Fans of the legendary Valhalla attraction at Blackpool Pleasure Beach will be extremely excited to hear the news that Valhalla will begin technical rehearsals on April 7, having been closed since 2019.

The attraction has undergone a £4 million refurbishment so we are certainly excited to see what has been updated and changed. We know that the traditional Viking-style longboats remain the same and we are promised a new sound track. Many existing scenes continue to be used with some new scenes added. You can see the promotional video embedded below.

Details of these new scenes are still quite scarce and we eagerly await news in the coming weeks as to the exact changes that have been made and importantly, does it actually make it better? For many, Valhalla is an iconic attraction and too much change may not be a good thing. It was however, in need of an overhaul and it looks like Blackpool Pleasure Beach are sure to give us that.   

Now, technical rehearsals mean that the attraction will be open off and on so you will certainly not be guaranteed a ride from April 7 onwards. We still await a confirmed reopening date for this attraction. 

In the video embedded below posted on YouTube by Theme Park Worldwide from the launch on March 15, you can see that the exterior of Valhalla has been updated and spruced up including new planters and signage. The iconic water fall is looking very impressive and there is huge excitement for the technical rehearsals to begin in preparation for the full official opening which we are hoping will come sometime in May.

The slogan of Valhalla has been changed from "ride the adventure" to "brave the adventure" which may give us a hint that the attraction has got darker in theming? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Housed inside a building fronted by an enormous waterfall, Valhalla is the major water ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It was the most expensive ride ever built by the park, at a total cost of £15 million, and has drawn large crowds since its opening in 2000.

Valhalla is the most heavily-themed ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and is based around the mythology surrounding the Viking afterlife. Its log flume-style ride system was built by Intamin, while the theming and special effects were put together by Sarner (which had previously designed the similar Viking Toket at Tusenfryd in Norway).

Riders were loaded into Viking-style longboats, before setting off on a six-minute journey. After entering the ride building via an ominous skull-shaped entrance, they are carried up one of two lift hills. A series of special effects were used to create an impression of being in Valhalla itself, including searing and freezing temperatures of 40 degrees and -20 degrees respectively. As well as two large drops (the tallest of which stands at some 80 feet), there’s also a backwards section enabled by the use of two turntables.

We will bring you further details of the confirmed reopening date as well as all the changes that have been made here at Theme Park Tourist. Valhalla is hailed by many theme park fans as one of the best dark water rides anywhere in the world so we are expecting fans to flock to Blackpool Pleasure Beach this season to ride the new refurbished version.

Are you excited about the return of Valhalla? Will you be making a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach this year? Let us know your thoughts by leaving us a comment below or on our Facebook page.