Theme Park Updates: February 2026 — New Parks, Closures & Status Changes

What's Changed in February 2026

A significant month for theme park news across the UK and UAE. Three new parks join our directory, the UK's oldest operating roller coaster has permanently closed, Flamingo Land is returning after a full year of refurbishment, and one park has entered financial difficulty.

Here's everything you need to know before planning a 2026 visit.

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New Parks Added to Our Directory

Sundown Adventureland — Retford, Nottinghamshire

We've added a full height guide for Sundown Adventureland — the UK's most beloved theme park for the under-10s. The Rhodes family have run this magical 50-acre park since 1968, and it remains one of the most thoughtfully designed parks for very young children anywhere in the UK.

Key facts for families:

• 22 rides and attractions across 6 themed adventure zones
• Most rides are open to all heights — 19 out of 22 attractions have no effective lower limit with an adult
• Under 90cm ride FREE — youngest children get in at no cost
• FREE parking

The park reopened for 2026 on 14 February. The Galleon at Smugglers Cove has been restored with a new three-metre plank and slide for the new season.

| Ride | Min Height | Notes | |------|-----------|-------| | WILD Ostrich Safari | 85cm with adult / 110cm alone | Under 85cm cannot ride | | Giddy Piggies | Any height with adult | 90cm to ride alone | | Okie Yolkie | Any height with adult | 90cm to ride alone | | Monkey Mayhem Driving School | 110cm–140cm only | Must drive solo | | Night Before Christmas | 120cm | Christmas Spectacular only | | All other rides | No restriction | — |

See the full Sundown Adventureland height guide →

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Adventureland Sharjah — Sahara Centre, UAE

The UAE's largest indoor family entertainment centre now has a dedicated page on our site. Adventureland at Sahara Centre spans 80,000+ square feet across two levels of the iconic Sharjah shopping mall — fully air-conditioned and open year-round.

Three roller coasters, a first-of-its-kind suspended track ride, and 170+ arcade games make this a full-day destination for families with a range of ages and heights.

| Ride | Min Height | Type | |------|-----------|------| | Kukulcan (powered coaster) | 90cm with adult / 105cm alone | Coaster | | Snap Traps | 107cm | Twist-and-drop | | Rocket Cycles (MotoCoaster) | 122cm | Coaster | | Air Race | 120cm | Thrill flat | | Power Wheel | 120cm | Spinning flat | | Crazy Swing | 120cm | Thrill flat | | Mirror Maze | 120cm | Interactive | | Sky High Wall Climbing | 120cm | Climbing | | Falcon Flight (suspended ride) | 130cm | Suspended track | | Trampoline zone | 130cm | — | | Forest Train, carousels, bumper cars, bowling, arcade | No restriction | Family |

Pay-per-ride pricing available; unlimited ride passes from AED 75 (weekday) / AED 85 (weekend).

See the full Adventureland Sharjah height guide →

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Dreamland Aqua Park — Umm Al Quwain, UAE

The UAE's largest family waterpark since 1997 joins our UAE directory. Dreamland Aqua Park sits on a 250,000 sqm beachfront site in Umm Al Quwain — 45 minutes from Dubai — with 20 attractions ranging from gravity-powered dark slides to a genuine Dead Sea buoyancy pool.

| Attraction | Min Height | Type | |-----------|-----------|------| | Black Hole (enclosed dark slide) | 120cm | Thrill slide | | Twister (40m enclosed) | 120cm | Thrill slide | | Kamikaze (near-vertical) | 120cm | Thrill slide | | Twisting Dragons | 120cm | Thrill slide | | Mighty Go Round | 120cm | Thrill slide | | Slide Five (racing lanes) | 110cm | Family slide | | Bumper Boats | 100cm with adult / 120cm alone | Interactive | | Wave pool, lazy river, Dead Sea pool | No restriction | Relaxation | | Aqua Play kids' zone | No restriction | Children's |

Adults (120cm+): AED 160. Children (80–120cm): AED 100. Under 80cm: free.

See the full Dreamland Aqua Park height guide →

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UK Park News & Status Changes

Flamingo Land: Returning After a Full Year Away

Flamingo Land closed its entire 2025 season for a major refurbishment and is reopening 21 March 2026. The most significant change is the complete reimagining of the Lost River log flume, which has been rebuilt as Lion Coast — a new themed boat ride incorporating a living lion pride and an exclusive UK cape fur seal exhibit.

This is a significant addition for wildlife-loving families. The new attraction makes Flamingo Land one of the few UK parks where you can watch big cats on the same day as riding coasters.

Dreamland Margate: Scenic Railway Permanently Closed

The Scenic Railway at Dreamland Margate — the oldest operating roller coaster in the UK, built in 1920 and Grade II* listed — has permanently closed. The ride derailed in August 2024, and Historic England requirements for restoration were deemed non-viable by the park.

The good news: a Wild River log flume (relocated from Paultons Park) opened in summer 2025, and the park has introduced a new wristband pricing structure.

Brean Theme Park: Financial Difficulty

Brean Theme Park entered administration on 28 January 2026. The park is attempting an Easter 2026 reopening, but the situation remains uncertain. We'd strongly recommend checking for official confirmation of opening before travelling.

Brighton Palace Pier: For Sale

The owners of Brighton Palace Pier announced the pier is for sale in January 2026. The park continues to trade as normal during the sale process, but it's worth noting for longer-term planning.

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UAE: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

Formula Rossa at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi is no longer the world's fastest roller coaster. It was surpassed by Falcon's Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia (250 km/h), which opened 31 December 2025. Formula Rossa (240 km/h) is now the world's second-fastest coaster — still an extraordinary ride, but worth noting if this distinction matters to you.

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Yas Waterworld Expansion: 6 New Attractions

Yas Waterworld completed a major expansion in July 2025, growing from 27 to 33 rides and attractions. The six new additions include the region's first mini zero-gravity boomerango (no height restriction), a side-by-side dueling raft ride, and several new slides in the 110cm range. The park now has one of the most comprehensive children's water play zones in the region.

See the updated Yas Waterworld page →

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Confirmed Heights for 2026 New Rides

Our 2026 new rides post was published in early February with several heights listed as TBC. Here are the confirmed figures now that parks have announced them:

| Park | Ride | Confirmed Height | Opening | |------|------|-----------------|---------| | Paultons Park | Drakon (inverting coaster) | 125cm | May 16 2026 | | Paultons Park | Vild Swing | 90cm | May 16 2026 | | Paultons Park | Raven (bobsled coaster) | TBC | May 16 2026 | | Festyland | Valkyrie (coaster) | 105cm | April 2026 | | Parc Bagatelle | North Storm (pendulum) | 140cm | April 11 2026 | | Parc Spirou Provence | Kyubi Unchained (launch coaster) | 120cm | April 4 2026 | | Lightwater Valley | Spinning Racer | TBC | March 28 2026 | | Disneyland Paris | Frozen Ever After | No restriction expected | March 29 2026 | | Disneyland Paris | Raiponce Tangled Spin | No restriction expected | March 29 2026 |

Paultons note: The Valgard land's 90cm minimum on Vild Swing is particularly family-friendly for a thrill flat ride. Drakon at 125cm (lower than many inverting coasters at 130–140cm) is also accessible for slightly younger riders than expected. We'll update the Paultons Park page as soon as the remaining heights are confirmed.

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Chessington: PAW Patrol World Opening Spring 2026

Chessington is opening an entire PAW Patrol-themed land this spring with four new rides. These are designed for young children and we expect very low or no minimum height restrictions. The new rides include:

• Chase's Mountain Mission — junior coaster
• Skye's Helicopter Heroes — helicopter family ride
• Zuma's Hovercraft Adventure — the UK's first "Drifter"-style ride
• Marshall's Firetruck Rescue — fire engine dark ride

We'll add confirmed heights to the Chessington page as soon as they're announced.

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Plan Your 2026 Visit

Use our height planner to check which rides your children can access at any park we cover. Enter their heights and select your target parks to see a complete breakdown by height category.

For the latest park-specific information, check the individual park pages — we update these as announcements are made throughout the season.