Chessington World of Adventures to celebrate Vampire rollercoaster's 21st anniversary

Chessington World of Adventures is planning a series of events to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Vampire, the suspended rollercoaster that opened at the park in 1990.

The celebrations will run for 21 days, starting on April 11 and ending on May 1, 2011. Planned events include a special walkthrough "horror maze", temporary additions to Vampire's queue line, character meet-and-greets and fancy dress competitions.

The full list of events and attractions includes:

• The Twilight Zone - a temporary addition alongside Vampire, this will be an interactive, walkthrough experience in the dark featuring live "scare actors".
• Batty the Vampire - the friendy character will wander around the Transylvania area, greeting guests.
• Real life bats - will be added to the Vampire queue line.
• Free entry offer - the first 21 "Young Adventurers" to arrive in full vampire fancy dress each day will be given free entrance to the park.
• Fancy dress competitions - contests will take place daily in Market Square.

Vampire is an Arrow suspended swinging rollercoaster, located in the Transylvania area of Chessington World of Adventures. Originally, the ride featured bat-themed trains suspended from the track, but following numerous maintenance issues these were replaced in 2001 by new Vekoma-built floorless trains.

One of the most popular rides at Chessington World of Adventures, Vampire hits a maximum height of 70 feet and a top speed of 45 miles per hour.