Dreamland Margate will be free to enter for the entire 2019 season thanks to a record-breaking Easter opening.
The seaside amusement park saw footfall soar by more than 380% with 105,433 visitors between 6th April and 22nd April, compared to 21,988 visitors during the 2018 Easter break. Visitor numbers peaked at 15,228 on Easter Sunday, with approximately 47,000 people over the long Easter weekend.
The sensational weather saw hundreds of thousands of visitors head to the Kent coast for their Easter break, and Dreamland’s new free to enter incentive and Camp Bestival takeover proved irresistible to holidaymakers.
Dreamland CEO Eddie Kemsley said: “We’ve had a phenomenal opening season, with nearly five times the number of visitors we had last Easter. We expected an uplift in visitors when we changed to a free entry offer, but the boom in visitors in the past few days has been staggering. We are so grateful to all the local families, the holidaymakers and the day trippers who spent their Easter break with us and left such positive reviews.
“What better way to say thank you than by keeping the park free to enter for 2019, so they can all visit again and again?”
Dreamland opened for the season on 6th April and announced it would be free to enter for Easter only, waiving its 2018 £5 entry charge. The offer was originally intended to end on 24th May, but following careful assessment, the Dreamland team chose to extend the offer for the rest of the year.
Guests can now enter the park for free and buy discounted ride wristbands online or pay per ride (or buy Dreamland Membership for unlimited rides and additional member perks).
Eddie continued: “The atmosphere in the park has been fantastic. Thousands of people from London and further afield have been enjoying the sun-soaked park alongside our Kent customers, and our team managed this surge in numbers smoothly and with a big smile on their faces.
“While our free to enter offer is certainly compelling, I think we’re seeing more and more people choosing to take a ‘staycation’ in the UK than travel abroad for the holidays.
“With the beautiful beach and the town’s galleries and quirky-cool shops on our doorstep, Margate is a magnet for people wanting a slice of seaside and culture without breaking the bank.”
Dreamland is now open at weekends and bank holidays only, and will be open daily during school holidays. The park announced it was to free to enter for Easter 2019 earlier this year and hosted a Camp Bestival takeover for the spring break, culminating in the Camp Bestival Easter Sunday Party on 21st April.
The park has 26 thrill and chill rides, as well as new food and drink stalls, Instagram trails and a programme of music and events throughout the spring and summer.
