Visitors to Pleasure Beach Resort will be able to combine roller coasters with one of the most significant astronomical events visible from the UK in decades this Wednesday.
The Blackpool theme park has announced plans for a large-scale viewing of the partial solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August, with guests invited to gather together inside the park as more than 90% of the Sun is expected to be obscured by the Moon.
Pleasure Beach will hand out 1,000 free solar eclipse glasses for the occasion, while its extended Wednesday opening hours mean visitors will be able to watch the eclipse without cutting their day at the park short.
The eclipse is expected to begin shortly after 6pm in the North West, reaching maximum coverage at around 7.10pm before ending shortly after 8pm.
Pleasure Beach plans major eclipse gathering
Rather than simply keeping the park open during the eclipse, Pleasure Beach is turning the occasion into an event of its own.
Guests will be invited to gather on the park's overpass beside Wallace & Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic, where Pleasure Beach hopes to create one of the largest group eclipse-viewing gatherings in the North West.
A total of 1,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses will be distributed to visitors attending the gathering, allowing guests to safely watch as the Moon gradually moves across the Sun.
Pleasure Beach CEO Amanda Thompson OBE said the rarity of the event presented an opportunity to give visitors an experience very different from a normal day at the park.
"Eclipses of this kind are a rarity, so we want to give our guests a truly unique experience to remember the occasion by," she said.
She added that few places could offer the opportunity to experience the eclipse while surrounded by the atmosphere and attractions of a theme park.
More than 90% of the Sun will disappear
Although the UK will sit outside the path of totality, the eclipse on 12 August will be an unusually deep partial eclipse.
Royal Observatory Greenwich describes it as the best solar eclipse visible from the UK and Ireland so far this century, with approximately 90% to 96% of the Sun expected to be obscured depending on where viewers are located.
The amount of coverage increases towards western parts of the British Isles, putting Blackpool in a particularly good position for the event.
For nearby Manchester and Liverpool, the eclipse is expected to begin at approximately 6.13pm, reach maximum coverage at around 7.10pm and finish shortly after 8pm.
The Sun will already be relatively low in the western sky by the time the eclipse reaches its maximum, making a clear view towards the horizon particularly important.
It will not become completely dark in the way experienced during a total solar eclipse, but the amount of Sun covered is expected to create a noticeable change in both natural light and temperature.
The next total solar eclipse visible from the UK is not expected until 2090, making Wednesday's partial eclipse an unusually significant event for British observers.
Rides remain open until 8pm
The timing also happens to line up with Pleasure Beach Resort's extended summer opening hours.
Throughout August, the park remains open until 8pm every Wednesday, meaning the majority of the eclipse will take place while guests are already inside the park.
Visitors will therefore be able to spend the afternoon on attractions including ICON, The Big One and Valhalla before heading to the organised viewing area as the eclipse begins.
Tickets for the park on 12 August start from £18.
Pleasure Beach is also promoting a late-entry offer for the eclipse, with two tickets including unlimited ride access available for £60 from 4pm on the day.
That potentially makes the evening an unusual combination of theme park visit and astronomical event, particularly with maximum eclipse occurring shortly before the park's scheduled closing time.
How to watch the eclipse safely
Despite more than 90% of the Sun being covered, Wednesday's eclipse will remain a partial eclipse throughout the UK.
That means visitors should never look directly at the Sun without appropriate solar viewing protection at any stage of the event.
Normal sunglasses are not suitable for watching a solar eclipse. Purpose-made eclipse glasses or another approved method of solar viewing should be used instead.
Pleasure Beach's distribution of 1,000 eclipse glasses should therefore give many guests attending the organised gathering a straightforward way to safely experience the event.
A very different evening at Pleasure Beach
Theme parks regularly extend their opening hours for fireworks, Halloween events and summer entertainment, but a celestial event on this scale offers something altogether different.
Weather permitting, guests standing among the rides at Pleasure Beach will see the Sun reduced to a thin crescent as the eclipse reaches its maximum on Wednesday evening.
With 1,000 pairs of glasses being handed out and the park encouraging guests to gather together on its overpass, Pleasure Beach is hoping to turn one of 2026's biggest astronomical moments into a memorable part of a day at the theme park.
The partial solar eclipse takes place on Wednesday 12 August 2026, with maximum coverage in the North West expected at around 7.10pm.
