A national awards programme celebrating the best of British theme and amusement parks has unveiled its shortlist for this year.
Following tens of thousands of public submissions, dozens of destinations across the country have been named as UK Theme Park Awards finalists across more than twenty distinct categories. The annual initiative will see the wider industry gather later this year to celebrate operational excellence and consumer appeal.
The organisers of the UK Theme Park Awards have confirmed the full line-up of nominees ahead of the public voting window later this month. Organised by independent consumer guide Theme Parks UK, the awards are celebrating their seventh year of recognising the country’s top rides, attractions, live entertainment, and seasonal events. The 2026 iteration is presented in partnership with AttractionTickets.com and TAG Live®.
This year features 22 categories in total, reflecting an expansion of the event’s scope with 10 new additions. These new fields include Theme Park Personality of the Year, Waterpark of the Year, Scream Park of the Year, Best Landscaped Theme Park, Best Theme Park Animal Exhibit, Best Theme Park Holiday Village, Best Halloween Event, and Best Christmas Event. These sit alongside traditional categories such as Theme Park of the Year, Best Customer Service, and Best Value. Additionally, digital media will be recognised under the Content Creator of the Year category, focusing on bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and platform creators on Instagram and TikTok.
Shortlist compilation and judging panel
The finalist shortlist was compiled from a pool of 28,275 public nominations, resulting in 36 individual theme parks securing nominations. A panel of expert judges assisted in refining the selections before the public vote. This panel includes Paul Kelly (Chief Executive of the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions), Andy Hine MBE (Chairman of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain), Dawn Foote (President of the Themed Entertainment Association EME), and Sue Macmillan (Chief Executive Officer of Mumsnet).
Journalists and influencers form the rest of the expert judging panel, including Chris Belvin-Bailey (Attraction Source), John Fosbrooke (InterPark), Lawrence Roots (Theme Park Network), Owen Ralph (Words and Attractions), Scott Bickerton (Your Experience Guide), and Shawn & Charlotte Sanbrooke (Theme Park Worldwide).
This year’s contenders
Major operators across the UK dominate the nomination lists. Key contenders include all of Merlin’s parks, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort. Other highly nominated destinations include Drayton Manor Resort in Staffordshire, Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Lancashire, Paultons Park in Hampshire, and Crealy Theme Park & Resort in Devon.
A wide distribution of regional attractions also secured multiple nominations, including Adventure Island in Essex, Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Wight, Camel Creek in Cornwall, Fantasy Island in Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire-based Flamingo Land and Lightwater Valley. Norfolk properties Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, Roarr! and Joyland are also represented, alongside Pleasurewood Hills in Suffolk, Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire, Woodlands Park in Devon, West Midlands Safari Park in Worcestershire, and Gulliver’s Theme Parks locations across Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire. Nottinghamshire attractions Sundown Adventureland and Wheelgate Park, alongside Leicestershire’s Twinlakes Park, complete the list of multi-nominated sites.
The public voting phase concludes on 28 August. These consumer votes will be aggregated with the scores from the expert panel to determine the final results. The winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony hosted by Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach Resort on 10 September, bringing together representatives from across the domestic attractions market.
For more details and to vote, visit ukthemeparkawards.com from 20th July.
