Night and Day at Blackgang Chine's Summer Fest

Our love for Blackgang Chine is well evidenced. We've written many times about days out, as well as spending an absurd amount of time on a history of the theme park (warning: this is not a short read and should not be attempted on an empty stomach).

Our most recent visits to Blackgang Chine were a day during the week in late August, followed by Summer Fest a couple of days later.

This double-visit-strategy is always my recommendation for getting better value from a Blackgang Chine ticket. The plan is to visit once at the start of your holiday and then use the free return later in the week for the evening party (assuming there is one taking place when you visit). One day out for about £25 piles on the pressure to stay for several hours. The option of free returns makes things much more relaxed.

Our daytime visit to Blackgang Chine

Our system for exploring Blackgang Chine has evolved as the children have got older.

When they were very young (and slightly gullible) I would march us round, as if there was a route that you were meant to follow. "Right kids, it's the maze next and then the dinosaurs".

This avoided arguments and also ensured that we didn't flip between opposite ends of the park.

Now that the children are old enough to have opinions we have to employ a system of taking turns to choose one thing. Mrs Guru and I don't generally get a turn, but this does change from time to time depending on familial moods.

On our most recent visit, we began with child two's choice, which was Nurseryland.

Needless to say, we took the traditional photo on the toadstool that shows the year. Perhaps one day I will collate these into a masterpiece. Mrs Guru and I enjoyed the sight of a paraglider whooshing along the coast whilst the children made their way round.

I was particularly pleased to see that the fella round the back of The House That Jack Built has been refurbished after suffering from a missing hand last year.

This paraglider had a good view of the coastline, which heads towards Freshwater and the Needles

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Down the Plughole

Next it was Water Force, which was child one's choice. She had previously stuck to the two slides that are open but was determined to try the Plughole for the first time.

The queue had built up a little, as we had arrived later than planned due to a disagreement at home over some inconsequential nonsense.

Even worse, several people in the queue seemed unaware of the two queue system for the different slides and were just standing around relaxing. 

I soon sorted this out by passing word along the queue that they needed to pick a side.

The queue sped up a little thanks to my intervention and we whooshed down the Plughole and out into the daylight.

Onwards at Blackgang

The flip flopping pattern continued with visits to the Underwater Kingdom (child two's choice), the Barrel Ride (child one), the maze (child two) and Cowboyland (child one).

I took great pleasure in buying a pack of £1.25 Rio Snappers/Fun Snaps in Cowboyland and demonstrating to the children how to lob them for the maximum volume. The last time I bought these I was two foot shorter and wearing a much smaller pair of shorts.

By this point, it was lunchtime so we ate our cream cheese baps in Cowboyland whilst several boys pointed guns in our face and threatened to rob us. I wasn't sure if I should applaud this creative play or glare at the parents.

Cowboyland is peak Blackgang Chine for me (along with the dinosaurs)

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Back in the evening

The return to Blackgang Chine came a couple of days later for the Summer Fest.

On this occasion, it was just child one and myself. Child two and late nights don't go together very well so we waited until she had gone through for stories with Mrs Guru before sneaking out. To add to the authenticity, child one had even put her pyjamas on and then got changed in the car.

The weather had been good for a few days, but I wasn't prepared for quite how popular the Summer Fest would be.

I can't remember ever seeing Blackgang Chine looking so busy. There were cars and people everywhere, which was really good to see.

I am certainly not one of those miserable people who simultaneously complains that there are too many tourists  and that there aren't enough tourists. Visitors are utterly essential to the Isle of Wight's prosperity so please consider yourself very welcome if you decide to stay (unlike in Barcelona where you might be attacked with a water pistol).

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Night time tour

We began with a wander round some parts of Blackgang Chine that we hadn't visited earlier in the week. The dinosaurs of Restricted Area 5 are a favourite at this time of day, as the lights add a bit of extra menace.

We then visited Blackgang Beach, which was previously The Ripple at Robin Hill. This was absolutely heaving with people having a wibble wobble. I'm not exactly sure how you're supposed to keep count on these things to check that it isn't over capacity, but it was good fun and it didn't explode.

Child one was then very keen that we go on the Shipwrecked ride. I have mixed feelings about rides at theme parks. I love the idea of them, but my stomach is much less keen. Even a few spins on the teacups is enough to tip me over the edge.

I am fine on the waterslide so decided to give Shipwrecked a go. A couple of years ago, I went on the ride and didn't remember it being particularly traumatic.

On this occasion, I was a little less resilient and found myself trying to guess when it would end. After 15 rotations it finally came to a standstill and I informed child one that I would need to sit down. This was a little embarrassing as everyone else - including small children - happily skipped away from the ride.

We always have a quick walk through Restricted Area 5 when we visit at night time

The Shipwrecked ride during our daytime visit

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Fireworks finale

Once things had returned to normal, we headed over to the main event at the Summer Fest - the foam party and dance music from DJ Omar. I hesitate to call it a disco, as I can already hear child one rolling her eyes.

Child one is just about young enough that she is still keen for me to join in with the dancing. I am sure it helped that it was dark. 

We boogied away for about half an hour before the firework finale. This was particularly well done, with a pre-mixed soundtrack to accompany the explosions. There was even a vocal appearance from the Weather Wizard, which was a highlight for a Blackgang Chine nerd. 

The foam party and fireworks was a great finish to the night

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A couple of bits of advice

If you are coming along to a future Summer Fest (or similar events) then you may want to check what times the different rides close.

When we visited, the water slide closed at 8.45pm with the fireworks at 9.30pm. Extinction stayed open a little bit later so head for the water slide first.

There can also be a bit of a bottle neck when you leave the park. If possible, park your car near to the exit. Dedicated dads might even want to pop out of the park earlier in the evening to move the car to allow for a swift departure.

The fireworks finale was accompanied by music and the Weather Wizard