Legoland Windsor Resort

Legoland Windsor Resort
Entrance to Legoland Windsor
LocationWinkfield Road, Windsor, Berkshire, England
Coordinates51°27′49″N 0°39′04″W / 51.46351°N 0.65114°W / 51.46351; -0.65114
StatusOperating
Opened17 March 1996; 28 years ago (17 March 1996)
OwnerMerlin Entertainments
General managerHelen Bull (Divisional Director)
SloganAwesome Awaits[1]
Operating seasonMarch to January
Attendance2022: 2,400,000 (Increase60%)
Area150 acres (61 ha; 0.61 km2)
Attractions
Total55
Roller coasters4
Water rides6
Websitewww.legoland.co.uk
Legoland Windsor Resort is located in Berkshire
Legoland Windsor Resort
class=notpageimage|
Map of Berkshire, UK, showing the location of Legoland Windsor at 51.46351°N, 0.65114°W (grid reference SU938747)

Legoland Windsor Resort (/ˈlɛɡoʊ.lænd wɪnd.sər/), styled and also known as Legoland Windsor, is a theme park and resort in Windsor, Berkshire in England, themed around the Lego brand.[2] The park opened on 17 March 1996 and is currently operated by Merlin Entertainments.[3][4][5] The park's attractions consist of a mixture of Lego-themed rides, models, and building workshops targeted at children between three and twelve.

In 2019, the park had 2.43 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. However, in 2020 the park had a very limited operating season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited capacity. As a result of this Legoland Windsor had a huge drop in attendance and was the fourth-most visited park in the UK in 2020.[6] Overall, attendance has steadily risen since 2005. Legoland Windsor regularly draws more attendees than the original Legoland Billund Resort in Denmark; in 2011, it became the tenth-most popular theme park in Europe, a position it has held every year since.[7] Legoland Windsor typically opens from March to January, with closures on some days.

History

[edit]

In 1987, The Lego Group began research for the development of a second Legoland park after Legoland Billund with over 1000 sites considered.[3] In January 1992, Windsor Safari Park went into receivership and the 150-acre (0.61 km2) site was chosen for the second development.[3] Between 1992 and 1994, planning, design, site preparation and the design and construction of models began. New accommodations were created for the safari animals and services, foundations and infrastructures were installed at the park. In 1995, a scale replica of Big Ben was installed in Miniland whilst other buildings and attractions were becoming established.[3] In September, advance bookings were opened for entrance tickets. Final installations were completed by the beginning of 1996 and at this point, the Legoland Windsor staff-base was recruited.[8] Legoland Windsor opened on 17 March 1996. During its first season, the park attracted over 1.4 million visitors.[8]

In April 2005, The Lego Group decided to sell Legoland parks following losses across the company.[9][10] On 13 July 2005, Legoland was acquired by the Blackstone Group and control of the parks passed to Merlin Entertainments.[3][4]

During the 2020 season, the resort closed on 20 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] It reopened on 4 July 2020 following a lockdown in the UK.[12] The resort remained open until 5 November when due to government guidance it was forced to close.[13] It reopened for a shortened period over the Christmas period on 4 December 2020 however was again forced to close when the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, where the resort is located, was placed in Tier 4 restrictions on 19 December 2020 under which theme parks could not open.[14][15]

The resort announced in January 2021 that the resort would not hold its "Brick Week" event in February due to the continuing lockdown in England.[16] It then was announced in February 2021 the resort would open on 12 April 2021 when lockdown restrictions in England allowed theme parks to open.[17] However, it announced its indoor rides and attractions would open later in the year due to government guidelines.[17]

In May 2021, the resort opened a new land titled Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures which includes the United Kingdom's first flying theater ride, called Flight of the Sky Lion.[18] Mythica is the first time a Legoland resort has launched a Lego intellectual property not first released as a Lego set. Also included in the land is a drop tower ride called Fire and Ice Freefall and the rebranded Hydra's Challenge previously known as S.Q.U.I.D Surfer.[18] This land saw the Adventure Land name discontinued for this area of the resort.

