{"id":9899,"date":"2022-05-22T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-22T08:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/?p=9899"},"modified":"2025-06-12T20:08:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T20:08:25","slug":"event-review-mardi-gras-alton-towers-may-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/?p=9899","title":{"rendered":"Event Review | Mardi Gras – Alton Towers May 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mardi Gras has returned for yet another season but it has certainly come back larger & better than before. We visited on opening day for the event & it is our first event this season too. Let\u2019s have a chat all about the offering which comes along with this event. <\/span><\/p>\n

Park Opening Times:<\/span><\/h3>\n

So, the only debatable thing in regards to this event is the alteration in opening times. We visited on a non event day and the park didn\u2019t close until 6pm but now during Mardi Gras it is only open until 5pm. To me, it seems somewhat odd this has been the case. It does need to be extended for guests to have the opportunity to enjoy the shows rather than having to prioritise the rides before the close in my opinion. If they opened longer I can imagine more people would be inclined to stick around & watch the shows.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Decorations & Theming:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Last season it felt as if the theming almost ended at The lawns and then pops in each area. This year it feels like a complete event. Some areas aren\u2019t 100% themed however the decor is a lot more apparent. Tower Street looks amazing as ever too.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

The Shows:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, we missed the opening & closing entertainment on Tower Street due to being hotel guests. There\u2019s also a parade at the end of the day which starts at Towers Square nearby Dark Forest & finishes at\u00a0 <\/span>Tower Street. That\u2019s something which we have wanted to see for years at the park too so we\u2019re exceptionally fond of this! We did also catch the first show of the day at the bottom of Tower Street which was so upbeat & fab. We fell lucky in catching a bit of each areas shows too. These shows start at 11\/11:30 and happen every hour from then. All of which are different to one another with the performers varied in costumes & themes. The audio is all different too. It\u2019s well worth trying to catch every area\u2019s show if possible because none of them is the same & they all have their style. The performers were top quality and knew how to work the crowd watching not to forget how much energy they gave too.\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Themed Food & New Lakeside Bar & Pontoon:<\/span><\/h3>\n

We never tried any of the food as annoyingly my allergies make it somewhat difficult to enjoy certain foods. However, Food Street has returned again. This time felt a little less of an offering than last season.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

The brand new for 2022 lakeside bar with seating on the lake (pontoon) is certainly an experience. Personally, as someone who struggles with seasickness, this was not a bright idea to do. However, the views from across the lake are gorgeous and it\u2019s such a unique offering to have too. It seemed a lot of the people around us loved it and it was fairly busy the majority of the day!\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

Merchandise:<\/span><\/h3>\n

With most events that happen there\u2019s often a line of merchandise. I feel as if this range has only expanded further and there\u2019s the offering of some bits to help you get into the spirit of the celebrations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Overall:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The event has come in leaps & bounds. Every advancement & development of the event has truly created one of the most positive, upbeat & happy events. It feels like something the park has needed for years. There are a lot of things which we have all wanted to see happen at the park finally come true aka the parade. Honestly, we never felt so uplifted by the general vibe of the event it is amazing to see such a buzz across the whole place. It\u2019s one of those events you just have to experience in person to quite understand how fab it is. We do intend on visiting again in the coming month as it\u2019s too good to miss out on another cheeky visit.\"\" <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014-<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you attending Mardi Gras this year? Which park are you heading to?<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you so much for reading!\"\"<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mardi Gras has returned for yet another season but it has certainly come back larger & better than before. We visited on opening day for the event & it is our first event this season too. Let\u2019s have a chat all about the offering which comes along with this event. Park Opening Times: So, the only debatable thing in regards to this event is the alteration in opening times. We visited on a non event day and the park didn\u2019t close until 6pm but now during Mardi Gras it is only open until 5pm. To me, it seems somewhat odd this has been the case. It does need to be extended for guests to have the opportunity to enjoy the shows rather than having to prioritise the rides before the close in my opinion. If they opened longer I can imagine more people would be inclined to stick around & watch the shows. Decorations & Theming: Last season it felt as if the theming almost ended at The lawns and then pops in each area. This year it feels like a complete event. Some areas aren\u2019t 100% themed however the decor is a lot more apparent. Tower Street looks amazing as ever too. The Shows: Unfortunately, we missed the opening & closing entertainment on Tower Street due to being hotel guests. There\u2019s also a parade at the end of the day which starts at Towers Square nearby Dark Forest & finishes at\u00a0 Tower Street. That\u2019s something which we have wanted to see for years at the park too so we\u2019re exceptionally fond of this! We did also catch the first show of the day at the bottom of Tower Street which was so upbeat & fab. We fell lucky in catching a bit of each areas shows too. These shows start at 11\/11:30 and happen every hour from then. All of which are different to one another with the performers varied in costumes & themes. The audio is all different too. It\u2019s well worth trying to catch every area\u2019s show if possible because none of them is the same & they all have their style. The performers were top quality and knew how to work the crowd watching not to forget how much energy they gave too. Themed Food & New Lakeside Bar & Pontoon: We never tried any of the food as annoyingly my allergies make it somewhat difficult to enjoy certain foods. However, Food Street has returned again. This time felt a little less of an offering than last season. The brand new for 2022 lakeside bar with seating on the lake (pontoon) is certainly an experience. Personally, as someone who struggles with seasickness, this was not a bright idea to do. However, the views from across the lake are gorgeous and it\u2019s such a unique offering to have too. It seemed a lot of the people around us loved it and it was fairly busy the majority of the day! Merchandise: With most events that happen there\u2019s often a line of merchandise. I feel as if this range has only expanded further and there\u2019s the offering of some bits to help you get into the spirit of the celebrations. Overall: The event has come in leaps & bounds. Every advancement & development of the event has truly created one of the most positive, upbeat & happy events. It feels like something the park has needed for years. There are a lot of things which we have all wanted to see happen at the park finally come true aka the parade. Honestly, we never felt so uplifted by the general vibe of the event it is amazing to see such a buzz across the whole place. It\u2019s one of those events you just have to experience in person to quite understand how fab it is. We do intend on visiting again in the coming month as it\u2019s too good to miss out on another cheeky visit. \u2014- Are you attending Mardi Gras this year? Which park are you heading to? Thank you so much for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5053,5054],"tags":[1787,3515,3976,867,3987,3519,816,155,3983,1233,3988,3982,3985,2390,3179,3974,3975,256,3978,600,3981,3980,2397,3984,1286,3784,3979,3986,1540,2498,3977],"class_list":["post-9899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-theme-parks","category-themed-attractions","tag-adventures","tag-alton-towers-event","tag-alton-towers-event-review","tag-alton-towers-resort","tag-beads","tag-entertainment","tag-events","tag-family-fun","tag-food-street","tag-fun","tag-happy-mardi-gras","tag-krewes","tag-live-entertainment","tag-live-music","tag-mardi-gras","tag-mardi-gras-alton-towers","tag-mardi-gras-review","tag-merlin-annual-pass","tag-merlin-events","tag-rollercoasters","tag-street-entertainment","tag-street-theatre","tag-theme-park-blog","tag-themed-foods","tag-travel","tag-uk-events","tag-uk-mardi-gras","tag-uk-theme-park-fun","tag-uk-theme-parks","tag-uk-travel","tag-year-of-epic"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb4qDv-2zF","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9899"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9906,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9899\/revisions\/9906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coastersonthecoast.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}