Alton Towers has confirmed that a new ride is opening this year, and it’s apparently quite the “dark and haunting” experience.
After upsetting fans by announcing in back in September of last year that one of its most-popular rides, Nemesis, was to close to the public until at least 2024 so that “major maintenance” work can be carried out – including the replacement of large sections of the track – Alton Towers has now teased the opening of a brand new ride.
The new attraction, which is named The Curse at Alton Manor, is set to be the theme park’s most immersive dark ride to date.
Although no official opening date has been announced as of yet, and ride details are still being kept under wraps for now, bosses at the theme park say The Curse at Alton Manor will be a “haunting ride which will frighten and excite both brave youngsters and adults”.
The theme park says the ride-through haunted house experience will take those brave enough to hop on board on a “hair-raising journey through the spectacular twists and turns of the cursed manor”.
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Announcing that the ride is on its way in 2023 on its website and social media platforms this morning, Alton Towers said: “The Curse at Alton Manor. A haunting dark ride, taking you on a hair-raising journey through the spectacular twist and turns of the cursed Manor.
“Coming, ready or not! The abandoned Alton Manor, repossessed under mysterious circumstances, will be inviting you inside.
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“Have your wits about you as you ride deeper into the historic Manor.”
According to reports, The Curse at Alton Manor will take shape at the spooky site that was once home to the attraction Duel – The Haunted House, which opened in 1992, and was the largest ghost train in Europe at the time, before it abruptly closed back in September 2022 after the building was repossessed due to unnatural activity in the area.
Alton Towers confirms a new ‘dark and haunting’ ride is opening this year / Credit: Alton Towers
Speaking ahead of the ride’s opening this year, Kate McBirnie – Head of Product Excellence at Alton Towers Resort – said: “Let the countdown begin!
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“The Curse at Alton Manor is no ordinary dark ride. It has all the components of a supernatural tale – it’s dark, compelling, and promises something thrilling and scary moments along the way. Fans of eerie rides will certainly appreciate this one.
“More details on The Curse at Alton Manor will be revealed next month, so stay tuned for what’s to come.”
You can find out more about The Curse at Alton Manor on the Alton Towers website here.
featured Image – Newstream (via Alton Towers)
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Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)
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Data reveals Manchester hotel prices have ALREADY surged by 462% on rumoured Oasis tour dates
Emily Sergeant
Manchester hotel prices have apparently already surged by 462% on rumoured Oasis tour dates, some new data has revealed.
Of course, absolutely nothing is set in stone yet and we are still yet to receive any form of announcement.
But with rumours having been swirling for months now that Oasis will be touring again in 2027, and several videos shared on the band’s social media platforms this week also hinting at that, it’s been revealed that searches for ‘when are Oasis tickets going on sale?’ have soared by 5,000% in the last seven days alone.
After recent data has pointed towards soaring searches for tickets, the experts at SeatPick decided to analyse the average cost of accommodation in Manchester on the suspected concert nights in June 2027 to uncover if prices have surged along with the searches.
Data reveals that Manchester hotel prices have already surged by 462% on rumoured Oasis tour dates / Credit: The Manc Group | Simon Emmett (Press Picture)
And lo and behold, it appears that they have.
The ticketing platform has revealed that hotel prices have surged by up to 462% during Oasis’ rumoured concert nights in Manchester.
The rumoured weekend date of 19 and 20 June has experienced the most noticeable price surge – with a two-star hotel costing an average of £216 for just one overnight stay.
The data also reveals that the rumoured finale on the 27 June has just a £95 difference between two-star hotels (£200) and five-star hotels (£295).
“Our analysis uncovered an enormous markup for local accommodation on nights that Oasis is rumoured to perform in Manchester,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO at ticket platform SeatPick.
“Being aware of these accommodation costs and additional expenses can help fans plan and avoid being caught off guard by inflated prices on concert nights.
“To find the best deals on hotels, concertgoers should scan budget chains in the city or look slightly outside of the centre in hotspots served by local bus routes or regional trains, such as Salford and Trafford.
Emily Sergeant -
24th January 2023 
