Paultons Park has been named Theme Park of the Year at the UK Theme Park Awards for the second consecutive year, collecting 11 trophies in total and outperforming all other contenders at this year’s ceremony.
The awards, announced on 10 September, recognise a strong year for the family-run Hampshire attraction, which operates more than 70 rides and attractions. For the wider visitor experience sector, Paultons Park’s performance demonstrates the value of consistent operations, focused family positioning and continued reinvestment in new themed areas.
Lawrence Mancey, the park’s marketing and technology director, was also named Theme Park Personality of the Year. He credited the awards to the work of teams across projects, engineering, landscaping and daily operations, particularly those involved in delivering the park’s latest Viking-inspired area, Valgard, and its new rollercoaster, Drakon.
Valgard And Drakon Drive New Attraction Impact
A major factor in the park’s success was Valgard, Paultons Park’s newest themed land. The area is home to Drakon, the park’s first inverting rollercoaster, which won Best New Attraction.
For operators and designers, the addition of Drakon is significant because it broadens Paultons Park’s ride mix while keeping the park’s family market at the centre of its offer. Introducing a more thrill-led ride within a family park requires careful planning around capacity, visibility, audience segmentation and area-wide storytelling.
Valgard also received further recognition, including gold for Best Marketing Campaign and silver awards for Best New Entertainment, with A Celebration of Valgard, and Best Landscaped Park. These results point to the importance of developing a full area proposition rather than treating a new ride as a standalone asset.
The combination of ride hardware, themed design, live entertainment, planting and marketing gives the area greater commercial value. It also offers stronger opportunities for photography, events, retail and repeat visitation.
Family Market Remains Central To Park Strategy
Despite the introduction of a more intense coaster, Paultons Park continues to perform strongly in family categories. Peppa Pig World was named Best Theme Park for Toddlers, while the park as a whole won Best Family Theme Park.
The park’s accessibility for younger children remains a core advantage, with 19 rides suitable for children under one metre tall. This broad ride provision helps Paultons Park serve multi-generational groups, particularly families with children of different ages and abilities.
Customer care is another important part of the park’s market position. Paultons Park won Best Customer Service for the fourth consecutive year, showing that investment in rides and themed areas is being matched by attention to front-line delivery. For attraction operators, this is an important reminder that guest satisfaction depends on both capital projects and day-to-day service standards.
The park’s Celebration of Christmas also won gold for Best Christmas Event, underlining the commercial role of seasonal programming in extending appeal outside peak summer trading.
Future Investment Already In Motion
Paultons Park is already preparing its next major addition. Serpent’s Curse, billed as the UK’s first water coaster, is scheduled to open in Valgard in spring 2027.
For the sector, the move suggests a clear multi-year investment strategy. Rather than allowing Valgard’s launch momentum to fade, the park is adding another major attraction to the same area, supporting fresh marketing, capacity growth and continued guest interest.
Following its latest awards performance, Paultons Park offers a strong UK case study in family-focused park development, showing how ride investment, themed placemaking, service standards and seasonal events can work together to build market recognition.
