🎢 Coney Beach Pleasure Park to Close This Year
A piece of Welsh seaside nostalgia is preparing to switch off the lights for good. Coney Beach Pleasure Park in Porthcawl has confirmed that 2026 will be its final operating season, bringing an end to nearly a century of rides, candyfloss, and coastal chaos.
For generations of families in South Wales, Coney Beach has been a rite of passage — the place where kids rode their first rollercoaster, teens loitered around arcade machines, and parents attempted to survive spinning rides after fish and chips.
Now, that chapter is coming to an emotional close.
🏖️ Nearly 100 Years of Seaside Fun
Coney Beach first opened in 1920, becoming one of Wales’ most recognisable traditional seaside amusement parks. Sitting right along the promenade in Porthcawl, it grew into a classic British fairground — complete with wooden rides, flashing lights, arcade halls, and the smell of doughnuts drifting across the beach.
For decades it has been a staple of summer holidays in South Wales.
But changing visitor habits, rising operating costs, and redevelopment pressures have slowly squeezed traditional parks like this.
🎢 The Iconic Rollercoaster
The park’s most famous attraction is its historic Roller Coaster, one of the last surviving wooden fairground-style coasters in the UK.
Ride Statistics
Roller Coaster (Coney Beach)
- 🎢 Type: Wooden roller coaster
- 🏗 Manufacturer: Charles Paige & Co.
- 📅 Opened: 1932
- 📏 Track Length: ~914 metres
- ⬆️ Height: ~15 metres
- ⚡ Top Speed: ~35 mph (56 km/h)
The ride’s classic out-and-back layout and rattling turns have made it a beloved relic of old-school British amusement parks.
It’s not the tallest or fastest coaster around — but that’s not really the point. The charm lies in its history and the slightly chaotic ride experience that modern theme parks simply don’t build anymore.
🎟️ Ticket Prices
Coney Beach has traditionally operated on a pay-per-ride token system rather than a single entry ticket.
Typical pricing in recent seasons:
- 🎟 Single ride tokens: around £1.20 – £1.50 each
- 🎢 Roller Coaster: 4–5 tokens
- 🎡 Family rides:** 2–4 tokens
That affordable, pick-your-ride model is part of what made the park accessible to families visiting the coast for the day.
🏗️ What Happens to the Site?
The closure comes as the Coney Beach land lease approaches renewal, with redevelopment proposals expected for the seafront area.
While no final plans have been confirmed publicly, the land could potentially be used for housing, leisure developments, or a redesigned public space.
For many locals though, losing the amusement park will change the character of Porthcawl’s beachfront forever.
😢 The End of a Welsh Seaside Institution
Traditional seaside parks have been disappearing across the UK for years. Rising insurance costs, maintenance requirements, and competition from large theme parks have made survival increasingly difficult.
Coney Beach is the latest example of a wider shift in British leisure culture.
When the park closes later this year, it won’t just mark the loss of a set of rides — it will mark the end of a century of Welsh seaside memories.
For countless visitors, that creaking wooden coaster and neon-lit promenade were part of childhood.
And once the rides stop turning, those memories become history.
The closure of Coney Beach joins a growing list of struggling British amusement parks. Across the UK, rising costs, redevelopment pressure, and changing visitor habits are reshaping the future of traditional seaside funfairs. 🎢