New Theme Park Rides for 2026: Height Requirements & Opening Dates

What's Opening in 2026

The 2026 season brings major new rides across all three countries we cover. We're tracking height requirements as parks announce them and updating our park pages accordingly.

Here's everything confirmed so far.

UK — Spring & Summer 2026

Alton Towers: Bluey's Big Play

Opening: Spring 2026 | Height: To be confirmed

The world's first Bluey-themed ride lands in CBeebies Land. Designed for toddlers and preschoolers, this is expected to have a low or no height restriction — making it immediately accessible to the youngest visitors.

CBeebies Land already has 8 rides accessible under 100cm. Bluey's Big Play should add to that total.

Paultons Park: Valgard — Realm of the Vikings

Opening: May 2026 | Investment: £12 million

Paultons Park's biggest expansion ever introduces an entire Viking-themed land with multiple new attractions:

• Drakon — the park's first inverting coaster
• Vild Swing — the UK's first ART Engineering swing ride

Height requirements haven't been confirmed, but Drakon is likely to be a 120-140cm attraction given its inverting nature. We'll update the Paultons Park page as soon as requirements are announced.

LEGOLAND Windsor: Minifigure Speedway

Reopening: 2026 | Height: 100cm minimum

The world's first LEGO duelling rollercoaster returns after refurbishment. Twin racing tracks, forward and reverse sections. At 100cm minimum, this opens up to most children aged 4+.

LEGOLAND currently has 10 no-restriction rides and 29 rides accessible under 120cm.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Aviktas

Opening: 2026 | Investment: £8.72 million

Standing 138 feet tall, Aviktas is set to be the UK's tallest Gyro Swing. This will be a high-thrill ride with a likely 120cm+ restriction.

View all Blackpool Pleasure Beach rides →

France — Spring 2026

Disneyland Paris: World of Frozen

Opening: March 29, 2026

The headline opening of the year. Step into Arendelle during the Snowflower Festival in the renamed Disney Adventure World (formerly Walt Disney Studios Park). Multiple Frozen-themed attractions are planned alongside the Minnie's Dream Factory show (Feb 7 – July 5, 2026).

Height requirements haven't been confirmed yet. We'll update the Disneyland Paris page when they're announced.

Festyland: Valkyrie

Opening: Spring 2026

A new roller coaster bringing Norse mythology to Normandy. This continues Festyland's expansion of their Viking zone and complements the existing 1066 coaster. Expected to be a medium-thrill ride.

View all Festyland rides →

Fraispertuis City: 60th Anniversary Rides

Opening: 2026

Two new family attractions mark this Wild West park's diamond anniversary:

• Fireline Redwood — family roller coaster (height TBC)
• Family Drop Tower — accessible from 100cm

The 100cm minimum on the drop tower is notably family-friendly. This joins the park's existing European record holder Timber Drop (113.1° beyond vertical).

View all Fraispertuis City rides →

Parc Astérix: New Greek-Themed Area

Opening: 2026

Building on 2025's successful Cétautomatix launch, Parc Astérix is adding a Greek-themed area with a Zamperla Windstarz and family freefall ride. Height requirements TBC.

View all Parc Astérix rides →

2026 Height Requirements at a Glance

| Park | New Ride | Min Height | Opening | Type | |------|----------|------------|---------|------| | Alton Towers | Bluey's Big Play | TBC | Spring 2026 | Family | | LEGOLAND Windsor | Minifigure Speedway | 100cm | 2026 | Family | | Paultons Park | Drakon | TBC | May 2026 | Thrill | | Paultons Park | Vild Swing | TBC | May 2026 | Thrill | | Blackpool PB | Aviktas | TBC | 2026 | Thrill | | Disneyland Paris | World of Frozen | TBC | March 29 | Family | | Festyland | Valkyrie | TBC | Spring 2026 | Thrill | | Fraispertuis City | Fireline Redwood | TBC | 2026 | Family | | Fraispertuis City | Family Drop Tower | 100cm | 2026 | Family |

We update this table as parks confirm heights. Bookmark this page or check our park pages for the latest.

What Opened in 2025

Last year was strong for new additions. Here are the highlights with confirmed height requirements:

UK

• Alton Towers: Toxicator — 140cm min, UK's first suspended Top Spin (park page)
• Paultons Park: Ghostly Manor — No restriction, interactive dark ride (park page)
• Blackpool: Launch Pad — 132cm min, reimagined Ice Blast (park page)
• Blackpool: Wallace & Gromit update — 90cm with adult, 117cm alone

France

• Parc Astérix: Cétautomatix — 100cm min, Europe's first family spinning coaster (park page)
• Futuroscope: Mission Bermudes — 110cm min, world's first "rocking boat" ride (park page)

UAE

• Yas Waterworld: Bahamut Rage — 120cm min (park page)
• Yas Waterworld: Al Daloob — 110cm min, region's first barrel twist raft ride

Plan Around the New Rides

Use our height planner to check if your children meet the requirements for these new attractions. Enter their heights, select the parks you're considering, and see a side-by-side comparison of accessible rides.