In September 2022, the resort opened a new event titled Brick or Treat's Halloween Party. It included a 4D movie, The Great Monster Chase!, and ran until the end of the 2022 Halloween season.[19][20]

On 25 September 2023, the Viking River Splash river rapids ride permanently closed after 16 years of operation.[21]

On 6 April 2024 Legoland Windsor opened Minifigure Speedway, a Zierer-manufactured steel twin shuttle rollercoaster. The opening was delayed a week from 31 March. It is located in Bricktopia. The two rollercoasters are themed after 2 racing teams: Team Allstars and Team Legends. The ride features Roxie the 30ft centerpiece labelled the Biggest Lego Minifigure in the world.

Areas

[edit]
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
100m
110yds
Kingdom of the Pharaohs
Pirate Shores
Legoland Castle Hotel
Legoland Hotel
Ninjago World
Knights' Kingdom
Miniland
Heartlake City
Lego City Deep Sea Adventure
Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures
Lego City
Bricktopia
Duplo Valley
.
Entrance
Themed areas and key locations within Legoland Windsor Resort

The park is split into 11 themed lands, incorporating various attractions, restaurants and shops: The Beginning, Duplo Valley, Knight's Kingdom, Lego City, Miniland, Lego Ninjago World, Pirate Shores, Heartlake City, Kingdom of the Pharaohs, Bricktopia, and Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures.[22]

The Beginning

[edit]

The Beginning is the entrance area to the park.[23] It is composed of a plaza area containing entrance turnstiles, ticket sales, and toilets and stretches to contain a small part of the resort at the bottom of the funicular railway. It has a view of the area surrounding the resort including the nearby town of Windsor, Heathrow Airport, and parts of London.

The main resort shop, The BIG Shop, is located at The Beginning and is the largest Lego store in the UK. Picsolve operates the Photo Shop, which sells photographs of visitors aboard rides and attractions in the resort.[24]

Food and beverage outlets located at The Beginning include the Hill Top Cafe, a coffee outlet, and the Sweet Stop.[25][23]

The only ride located in The Beginning is the Hill Train, a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge funicular railway down a curved slope.[26] It is the only ride or attraction to be retained from Windsor Safari Park, being refurbished when the park opened with stained glass windows made from translucent Lego bricks by local school children.[8] It travels 300 metres (980 ft) between two stations, with a height difference between the top and bottom stations of approximately 27 metres (89 ft).[27]

Creation Centre, 2007.

The Creation Centre opened at The Beginning in 2000.[28] The building has housed a number of attractions since it has opened; the first main attraction it contained was Lego Racers in which customers created virtual Lego vehicles and raced them against others.[28][29] The attraction suffered from reliability issues and closed at the end of 2004.[29] It was revived in 2009 by members of the original team under the new name of Rocket Racers.[29] Reliability issues remained and it closed at the end of the weekend of 8–9 October 2011.[29] In 2012 the attraction space was repurposed for Star Wars Miniland which was based on the Star Wars franchise. Unlike Lego Racers and Rocket Racers, it was classed as a walkthrough attraction with no queue. In 2016, a large model of the Death Star was installed as the centrepiece of the attraction. Following the end of a licensing deal between Lucasfilm and Merlin Entertainments, the attraction closed on 31 December 2019.[30]

The Creation Centre is also home to Legoland Windsor's model makers who display busts of famous figures as well as a view of their studio in a space on the second floor of the centre.[31] On the ground floor of the centre is Apocalypseburg which was part of the Lego Movie 2 set.[32]

Duplo Valley

[edit]

Duplo Valley is a land aimed at smaller children based on the Duplo toy bricks, with the majority of rides being family rides. Since the resort's opening the land has rotated through a number of different names including Explore Land, Duplo Gardens, and Duplo Land.

At the beginning of the 2020 season, Duplo Valley was reopened following a refurbishment and the construction of a new ride, the Duplo Dino Coaster.[33] The ride, originally planned to be called the Duplo Dream Coaster, became the resort's third rollercoaster after The Dragon and the Dragon's Apprentice.[34] Aimed to be a "my first coaster" it saw a soft opening before the park's temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33][34] It was designed by Mack Rides and manufactured by ART Engineering. Alongside the opening of the new ride was the re-theming of three rides and attractions: Duplo Express (previously Duplo Train), Duplo Airport (previously Duplo Valley Airport, Chopper Squadron, and Whirly Birds) and Duplo Playtown (previously Brickville).[33][35][36][37] Also located in Duplo Valley is Fairy Tale Brook, a boat ride which takes visitors on a course containing models of fairy tale characters.[38]

