CBeebies Land at Alton Towers has reopened for the summer season - with a raft of brand new attractions and characters for young fans to explore. The theme park has just unveiled three new attractions based on hit BBC shows - the Hey Duggee Big Adventure Badge, Jojo and Gran Gran at Home and Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig.
Alton Towers Resort opened for the 2022 summer season on Saturday, with a host of famous faces heading along to get the first look at the new CBeebies Land. And Children's TV favourites Andy and "Duggee" were there to do the opening honours on Saturday morning ahead of guests getting the first look at the new attractions that have been developed in their honour.
CBeebies Land, aimed at youngsters aged from 1 - 6, is based on all of the characters and TV shows that families will know so well from the BBC's dedicated children's channel. As well as the new attractions, visitors can expect the return of popular rides themed around other CBeebies favourites like Postman Pat, In the Night Garden, Octonauts and Peter Rabbit.
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Ticket-holders can also expect to see many of the larger-than-life characters who regularly appear throughout the day for photo opportunities with the kids. Although it's worth pointing out that TV presenter Andy was just at the theme park for the launch event and appears in a hologram form in the Andy's Dinosaur Adventure attraction.
The Hey Duggee Big Adventure Badge attraction invites guests to get active and climb, slide and bounce their way through interactive, sensory play areas, including the UK’s first real-life Hey Duggee Clubhouse, complete with slides that fans of the hit CBeebies show will get to explore and enjoy for the very first time. They’ll join the Squirrel Club and go on a big adventure to all their favourite Hey Duggee locations.
There's also the chance to meet "Duggee" himself to collect their Big Adventure Sticker Badge and get a big Duggee hug, as well as rave along to his classic "Stick Stick Sticky Stick" song. There's also an all-new Hey Duggee Live Show that will run throughout the day at selected times for visitors to enjoy.
One of CBeebie's newest hit shows Jojo & Gran Gran is celebrated with the arrival of JoJo and Gran Gran at Home - where youngsters can let their curiosity run wild as they play, make, and explore. There's a sitting room area where kids can make a call to Great Gran Gran in Saint Lucia via an ipad, and help bake Gran Gran's famous banana bread in the kitchen.
There's also an adventure through Gran Gran’s garden to jump on some "virtual" autumn leaves, see spring flowers grow and explore a maze, as well as find JoJo who is hiding in the garden.
Meanwhile at Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig budding dino fans can immerse themselves in prehistoric sights and sounds as they see what they can dig and discover in the brand-new live interactive show attraction. They’ll be able to visit Andy’s outpost and explore the prehistoric dig site; unearth fossils and have them analysed in the fossilator and help build a new exhibit with the outpost curator.
As part of the experience, guests will be joined by Andy via a video link from his gizmo from an exciting adventure he’s having with some diplodocus, "150 million years ago". One brave volunteer on each tour gets the opportunity to feed a very special baby dinosaur, while guests can even join in with one of Andy’s raps.
The arrival of the brand-new attractions is part of a wider re-imagining of the UK’s only CBeebies Land at the UK’s largest theme park complete with a new entrance portal. It is is accessed just a short walk from the main entrance of the huge theme park.
CBeebies fans will also get to enjoy a brand-new live show in the Land with Bing and Flop in Big Fun Showtime, the living breathing heart of CBeebies Land with a full schedule of events where youngsters can meet and interact with some of CBeebies’ biggest stars.
Alton Towers bosses have also unveiled new rooms at the Resort's CBeebies Land Hotel with a dedicated Bing-themed bedroom available to book for the first time this season.
Reporter Dianne Bourne headed to CBeebies Land with her two children, George aged 6 and Freddie aged 2 for the media preview at the weekend. Here's what they thought of the new attractions.
With two massive CBeebies' fans in our household, I was excited to see how the TV shows that are the daily soundtrack to our lives would translate in a theme park setting, as well as see the new rides unveiled by Alton Tower bosses this weekend for the first time.
For all those children (and parents) familiar with the zany adventures of Hey Duggee every morning, the new zone dedicated to the Squirrel Club will no doubt be one of the biggest hits - it certainly was with my two boys. But be warned you will be singing the "Stick Stick sticky stick song" in your head for most of the day afterwards thanks to a large "Duggee" leading a dance and singalong at intervals through the day.
My two would probably have been happy playing on the Hey Duggee Playhouse massive slides and giant swinging hammocks all day if I'd have let them. Indeed, I had to literally prise my two-year-old Freddie off a hammock to go and discover the other new rides on the new-look CBeebies Land.
We also loved venturing inside the new JoJo & Gran Gran at Home attraction - all inside the pretty maisonette that fans will be familiar with from one of CBeebies' newest big hit shows. Inside the house, my six-year-old George enjoyed exploring the interactive displays on ipads in the sitting room and kitchen areas, while little Freddie went scampering around the garden area with lots of little tunnels and the chance to try and find JoJo herself who is hiding there.
There was also a cool giant sunflower cabinet, where kids can get to swing the heads round, as well as a virtual play area where you can try and catch the falling leaves.
Andy's Adventures Dinosaur Dig looked to be one of the most popular attractions on the opening weekend by the look of the queues. We did think it could have done with a better queuing system, as we kept having to go back to see if we could start queuing for the next show as it was a small area that once full you had to leave and return for the next showing.
Actual Andy was there for the opening weekend, but fans should note that he isn't actually there all the time in person I'm afraid as he's very busy on his time-travelling trips. However, little fans do get to see him via a video link from one of his prehistoric adventures, while a real-life tour guide gets to chat with him on behalf of the group.
The baby dinosaur will no doubt be a big hit with dino fans, and one lucky guests gets to "feed" him, while there's chance for everyone to get into the groove on one of Andy's raps.
Having never visited CBeebies Land before, we were also excited to enjoy some of the more established rides here - like the Octonauts Rollercoaster Ride, and Go Jetters Vroomster Zoome Ride. There's an In The Night Garden river ride, where we got to wave at Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy and co from a very leisurely boat trip.
Our favourite though was probably the Get Set Go Treetop Adventure where you get to see the whole of CBeebies Land from a slow-moving monorail train pod.
Tickets and prices for 2022
Tickets for the theme park start at £34 per person and an Alton Towers Annual Pass starts from £119 per person.
The exclusive online Parent and Toddler Pass is also returning for the 2022 season. Available on selected dates, the Pass is priced at £25 for one adult and one toddler under 5. Guests can also opt to add on an extra toddler, under 5yrs, for £5. Under 3s go free.
Pre-booking in advance for tickets remains in place, you can buy tickets from £34 here.
The Staffordshire theme park is based in the historic village of Alton, which is around an hour and a half drive from central Manchester.
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