News about ICON

In July 2022, the news around ICON was not about speed or inversions, but about design. A theme park fan posted a photo of the Mack Rides launch coaster's train. Broken logo pieces on the front car had been replaced by new elements with a noticeably thick border. According to Looopings, that border appeared to have been left on by mistake, making the decorative pieces look poorly fitted.

What made the story stand out was the response from Blackpool Pleasure Beach managing director Amanda Thompson. Instead of keeping the criticism behind closed doors, she responded publicly on Twitter and made it clear that she had not approved the design. The addition would be changed. A small train detail suddenly became an example of how closely both fans and management watch the finish of a major attraction.

For ICON, this is not a major technical chapter, but it is an interesting moment in the public life of the ride. By then the coaster was not only an experience, but also a brand object whose logo, train front and visual identity were immediately judged by fans.

One week after the pricing news, Looopings showed what Enso looked like in practice. In March 2022, ICON genuinely began operating as a spinning coaster as well. The rear seats of one of its three trains had been replaced by a spinning gondola, allowing a small group of passengers to experience the same 1143-metre layout in a completely different way.

The addition gave ICON a notable place in the European coaster landscape. According to Looopings, there were then two spinning coasters in Europe with launches and at least one inversion: The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland at Plopsaland De Panne and ICON with Enso. While the Belgian ride was designed entirely around spinning gondolas, Blackpool created a hybrid situation: the existing launch coaster stayed intact, but gained a premium spinning variant.

For visitors, Enso meant extra intensity and unpredictability, but also low capacity and an upcharge. For fans, the video made clear that the change was more than branding: ICON genuinely changed character for riders boarding the spinning gondola.

In March 2022, ICON's Enso upgrade gained a business angle. Looopings reported that visitors to Blackpool Pleasure Beach would have to pay an extra 15 pounds for a ride in the spinning car, roughly 18 euros, on top of park admission. Those who wanted to board more quickly could choose a 25-pound VIP ticket, reducing the current wait by 90 percent.

The pricing made clear that Enso would not be a normal queue option, but a premium experience with extremely limited capacity. One of ICON's three trains received a spinning car, meaning only a small number of riders could try the new experience on each cycle. The underlying ride remained the same Mack Rides launch coaster: 27 metres tall, 1143 metres long, with two launches, one inversion and a top speed of 85 kilometres per hour.

For visitors, this created a choice between the standard ICON ride and a more exclusive, more expensive variant. For fans, the model sparked discussion about innovation, capacity and paying extra for a more intense coaster experience.

In November 2021, ICON received an unexpected second chapter. Blackpool Pleasure Beach announced that the launch coaster, opened in 2018, would receive spinning cars for the following season. The concept was named Enso and was intended to turn a familiar ride into a noticeably different experience. For an existing coaster, it was a striking way to create fresh attention.

Looopings described ICON as a 27-metre-tall and 1143-metre-long coaster with two launches, one inversion and a top speed of 85 kilometres per hour. With Enso, visitors would be able to choose between a regular seat and a spinning gondola. The park called it a European first. The agreement with Mack Rides was signed during the IAAPA Expo in Florida.

For fans, the wider context was especially interesting. Mack had previously experimented with spinning seats on Blue Fire at Europa-Park, and Plopsaland De Panne had just opened The Ride to Happiness. ICON became part of a broader trend: launch coasters that do more than accelerate, adding rotation as a new layer of sensation.

In May 2018, ICON was ready for its public debut. Looopings reported that Britain's first double-launch coaster would open that weekend at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and published an on-ride video. For fans, it was the first real look at how the ride not only built speed, but also threaded its way through the park's compact landscape.

The facts were now concrete: ICON was built by Mack Rides, featured two launches, measured 1143 metres in length and stood 27 metres tall. Its top speed was around 80 kilometres per hour. Construction had started in December 2016 and the park invested nearly 20 million euros. One of the defining features remained the interaction with surrounding rides, including the 71-metre-high Big One.

For visitors, the opening gave Blackpool a major new draw. For coaster fans, ICON was especially interesting because it combined modern launch-coaster technology with the almost chaotic spatial layering for which Pleasure Beach is famous.

In October 2017, ICON moved from promise to visible construction project. Looopings reported that the first parts of the new launch coaster had arrived at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Fan photos showed grey supports and pieces of track waiting on a car park, while foundations had already appeared inside the park and the steel frame of the station building was standing.

For coaster fans, updates like this are more than a few construction pictures. They show that an announced attraction has truly left the drawing board. ICON had already been presented as Britain's first double-launch coaster, standing 27 metres tall, measuring about 1140 metres and supplied by Mack Rides. Its opening was planned for the following year.

For ICON's history, this article matters because it captures the shift from marketing to realisation. The nearly 20-million-euro ambition became tangible: steel, foundations and a station rising in a park where every metre of space is precious.

In April 2017, Blackpool Pleasure Beach's ambitious project finally gained a face. The working title Construction 2018 made way for ICON, a name that immediately signalled the status the park wanted the new coaster to have. The slogan Dare to ride and the Japanese character in the logo were also revealed. The story shifted from a technical announcement to a full identity.

According to Looopings, the park opted for a silver track with dark grey supports. The Mack Rides coaster was planned to be 27 metres tall and 1140 metres long, with two launches, a ride time of around two and a half minutes and a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour. Managing director Amanda Thompson positioned ICON as a coaster meant to stand out on a global stage.

For visitors and fans, this was a turning point. The numbers had already sounded impressive, but the name, logo and concept art showed what role ICON was meant to play: not just another addition, but a modern centrepiece woven between Blackpool's classic, tightly packed coasters.

In September 2016, Blackpool Pleasure Beach put its biggest coaster news in years on the map. The park presented a new Mack Rides launch coaster under the working title Construction 2018, with the ambition of opening Britain's first double-launch coaster. For a resort already famous for historic rides such as The Big One, Big Dipper and Grand National, it was a clear move toward a more modern thrill line-up.

Looopings reported that the coaster would stand 27 metres tall and stretch about 1140 metres, with two launches, a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour and two planned inversions. The project represented an investment of 19 million euros and was scheduled to open in spring 2018. Its layout was what made fans especially curious: the new ride would pass through five existing attractions, including The Big One, and include two tunnels.

For ICON, this article marks the public beginning of the story. Even before the final name was revealed, it was clear that Blackpool Pleasure Beach was building more than another coaster: it was creating a ride intended to put the compact, layered park back in the international coaster conversation.