Duplo Valley is home to the resort's water park which consists of two separate rides and attractions: Drench Towers and Splash Safari. Drench Towers is a water splash area with multiple slides which was placed on land previously occupied by Mole-in-One Mini Golf.[39] Splash Safari is a smaller splash area for toddlers which consists of water features made of Duplo models and is located below Drench Towers.[40]

The Duplo Valley Theatre, a puppet theatre showing puppet shows of classic fairy tales, is located in the valley adjacent to Fairy Tale Brook.[41] A family restaurant, Farmer Joe's Chicken Company, is located opposite the theatre.[42]

Knights' Kingdom

[edit]
Knight's Kingdom

Knight's' Kingdom (originally Castleland and previously NEXO Knight's Kingdom) features The Dragon roller coaster,[8] which starts inside the castle themed station, passing Lego tableaux, before travelling outside reaching a speed of around 30 mph (48 km/h). Other rides in the land are the carousel-style flat ride Merlin's Challenge (previously known as Knight's Quest) and Dragon's Apprentice, a smaller rollercoaster acting as an alternative for shorter visitors not permitted to ride The Dragon.

In previous years, the land has assumed a role as Christmas Kingdom when open in the winter months and houses a grotto in the ride area of The Dragon.

Lego City

[edit]

Lego City (formerly known as Traffic), is themed around transport. It features the Balloon School (a simulated hot air balloon ride), Coastguard HQ (a boat school ride for children), Fire Academy, L-Drivers (driving school for children aged 3–5) and City Driving School (driving school for children over 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in). In 2019, a Vekoma "mad-house" attraction called Haunted House Monster Party[43] was added to the area and in 2020, Atlantis Submarine Voyage by Sea Life (which features "submarine" vehicles used to travel through the tank) was rethemed to become Lego City Deep Sea Adventure.

Miniland

[edit]
A limousine within Miniland

Miniland is a miniature park in Lego form, depicting towns and cities from around the world, including London, Edinburgh, Paris, Leuven and Amsterdam, using nearly 40 million Lego bricks.[44] The area features a number of animated models interacting with each other. Motor vehicles use cables under the paths emitting radio wave signals to steer and allow charging when required. The train system runs on tracks, slowing for stations using slow-down bars, and the boats use underwater motor-driven rubber loops as well as sensors to operate bridges and locks. The system, with lights and sounds, is run by 14 computers using 300 kilometres (190 mi) of underground cabling.[8]

The land is divided into different areas as they are depicted, including the UK and mainland Europe. In 2018, Miniland saw an expansion called "Explore the World" which added more Lego models of global sites including the Sydney Opera House, Forbidden Palace, and Saint Basil's Cathedral.[45] The same year various site from the USA were added.[46]

Lego Ninjago World

[edit]

Lego Ninjago World opened in May 2017 based upon the Ninjago TV series.[47] The centrepiece attraction is a 4D interactive ride, Ninjago: The Ride manufactured by Triotech.[47] The zone features the relocated and rebranded ride Destiny's Bounty, a Rockin' Tug ride based on the ship in the TV series. The ride was previously known as Longboat Invader, and opened in 2008.[48]

Pirate Shores

[edit]

Pirate Shores features a log flume, Pirate Falls, a play area, a pirate ship ride named the Jolly Rocker and the Spinning Spider (a teacups-style ride where visitors ride in log-style gondolas as an animatronic Lego spider gnashes its jaws and breathes smoke on a web above).. From 1996 to 2010, this area was known as Wild Woods.

Heartlake City

[edit]

Heartlake City (formerly Lego City until redecoration in 2015), based on the Lego Friends product range, includes two rides: The Legoland Express (a railway ride around Kingdom of the Pharaohs), and a Disk'O coaster called Mia's Riding Adventure (renamed Autumn’s Riding Adventure in 2024). Captain Redbeard and the Legend of the Golden Cutlass (a pirate stunt show) and Lego Friends to the Rescue (a live music concert) take place around the harbour performed by the Lego Friends.

Kingdom of the Pharaohs

[edit]
Lego brick animals

The Kingdom of the Pharaohs contains Laser Raiders, an interactive dark ride through an Egyptian tomb where visitors shoot targets to gain points. Also in this area are Scarab Bouncers, Aero Nomad, Desert Chase, and Thunder Blazer. The latter three rides are fairground based attractions such as a carousel, a Ferris wheel and a chair-o-planes ride.

