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The Tom Anstey Column
effects and digital elements, with the story starting in the queue line and playing out through the ride experience.
Meanwhile, Superman Up and Away has been described as a “next-generation flying rollercoaster”, with the ride launching guests face-down alongside Superman on an exhilarating mission to protect Metropolis.
The timing is excellent for Warner Bros. World and for Abu Dhabi. With travel restrictions now lifted or starting to be lifted following the easing of the conflict in the Middle East, the new attraction is a fantastic hook to draw in would-be visitors, while the later addition will keep interest in the long term. If previous Miral developments are any indication, the new flying coaster has the potential to become a standout addition to the region’s growing attractions portfolio.
Meet the Mobs We’ve previously explored Merlin’s £50m investment into Minecraft at Chessington with a world-first themed land. Now, at number three on the list, Merlin is further expanding its partnership with the best-selling video game of all time with a new experience coming to the UK’s Alton Towers. Called ‘Minecraft Meet The Mobs’, the pop-up event is included with standard park admission. Taking place from July 18 - August 28, it will feature a selection of interactive activities and a Mob trail around the park. The experience will introduce all-new baby Mobs, positioned across six themed locations, with participants able to unlock an exclusive in-game reward upon completion. Merchandise will also be available as Merlin explores additional ways to leverage one of the world’s most popular IPs. The news itself is only small in relative terms, but it does mark the first official appearance of Minecraft in a Merlin park. As it works more with Mojang, don’t be surprised to see Minecraft expand its presence across the entire Merlin portfolio. It’s an interesting IP partnership and one that can grow significantly in the coming years.
Going through changes This one is a little different to the rest of the list as it’s not been making huge headlines recently, but it's something that is set to happen soon and it’s number
SUMMER 2026
two on my list - the closure and refurbishment of Volcano Bay. When the water theme park opened in 2017,
it was positioned as a game-changing addition to the market. Anchored by its 200-foot volcano, the destination differentiated itself through immersive storytelling, innovative attractions and the introduction of the TapuTapu wearable system, which promised to eliminate traditional queues. From October 26, 2026, until April 1, 2027, the park will undergo a significant refurbishment programme. Universal plans to use the extended closure to complete ride refurbishments, infrastructure upgrades and broader maintenance work across the property. Don’t get me wrong, Volcano Bay continues to impress, with more than two million annual visitors but it maybe hasn’t delivered what it promised, especially after abandoning its queueless system, which caused more problems than it solved, with inflated virtual wait times also locking guests out of other attractions, while also causing bottlenecks in areas of the park where guests were waiting to ride specific attractions. With these major works soon to be underway, hopefully, it will be worth the wait when it reopens in 2027.
Rule Britannia Universal’s UK project now officially has its name and it’s at the top of my list with the latest coming out of the newly christened Universal United Kingdom Resort.
Following government approval, work is progressing on what is expected to become the UK’s largest visitor attraction - and it won’t even be close. London’s Natural History Museum is currently officially the UK’s most visited attraction with 7.1 million visitors annually. In its first year, Universal forecasts 8.5 million visitors. That number is expected to grow to 12 million visitors over time, with up to 55,000 visitors coming to the park on a peak
25
operating day.
With a project this size, however, problems arise. Critics of the project have questioned why the government is investing £1.3bn of public money into infrastructure investment when the figure can very easily be supplied by Universal parent Comcast, which made US$123.71bn in revenues in 2025. Comcast will be spending £5bn on constructing the resort, with a further £1bn over the first decade of operation.
This massive investment has also upset many local residents, with some facing property buyouts and home demolition, while others have not been informed about what will happen to their homes. You can’t help but think of the iconic line from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - “It’s a bypass. You’ve got to build bypasses”.
All in all, Universal UK will be a great thing for the
UK. Just remember to grab your towel and double- check those demolition orders before they energise the beams, Universal…
TOM ANSTEY
Tom is a world-travelled journalist who has been actively working in the attractions and wider leisure industries for more than a decade. Currently serving as Editor-in-Chief at Planet Attractions, a platform he co-founded in 2020, Tom is known for his deep industry knowledge and his commitment to exploring the stories and the people behind some of the world's most ambitious attractions projects. His favourite attraction is SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako coaster.
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