It’s the beginning of the events for the 2023 season at Alton Towers. This is an event which happened last season and returned with a little bit of a twist!
This event will be running every day from now until the 7th of May 2023. You can book your tickets HERE.
Opening Hours:
We visited during the week on an off-peak day which meant the closing time was 4 pm. Which on the quieter days is reasonable given the ride availability has been fair during the day. But I believe Saturdays are 10-6 with Sundays closing at 5 pm.
The Events Offering:
This year The Smiler has turned 10 years old and it indeed has taken over Alton Towers. Well, kind of. Down in X sector is the body of entertainment where you can catch live shows which offer varied forms of entertainment. We caught “Meet The Ministry” which was… interesting but impressive to say the least. Elsewhere across the park, there are a lot of The Smiler logo stickers dotted about. With some areas getting bigger aspects of theming such as Wicker Man’s Plaza. The main thing which does cover the entirety of the park is the audio which is probably my favourite thing from this event. There’s something quite cool about The Smiler taking over, especially with the announcement audio which immediately grabs your attention to take note of what’s been said. 
Of course, you have the interactive feature of the event with the stamp book which can be collected from the top of Tower Street. Collect all the stamps and I think post it online for a chance to win a stay at the resort. That’s pretty much the full event summed up. Not to forget there are also a couple of actors around the park too which connect to The Smiler.
Comparison To Last Season:
I can completely see the direction in which they had strived for. However, last season was a lot better. I get we’re celebrating The Smiler turning 10 that’s great. However, I think a limited edition merchandise line with a one-day event to mark the anniversary could have been a lot more enjoyable. Last season it felt a lot more enjoyable & more of an event whereas this year it feels almost like it was stripped back and stickers were the main source of the event in my opinion. Personally, for me, it could have been done better with additional shows or even opening up a scare maze dedicated to the backstory. I definitely preferred last season.
Overall:
As I mentioned above I can see the path which was attempted to be taken. But it just doesn’t work that well. The fans of The Smiler will unquestionably love the event as I do think it is an epic idea to have it take over the park but it could have been done with a little more attention to detail than there is followed with more entertainment widely spread to allow it to make more sense across all the areas. But I would have been pleased to see a merch line along with a one-day special event party style or even a return of The Sanctuary scare maze for a weekend. As with anything, it’s all down to you as an individual as although I don’t particularly rate this event I do think some will thoroughly be pleased with it. My disfavour doesn’t come from the element of The Smiler taking over it comes down to the absence of storytelling elsewhere and shows that enhance The Smiler really taking over.
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Have you checked out this event yet? If so, what are your thoughts?
Thank you for reading.