Bricktopia

[edit]

Bricktopia (previously called Imagination and Imagination Centre) is an area themed around education through Lego. The centre piece is the Legoland Learning Academy (previously Lego Education Centre) which offers National Curriculum workshops. In 2019 the academy was awarded Best Venue for STEM Learning.[49]

The only ride in Bricktopia is Sky Rider, which is an elevated track ride opened in March 1996 and refurbished between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.[50] The ride gives visitors views of Miniland.

Bricktopia includes Lego Studios 4D (previously known as the Imagination Theatre) which shows Lego-themed films.[51] In the 2020 season, these were Lego City 4D – Officer in Pursuit, Lego Ninjago – Master of the 4th Dimension, and Lego Dreamzzz 4D - Z-Blob Rescue Rush.[52]

In 2023, the Lego Reef was replaced with LEGO Ferrari Build and Race.[53]

Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures

[edit]

Opening in 2021, Mythica is a land based where Adventure Land was previously located.[18] The centrepiece is Flight of the Sky Lion, a flying theatre ride. Also in the land are two drop towers and the re-themed S.Q.U.I.D. Surfer ride known as Hydra's Challenge.[54]

Annual attendance at Legoland Windsor
Year Attendance Ref
2005 1,400,000 [55]
2006 1,480,000 [56]
2007 1,650,000 [57]
2008 1,815,000 [58]
2009 1,900,000 [59]
2010 1,900,000 [60]
2011 1,900,000 [7]
2012 2,000,000 [61]
2013 2,050,000 [62]
2014 2,200,000 [63]
2015 2,250,000 [55]
2016 2,183,000 [64]
2017 2,200,000 [6]
2018 2,315,000 [65]
2019 2,430,000 [66]

Resort hotels

[edit]

Legoland Windsor Resort currently has two hotels and one complex of lodges.[67]

Legoland Hotel

[edit]

The Legoland Hotel opened in March 2012. it is located at the back of the park, in the Adventure land section, on the old site of the Jungle Coaster. Visitors enter the hotel on the ground floor but enter the park on the second floor. The hotel is home to the Bricks Restaurant (a buffet) and the Skyline Bar,[68] both on the second floor. The resort has featured various Lego themed rooms.[69] Customers of the hotels have access to the pirate-themed indoor pool and fitness facility (located at the Legoland Hotel), a treasure hunt in each room, and access to select park attractions before the general public enters the park.[70] The second floor includes a loft where Lego video games can be played on PlayStation 4 consoles. The ground floor features a Lego store and bins of bricks for building.

Castle Hotel

[edit]

The Legoland Castle Hotel opened on 1 July 2017. The hotel was opened by competition winner James Waine who designed a model that was built by professional model makers and put outside the hotel.[71] The hotel offers wizard- and knight-themed rooms.[72] The hotel is only accessible from the park; visitors must check-in at the Legoland Hotel and travel through the hotel and the park to reach the Castle Hotel. The Castle Hotel is located next to the Legoland Hotel, and includes the Tournament Tavern[68] restaurant.

Woodland Village

[edit]

In Legoland Windsor's ten-year plan, the park expressed interest in building a holiday village of 450 lodges ranging from barrel-style glamping to large family lodges. This idea culminated in the Woodland Village. The village opened on 24 May 2024. It has Lego themed rooms. There are two types of lodges, Premium and standard. The Premium lodge has a separate children's bedroom with a Flat screen TV, a Lego build pit, and bunk beds. The main lodge can accommodate up to 7 people, and has a lounge with a leather sofa.[73]

Rides and attractions

[edit]

