Work has started to restore Britain's oldest surviving rollercoaster at the Dreamland amusement park in Margate.

Built in 1920, the Scenic Railway fell into disrepair when the attraction closed in 2005 and was then badly damaged by an arson attack in 2008. The refurbishment of the Grade II* listed ride is part of an £18m project to reopen the amusement park in 2015. The rollercoaster will be dismantled and gradually re-built over 10 months with all the wooden parts being replaced.

Oakwood in Wales will open a new area at the theme park based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 2015.

The new £2m multi-attraction will replace the former Wild West themed area, which was previously home to popular dark ride Brer Rabbit's Burrow, alongside the current Spooky 3D haunted house ride and Panning for Gold. The new attractions will be themed as The Headless Horseman and The Tree of the Dead but further details are still a secret.

After Dark takes place every Wednesday and Saturday in August at Oakwood Theme Park in Wales. The park is open from 10am-10pm, and from 7pm features a mix of live shows, family entertainment and amazing fireworks.

ThemeParks-UK went to After Dark at Oakwood on Saturday 9th August, here is our review and photos.

Pleasurewood Hills has now opened Marble Madness, it's new and exciting family roller coaster for 2014. 

Marble Madness is the new and exciting family roller coaster that will keep you on the very edge of your seat. The crazy Marble Madness critters propel you around the track like a marble on a board game – on a journey with sudden drops and sharp turns left and right, up and down. Once you have experienced Marble Madness you will want to ride again and again! The ride has a top speed of 28mph, riders experience a g-force of up to 2.5, an there is a mimimum heigh requirement of 2.5m.

Pleasurewood Hiils offers adrenalin fuelled thrills & spills for the bravest adventurers including Wipeout and Enigma, fun rides for all the family from classic coaster The Rattlesnake to swashbuckling old favourite The Pirate Ship, and shows.

Experience a club night like no other as Thorpe Park and the Ministry of Sound team up for something unique.

With the promise of an epic night of rides and vibes exclusively for over 18s, ThemeParks-UK decided we should head to Thorpe Park for the Clubber's Guide to Ibiza themed Ministry of Sound Club + Ride Night on Saturday 7th June.

Boom in visitor numbers at some of the UK's biggest theme parks during 2013 revealed in figures from TEA/AECOM.

The annual TEA/AECOM Theme Index and Museum Index, the definitive annual attendance study for the themed entertainment and museum industries, has been published. Theme park numbers for calendar year 2013 show substantial growth internationally, with the top North American parks surpassing pre-recession days, water parks emerging in Latin America, Asia continuing to surge forward and the Middle East resuming development activity. Globally, the top theme park operators posted attendance growth of 5.4 percent overall, and the top 25 theme parks grew at a similar rate of 4.3 percent. The top museums also performed well, up over 7 percent internationally.

ThemeParks-UK was invited to the VIP launch event for Angry Birds Land at Thorpe Park on Tuesday 27th May, here are a selection of our photos from the event.

We were very impressed by Angry Birds 4D, as our rumbling chairs catapulted us through a fast-paced adventure as the Angry Birds attempt to get their precious eggs back from the dastardly King Pig. The timed air gusts, water jets, leg ticklers, flashing lights, bubbles and smoke blasts made it a lot of fun!

With the final preparations completed, Drayton Manor’s highly anticipated new thrill ride, Air Race, is officially airborne. The new attraction was officially launched on Saturday 5th July with the help of one of the UK’s hottest pop bands, The Vamps.

The teen heart-throbs, Bradley Simpson, James McVey, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans, opened the theme park’s £1.2million attraction, accompanied by a dazzling confetti cannon display, before fastening their seatbelts for the first flight, alongside lucky competition winners.

Visitors to the park were also treated to a sensational acoustic performance from The Vamps, where excited fans watched them perform their hit songs Somebody To You, Can We Dance and Cecilia, ahead of their debut ‘Meet The Vamps’ headline tour later this year.

This year LEGOLAND Windsor will be awash with buccaneering adventure in the new Pirate Shores, now open at the park. Featuring themed rides and activities and 100s of LEGO models, Pirate Shores promises some serious swashbuckling fun.

More than 100 brand new LEGO models and themed features make the Pirate Falls Treasure Quest log flume ride an exciting Lego-tastic voyage. Guided by Scallywag the Parrot, riders join Captain Goodbrick on an explosive quest for Captain Blackheart’s hidden treasure. Add in the rollicking Jolly Rocker pirate ship ride and Pirate Goldwash. Plus, opening in May, Castaway Camp an all new pirate adventure play area and a new themed family restaurant Pirate Shores Burger Kitchen; Pirate Shores adds up to a hearty dose of family fun; strictly not for landlubbers.

To celebrate the opening of Pirate Shores a very special new appointment has been made at the LEGOLAND Resort Hotel as Charlie “the corpsing” McCaw takes up his perch as Parrot in Residence. Hotel guests will be able to “chat” with the ultimate pirate side-kick whose other skills include “playing dead”.

Chessington Azteca Hotel is now open, the second of the Resort Hotels located onsite at Chessington World of Adventures, and is set across three themed floors with spectacular views. There are 69 family-friendly rooms, a unique and interactive restaurant, and more - all situated right in the heart of Chessington World of Adventures.

We were invited to the launch of the Chessington Azteca Hotel, here is our review and a selection of photos.