time ended as we didn’t want to get trampled in the rush and headed to Wetherspoons next door but one for a well earned tea after a day of fun.
I would say that the overall day was fun filled and enjoyed by all of us. It tired the kids out as they slept all the way home. A variety of ticketing options are available with The Big 7 probably the best option, this priced at £45 adult and £32.50 per child (3/14) when bought online. On the day prices are almost double making it an extremely expensive day out.
Rating: 4.5/5
For more information or to book tickets visit www.theblackpooltower.com.
The Blackpool Tower, The Promenade, Blackpool, FY1 4BJ
