Coronation Street stars including Jude Riordan, Cait Fitton and John Thomson attended the launch of Blackpool Pleasure Beach's annual Halloween event, Journey to Hell, which features three scare mazes and a transformed ghost train.
Stars on the Black Carpet
A host of soap and reality stars walked the black carpet as the event got underway for 2026. Alongside Coronation Street child star Jude Riordan and actor John Thomson, Married at First Sight's Amy Kenyon was also present. Coronation Street duo Cait Fitton and Sydney Martin – who play Lauren Bolton and Betsy Swain on the soap – attended, along with ex-Emmerdale actor Anthony Quinlan and Britain's Got Talent winner George Sampson.
Kyran Bowes, who plays Jack Webster, and Grace Ashcroft-Gardner, who plays Lily Platt, were also spotted among the stars gathered around the stage for the opening show.
The Scare Mazes
Journey to Hell opened with a stage show featuring dancers, fire-eaters and a giant werewolf on stilts. The event ran in a different format this year, with the main park opening from 10am-6pm and the event itself running from 6pm-9pm. While many of the park's rides stayed open in the dark, the main attractions were three scare mazes with live actors and jump-scares.
The first maze, The Veil, was set up in the former home of the Space Invader 2 rollercoaster. Themed around the opening between worlds, it featured theatrical scenes including a seancé-esque room with a door that opened by itself and dark corridors.
Deadline, a new maze for 2026, was housed in the building that usually contains the funhouse Impossible. Transformed into a call centre of nightmares, it follows employees of a shady corporation as their contracts are 'terminated', with a twist in the final scene. The recorded audio and actors, especially the receptionist at the welcome desk, were highlights.
Eternal Abyss, located in the subterranean tunnels under several of the park's oldest rides and linked to the new gyro-swing Aviktas, was considered the weakest maze. The plot involved a missing relic in an ancient temple, but the final scene was missed due to large groups, and there were no real scares.
Other Attractions and Value
The classic Alice in Wonderland ride transformed into Down the Rabbit Hole for the night, with the iconic music switched off and scare actors ready to jump out. The world's oldest ghost train became The Ghost Train: Vault of Shadows, though the queue remained long all night. The two scare zones, Moonshine Massacre and Carnevil, were underwhelming due to dim lighting and lack of order.
For families, the kid-friendly Witch Way Out? maze takes over the Chinese Puzzle Maze, running from 2pm-4pm with a chance to win a prize. Ticket holders to all three mazes could experience the Icon rollercoaster blindfolded.
With each maze priced at £15 a ticket (or an all-day ticket including mazes starting at £58), the event feels steep for what at times seems like a production on a budget. There is room for improvement, such as opening the old Noah's Ark building as a scare maze. Tickets for Journey to Hell are available.