Operating rides

[edit]
Name Park Area Opened Manufacturer Image Description
Aero Nomad Kingdom of the Pharaohs 1996 (rethemed 2009) Zamperla A small ferris wheel ride offering views over Kingdom of the Pharaohs and the centre of the park. Originally named Brickadilly's Ferris Wheel when opened in 1996; rebranded Aero Nomad in 2009.[74]
Autumn's Riding Adventure Heartlake City 2015 Zamperla A Zamperla Disko ride where visitors can board Lego horses and spin in to the air.
Balloon School Lego City 1999 WGH Ltd A ride containing six balloon gondolas (each holding four riders), attached to arms linked to a central turning arm. Balloons can be raised or lowered at the riders' command.
Castaway Camp Pirate Shores 1996 Unknown A large adventure playground for children based upon a Pirate ship and features towers, slides and climbing nets. Formerly named Pirates Training Camp and The Rat Trap.
Desert Chase Kingdom of the Pharaohs 1996 (rethemed 2009) Bertazzon A small carousel located within the Kingdom of the Pharaohs area at Legoland Windsor. Originally named Brickadilly's Carousel at the park's opening in 1996, renamed Desert Chase in 2009.[74]
Destiny's Bounty Ninjago World 2008 (rethemed 2017) Zamperla A Rockin' Tug ride originally located in Land of the Vikings as Longboat Invaders, which opened in 2008. Renamed to Destiny's Bounty in 2017.
Dragon's Apprentice Knight's Kingdom 1999 WGH Ltd A smaller companion to the park's larger coaster, The Dragon.
Drench Towers Duplo Valley 2013 (rethemed 2013) Unknown A water play structure themed to Lego Duplo featuring a tipping water brick and various coloured slides. Only open during summer months.
Duplo Airport Duplo Valley 1996 (rethemed 2020) Zamperla An attraction where two riders can control a Lego-style helicopter, by using a lever to guide it up or down. Originally named Whirly Birds at the park's opening in 1996; renamed to Chopper Squadron (2006) and then Duplo Valley Airport (2013).
Duplo Dino Coaster Duplo Valley 2020 ART Engineering A Duplo-themed roller coaster for younger visitors.[75]
Duplo Express Duplo Valley 1996 (rethemed 2020) Unknown A small train completing a small circuit.
Duplo Playtown Duplo Valley 2013 (rethemed 2020) Unknown A playground for children based upon a town created from Lego Duplo bricks.
Fairy Tale Brook Duplo Valley 1996 WGH Ltd A gentle boat ride where visitors pass through Lego depictions of fairytale scenes (such as Aladdin, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) in a leaf-shaped boat. Revised in 2013.
Ferrari Build and Race Bricktopia 2023 Merlin Magic Making LEGO Brick Building attraction where guests can build a LEGO Car to race both on physical tracks and a virtual one.
Fire Academy Lego City 2005 Metallbau Emmeln Groups of four can enter a fire engine to compete against other visitors to extinguish the fire in a building by using levers to power the truck down a track to the building, exit the truck and use water pumps to aim at fire in the windows of said building. After powering the truck back to the starting line, the first team back wins.
Fire and Ice Freefall Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures 2021 Zierer Two drop towers
Flight of the Sky Lion Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures 2021 Brogent Technologies UK's first flying theatre
Haunted House Monster Party Lego City 2019 Vekoma A madhouse attraction. The ride is similar to Hex at Alton Towers and The Haunting at Drayton Manor.
Hill Train The Beginning; Land of the Vikings/Kingdom of the Pharaohs Before 1991 (opened as part of Windsor Safari Park) WGH Ltd A funicular railway shuttling visitors between the top and centre of the park down a hill. There are two trains, each feature three carriages (one red, one blue, one yellow) which pass each other on the journey. This feature was carried over from Windsor Safari Park.
Hydra's Challenge Lego Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures 2000 (rethemed 2021) Zierer Dual water carousel
Jolly Rocker Pirate Shores 2010 Huss Originally situated at another park, Jolly Rocker is a rocking pirate ship that seats 35 people and opened in 2010.
Laser Raiders Kingdom of the Pharaohs 2009 Sally Corporation Riders travel in a cart through interactive scenes and user laser guns to shoot targets and earn points.
L-Drivers Lego City 1996 Garmendale A smaller version of Driving School for younger visitors between the heights of 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in) and 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in).
Lego City Coastguard HQ Lego City 1996 Legoland (track/course)
Garmendale[76] (boats) 		Visitors can drive electric Lego-style boats through a course, accompanied by a mixture of Lego and plastic 3D models. Originally named Boating School at the park's opening in 1996, renamed Coastguard HQ in 2015.
Lego City Deep Sea Adventure Lego City 2011 (rethemed 2020) Mack Rides An underwater submarine ride that takes riders on a journey through an aquarium. The ride was refurbished and renamed from Atlantis Submarine Voyage to Lego City Deep Sea Adventure in 2020.
Lego City Driving School Lego City 1996 Garmendale People between 1.1 metres (3 ft 7 in) and 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) can drive Lego-style miniature electric cars through a series of roads featuring a range of Lego models and 3D scenes.
Legoland Express Heartlake City 1996 Severn Lamb A train ride that seats 150 that begins in Heartlake City and travels past Kingdom of the Pharaohs (through the queue line of Laser Raiders) and travels through Lego City before returning to Heartlake City, and features Lego constructions of various animals (originally to represent Lego character Johnny Thunder's expeditions), and Johnny Thunder himself. It also features areas where watching visitors can push buttons to activate water sprays from the mouths of models, such as a tiger. Originally named I-Spy Express at the park's opening in 1996; subsequently renamed Adventurers' Express (2002), Orient Expedition (2005), and Heartlake Express (2015).
Merlin's Challenge Knight's Kingdom 2005 (rethemed 2020) Mack Rides A Mack Old Train ride, originally located in Adventure Land (opened in 2005 as Dino Dipper) but moved to allow for construction of Atlantis Submarine Voyage. Renamed to Knight's Quest in 2011. Renamed to Merlin's Challenge in 2020. Riders spin quickly in a circle over bumps in a Lego train.
Minifigure Speedway Bricktopia 2024 Zierer Two family dueling coasters opened on the former Raft Racers site. It has a red track and a blue track, called Team Allstars and Team Legends respectively.
Ninjago: The Ride Ninjago World 2017 Triotech A dark ride where riders use their hands to shoot. Themed around the Ninjago TV show.
Pirate Falls: Treasure Quest Pirate Shores 1996 Zamperla A traditional log flume ride featuring various Lego depictions of pirates based upon a story of a rivalry between two crews. Originally named Pirate Falls at the park's opening in 1996; renamed to Pirate Falls Dynamite Drench (2010) and then Pirate Falls Treasure Quest (2014). Treasure Quest is the name of the play area within the queue line of the ride.
Scarab Bouncers Kingdom of the Pharaohs 2009 S&S Worldwide Two small frog-hopper style drop towers that can each sit six children and one adult.
Sky Rider Bricktopia 1996 Premier Rides Originally opened in 1996, riders could pedal a Lego-style cart around a track overlooking Miniland and the park, as well as travelling above Bricktopia. Between the 2001 and 2002 seasons, the pedals were removed, a lap bar introduced and the ride was refurbished to be electronically powered.
Splash Safari Duplo Valley 2013 Unknown A small water playground featuring Duplo characters, replacing the Waterworks attraction which occupied the area prior to 2012.
Spinning Spider Pirate Shores (formerly in Land of the Vikings) 1996 Intamin A spinning teacups-style attractions where riders sit in log-style gondolas as an animatronic Lego spider gnashes its jaws and breathes smoke on a web above.
The Brick Miniland 2022 Legoland A large room lined with counters full of hundreds of thousands of Lego bricks.
The Dragon Knight's Kingdom 1998 WGH Ltd Riders travel in a dragon rollercoaster train through a dark-ride section in a castle featuring scenes of animated Lego models before accelerating up a lift hill and completing two figure-of-eight circuits before returning to the station.
Thunder Blazer Kingdom of the Pharaohs 1996 (rethemed 2009) Bertazzon A small chair-o-plane swing ride. Originally named Brickadilly's Chair-O-Plane in 1996 when the park opened; renamed to Thunder Blazer in 2009.[74]

