Year in review: 2021
Ah 2021, another strange year that hasn't been quite as expected but that's not to say that it didn't have some great theme park experiences in it. They were just a bit different from the original plans! Here's my 2021 in review!
Total new credits: 41
So this wasn't one of my best years for new credits (my record is 225 in 2018) but given the fact that international travel has arguable been even more difficult than 2020 and last year I mopped up quite a few UK credits I had left to do I am relatively pleased with this effort. I've seen a few people put together graphs for their counts (notably Cupcakes and Coasters) so here's mine! I end 2021 on 653 credits.
Best new coaster: Ride to Happiness
This coaster is ridiculous in the best way. Having never ridden Time Traveller I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this one, only that it would be pretty crazy and unlike anything else I'd done. Well, it definitely was that and more! The spinning works so well with the layout and the on-board audio really puts the cherry on top, especially at that moment when you dive into the first drop! It's one of those rides that gets you grinning the whole way through and has you laughing together with your friends on the brake run. It's just an amazingly fun time and definitely unlike anything else I've ever ridden, which has made it quite hard to rank. It's certainly the stand-out coaster for this year for me! The theme is aesthetically pleasing and the coaster looks beautiful over the water and at night with the onboard lights. Ride to Happiness is just a great package of a coaster! Mack coasters don't usually rank that highly for me due to a lack of intensity so it's weird to be saying all of this but I am very happy to be doing so!
Runners up: Kondaa and Cú Chulainn
Both of these coasters are fabulous as well and managing to add a big wooden coaster and a brand new Intamin to my count in a year like 2021 was really great!
Best new flat ride: Dalton Terror
I feel like I did quite a lot of flat rides this year but a special mention has to go to my drop tower rides. I have continued my quest to ride drop towers that scare me and this year this saw me ride High Fall at Movie Park Germany, Detonator at Thorpe Park, Dalton Terror at Walibi Belgium and Hangover the ride. Dalton Terror particularly stood out as having awesome airtime so it's made the standout spot!
Runners up: Hangover, Carters Steam Yachts and Gladiator
Hangover is a runner up for the same reason as Dalton Terror and finally getting on a set of Steam Yachts was an amazing experience! I also pushed the boat out and rode some big flats at Winter Wonderland this year including Gladiator, and they were quite the experience! I think out of those two Gladiator was my favourite due to the extra spinning element.
Finally getting along to Carters' Steam Fair this year was also a delight! I'd been meaning to get along to the fair since I first discovered it's existence a couple of years ago and it didn't disappoint. If you love all things vintage and haven't been, definitely try and go because it's like stepping back in time. Not only is the atmosphere fantastic, the rides are great too with the Skid and Steam Yachts providing particularly thrilling rides!
Best new park: Walibi Belgium
I'd been meaning to get to Walibi Belgium for years and was so pleased to finally visit this year! We had an action packed day full of highlights, with Kondaa, the halloween mazes, entertainment and scare zones plus rides like Psyke Underground, Dalton Terror, Tiki Waka, Challenge of Tutankhamon and Pulsar (which was my 650th coaster!). I was particularly excited to finally get on a Schwarzkopf shuttle loop coaster! You can tell that the park has been going through a glow-up recently and it's clearly now a well-rounded, full day out. The newer theming is quite impressive. It was also really nice to support the park after the floods and consequential closure they had earlier in the year.
Runners up: Walibi Belgium Halloween, Tulleys Farm and Alton Scarefest
Best new horror attraction: The Curse of Amun (Walibi Belgium)
Runners up: Acid Warrior (Movie Park Germany) and Nagulai (Walibi Belgium)
This year I made my third visit to Movie Park Germany and their halloween event. Each year it delivers and leaves me wanting to return. It's got this sort of gritty, horror party vibe that just works with the park so well with awesome street actors and numerous great mazes. They really know how to do halloween right! This year the park's "Acid Warrior" maze really took me by surprise! You have to run away from zombies coming after you around this sort of industrial set and by run I mean, actually, legitimately run! Absolute chaos is inevitable! If you've ever wanted to feel like the main character of a zombie movie or game, this is the maze for you!
Walibi Belgium's halloween event was also great and really surprised me with some very cleverly done mazes. We did 3 of the mazes at the event and The Curse of Amun was particularly outstanding with some very interesting props and scares. Nagulai also had some great theming and atmospheric sets.
Tulleys was it's usual fun event and the mazes I did at Alton Scarefest this year seemed to have levelled up in theming quality since my last visit.
Best seasonal event: Winter Wonderland
Runners up: Alton Mardi Gras and Thorpe Oktoberfest.
As a big Olympia Looping fan you can probably guess that I was pretty excited to see the mammoth event that is Winter Wonderland return in 2021! The atmosphere is so festive and there's so much to ride, see, eat and drink! With the amount of international rides the event attracts it almost feels like you've gone abroad when you step through the gates and it's a very welcome extension of the main season that helps brighten the cold winter days around this time of year.
Along with the above, other notable moments from this year include getting back to Rookburgh, riding my number 1 coaster, Taron again, which is always a pleasure (as is any visit to Phantasialand), exploring more of Blackpool's historic attractions, spending some chilled days at familiar UK parks and participating in a number of silly cred runs and coaster meets with friends.
All-in-all it's been another weird year but despite the weirdness there have been plenty of great theme park and ride moments to remember!
Here's to 2022!
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