It’s fireworks season at Alton Towers Resort and there’s a brand new theme to this year’s show as the Alton Towers Phalanx Expo kicked this three-day fireworks spectacular off with a bang.
Themed around an exclusive takeover of the Phalanx there was a mix of live music, pyrotechnics, dancing, lights and more that all weaved together for this year’s fireworks show with the Phalanx showcasing their latest technology to the masses.
Whilst the general public won’t have a clue about what the Phalanx is, what they do, or what backstory they have they would have still been none the wiser once this year’s incredible show had concluded.
Theming an entire show around a small group of enthusiasts who will appreciate the story of Nemesis more was a strange choice. This certainly felt like a creative decision to appease a minority instead of the majority.
Many people at the event were a little confused as to why there were armed guards around and we overheard many people saying they didn’t understand the story but the fireworks were incredible and they weren’t wrong.
This year was certainly a wonderful show for Alton Towers just like it is every season. It’s always the highlight of the calendar year and if they scrapped every other event at the park and just focused on fireworks then they would be onto a winner as they can’t quite get the other events right whatsoever with cutbacks shown across all events this season aside from the Pirate Takeover event which kicked off the 2024 season.
All that gusto and promise of bigger and better events in 2024 sadly never materialised but the fireworks were an incredibly spectacular end to a dismal season that shows exactly what Alton Towers are capable of if they put their minds to it but sadly consistency (just like ride operations this season) has been unreliable.
The stunning Phalanx stage had live performances in the lead-up to the show and it was dressed wonderfully and the whole atmosphere around Towers Street was complimented with tension-building music, lighting and smoke effects for a real anticipatory atmosphere.
Painting the story of the Phalanx at this Expo setting had Phalanx CEO John Dalton on stage who we see for the first-ever time as ‘Mr Phalanx Man’ (played by Richard Hand) was merely a spokesperson for the Phalanx who Nemesis quickly eat in no time a few months prior.
The fireworks complimented the storytelling of the scenes when they were used but there was a lot of filler which included lights, dancing and fire effects. There was a lot of filler where fireworks were not used whatsoever and I felt as though there were certainly more gaps and blank spaces in terms of the fireworks themselves filled with performance instead.
Whilst it’s great to tell a story I felt the gaps were certainly longer this season in between segments but when the fireworks were shot into the sky there was no expense spared in terms of how they looked and how the show came across but the gaps certainly had me questioning those two words that have plagued this season at the resort, budget cuts.
Thankfully the story was well told and utilising certain firework effects to mimic electrical shortages, spaceships exploding and more was a very clever syncronisation which led to the big reveal of the new ride coming in 2025… but… the screen failed.
Yes, the big screen that was set up to market the new ride to 18,000 people (thereabouts) didn’t work and no one had a clue what had just happened. All the build-up, all the hype and on the second night of the fireworks event the screens died and we missed the entire big reveal. Quite ironic really, all that gusto and promise of a big show and by the end of it, it failed horribly.
Fear not, we saw some Barrels in Forbidden Valley that promoted the new for 2025 flat ride. Better than nothing I guess but when people are praising the park for adding some green lights and barrels, they really are scraping the barrel with that one!
Whilst I loved the event (despite lulls in the main show) I feel as though catering an entire fireworks spectacular to a story that no one other than enthusiasts care about was a strange choice. Alton Towers fireworks since the 90’s has focused on the magic of the park and all of the rides and experiences within it and whilst the Expo was rather stunning from a fan perspective I felt the magic of the park wasn’t highlighted within the show.
Quite a fitting ending really as despite the incredible show, for me, the magic has well and truly been lost at Alton Towers this season but with them capable of an immersive spectacle such as this, there’s a glimmer of hope for a brighter and better future one day at Alton Towers Resort.
Check out our VLOG below of the Alton Towers Phalanx Expo Fireworks Spectacular:
