Wristbands

The first wristband went on sale at Pleasure Beach thirty years ago today. 

The first advertisement for wristbands in the 30 August 1991 edition of Eastern Daily Press.

 

Later in the week came this advertisement with more information. From the 3 September 1991 edition of Eastern Daily Press.

Following the 1991 summer season, Pleasure Beach trialled wristbands for the weekends the park was open during September. Priced at £7 each, they allowed the wearer unlimited goes on all the rides, although tokens, priced at 25p each, were still available to purchase for anyone who wanted to ride only a few times.

For most of its history, the park has operated on the pay-as-you-ride principle, initially using cash and later, tokens, although there was a brief, unsuccessful, trial at pay-to-enter in 1983 (under 5s went free, 5-10 year olds, pensioners and disabled customers paid £2 and everyone else paid £3). Wristbands then were a departure from the norm, but it was hoped they would provide additional income against the backdrop of declining British seaside tourism. Fortunately, they proved popular and the trial was a success, so much so that they were available for sale throughout the 1992 season, priced at £7 for adults and £4 for children.

Large-scale leaflet for Pleasure Beach from 1992, the first year wristbands were available for sale throughout the season. The featured rides are Condor, Looping Star, Log Flume, Flying Carpet, Roller Coaster (the white train is now the orange train), and Fun House.

Advert from the 22 July 1994 edition of Eastern Daily Press, offering a discount on token and wristband purchases. 1994 was the last season wristbands would be available until 1998. The rides featured are Condor, Looping Star, Toboggan, Fun House, a big wheel (there wasn't a big wheel at the park that year), Roller Coaster and cars from the Formula 1 ride.

Wristbands were available throughout the 1993 and 1994 seasons, before the park reverted to pay-per-ride by token. If there was concern wristbands offered value that was too good and the effect on revenue, this did not last long, as wristbands were available to purchase again 1998, still priced at £7. As a trial, they were valid only until 6pm, after which only tokens were accepted. Whilst the return of wristbands proved popular, the time restriction did not, and it did nothing for the park’s evening business. Wristbands returned in 1999 priced £8 for the whole day. 

There followed a period of experimentation, starting with a family of four weekly wristband for £175, and including parent and toddler versions, as well as half-price evening wristbands in 2008 and discounted evening wristbands in 2012. Some offers were more successful than others. The next big trial came in 2013 when season tickets were introduced. Priced at £70 for the year, they allowed the holder an unlimited number of wristbands throughout the season. A promotion in the local newspaper for half-price season tickets proved extremely popular with locals.

Leaflet from 2008, advertising evening wristbands, which were trialled that year for the first time. The featured rides are Sky Drop, Evolution, Log Flume, Formula 1, Mulan, Roller Coaster, Snails and Twister.

Wristbands and season tickets were available each season until 2019. Like the rest of the tourist industry, Pleasure Beach was hit hard by Covid-19 and had to adapt to new ways of working to survive. Limited pay-to-enter was implemented in 2020 and again in 2021, ending a 22 year period in which wristbands were available.

Leaflet from 2019, the most recent year in which wristbands were available.