Former rides and attractions

[edit]
Name Park Area Years Manufacturer Image Description
Bum Shaker Wild Woods (Pirates Landing) 1996–2000 Two hand-pump on-track cart ride circuits near the Rat Trap. Removed and replaced by The Truck Stop which was later replaced in 2009 to make room for Jolly Rocker.[77]
Muscle Maker 1996–2003
Explorer's Institute Lego City 1996–2008 A walk-through attraction themed around a rainforest, ancient Egypt and the Arctic.[78]
Jungle Coaster Adventure Land 2004–09 Mack A large Wild Mouse roller coaster, now located in Legoland Florida as Great Lego Race.[79] Removed due to noise complaints by residents, the land was later used for the Legoland Hotel.
Magic Theatre Lego City 1996–2007 Showcasing illusions using Lego models.[80]
Mole-in-One Mini Golf Duplo Valley 2007–13 Known as Wild Woods Golf during construction; replaced with Drench Tower.[81]
Rocket Racers The Beginning 2000–11 Attention to Detail A computer game themed around the Lego Racers product line, housed in the Creation Centre, where eight drivers select vehicle components on a touchscreen computer before racing against each other using arcade-style seated controls.[82]
Dino Safari Adventure Land 2005–2015 Metallbau Emmeln A vintage cars style ride with Lego dinosaurs and other models to look at. Riders sit in a Lego jeep car which is on a guide rail. The attraction closed at the end of the 2015 season to make way for the Lego castle hotel. A similar version of this ride can be found at Legoland Florida where there it is known as safari trek and is still operating.
Discovery Zone featuring Mindstorms Imagination Centre Unknown Legoland Home to the park's National Curriculum relevant Educational Workshops. In this attraction visitors can construct Lego models and program robots in various workshops.
Raft Racers Duplo Valley 1999-2021 WhiteWater West Visitors can ride a rubber dinghy along one of two coloured slides down a bank. Originally named Extreme Team Challenge when the ride opened in 1999; subsequently renamed to Raft Racers in 2013. Removed in 2022 to make way for 2 duelling family boomerang coasters.
Vikings' River Splash Land of the Vikings 2007-23 ABC Rides A river rapids attraction. Riders travel through scenes featuring Lego models of Vikings and dragons and pass a viewing point where riders can squirt using pump water guns. The ride concludes with bucketfuls of water being tipped and a climb back to the station. Permanently closed on 25 September 2023.

Reserve & Ride (formerly Q-Bot)

[edit]

For the 2008 season, the Q-Bot queuing system (now called Reserve & Ride) was introduced.[83] For a per-person fee, customers are provided with a small pager-like device to "reserve" places in queues virtually, allowing them to use their queuing time elsewhere in the park. The initial contract between Q-Bot developers Lo-Q was for one year from 8 April 2008.[83] This contract was extended for 2009 before a new three-year contract was signed on 26 March 2010. Three tiers of the device are available at different prices which reduce the queue time by different proportions.

Incidents

[edit]
  • In 2006, a fire broke out in a storage barn onsite during the end of season fireworks on 28 October, with no injuries.[84]
  • In October 2007, a fire broke out in a shed being used to store chemicals.[85]
  • In 2008, after noise complaints, Jungle Coaster plastic housing was placed over the cars, leading to reduced capacity to two adults per car, due to weight restrictions. However, at the end of the 2009 season, the ride was removed[86] and the site used for hotel construction.
  • In September 2010, the park's large number of wasps during the season was discussed on Watchdog, with general manager Sue Kemp appearing with host Anne Robinson and confirming new signage, actions and details on the website.[87][88]
  • In February 2014, the park cancelled a private event organised by Islamic cleric Haitham al-Haddad due to safety reasons following a backlash and threats by nationalist groups.[89]
  • In August 2016, two six-year-old girls were sexually assaulted while at the resort, leading to a police investigation over the incident.[90]
  • On 26 July 2017, stuntman Brendan Pollitt suffered a broken spine an numerous other injuries after falling backwards of a 'Russian Swing' on to a wooden platform whilst performing in the Return To Skeleton Bay live action stunt show. The stunt show was replaced in 2024 for unrelated reasons.
  • In 2019, a five-year-old boy was involved in an accessibility dispute at Ninjago: the Ride, making national news.[91] It was settled in late 2020.[92]
  • On 31 July 2022, a fire broke out on the entrance to the Legoland Hotel.[93]
  • On 3 May 2024, a woman was arrested for neglect of a child after her 5 month old child suffered a cardiac arrest the day prior in the Coastguard HQ queue line. The child died in hospital a couple of days later.

Awards

[edit]

Since opening in 1996, the park has won a number of awards, including the UK's Number One Family Attraction by Group Leisure Magazine, 1999.[94]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Awesome Awaits at the Legoland Windsor Resort". 10 June 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ "Legoland Windsor Resort: UK's Favourite Kids Theme Park". Legoland Windsor Resort. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The History of the Legoland Parks" (PDF). Windsor: Legoland. 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
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