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Blackpool Pleasure Beach announces its famous ‘late night riding’ is back next month

It's making a comeback.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 25th August 2023

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced that its famous ‘late night riding’ event is making a grand return next month.

If you don’t quite feel ready to say goodbye to summer just yet, and want to cling onto that laidback lifestyle for a little longer, then the Lancashire seaside town’s beloved theme park has just announced that it will be bringing back its ever popular ‘late night riding’ hours for one Saturday only next month, and tickets are now on sale.

It’s not just us calling it ‘late night riding’ for nothing, by the way, that is genuinely what Blackpool Pleasure Beach has called the event in previous years.

This year though, it does seem to have been rebranded as ‘Twilight Thrills‘… we can’t think why?

Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s famous ‘late night riding’ is making a comeback / Credit: Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Anyway, on Saturday 23 September Blackpool Pleasure Beach will be open from 10am right through until 9pm, so thrill-seekers can enjoy their favourite rides under the town’s twinkling lights once the sun has gone down.

“Enjoy the fantastic atmosphere as the park sparkles and shines in the dark,” Blackpool Pleasure Beach said as it announced the event‘s return.

While Blackpool Pleasure Beach is usually a great day out during the daylight hours anyway, Twilight Thrills gives you the chance to “brave your favourite rides in the dark”, and experience the park like never before.

The popular event will return for one night only next month / Credit: Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Staying open until 9pm means there’s even more hours to ride into the night on the UK’s tallest rollercoaster, the Big One, check out the twists and turns of ICON in the evening, enjoy a night race on the Grand National, and ride on the the Big Dipper at dusk.

Tickets for Twilight Thrills on Saturday 23 September are available online, and will set you back £39 for over 12s, and £33 for children under 12.

If you’re actually looking for the return of ‘Late Night Riding’ though, then you’ll have to wait until November for that, when the event makes a comeback on Saturday 4 November and the night “finishes with a bang” thanks to a show-stopping fireworks display filling the skies until 10pm.

Read more:

Find out more about that one here.

Featured Image – Blackpool Pleasure Beach

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Rising Mancunian MMA star Lewis McGrillen set to take part in PFL Champions Series

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester MMA fighter Lewis McGrillen fighting in Dubai PFL Champions Series 2025

Rising Manchester MMA fighter, Lewis McGrillen, is topping off a breakout 12 months with a big booking in the Middle East, as he is set to feature in the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) latest ‘Champions Series’ over in the UAE.

Continuing an incredible and seminal campaign, the Wythenshawe-born and raised bantamweight, who became the champion of his division back in December, is set to feature in the next edition of the PFL Champion series later this year.

The local lad, who grew up around athletes like Marcus Rashford MBE and Cole Palmer, is still only 24 but has already generated a passionate following and online persona in the combat sports sphere and on social media, in general.

Here was the moment he got his fast hands on his first-ever European PFL title:

As a fast-growing Mancunian sportsman, he’s got plenty of backing here at home, but his larger-than-life personality has also seen him become a charismatic figure in the world of MMA overall.

With the likes of Wigan’s Tom Aspinall now the unified heavyweight champion and Manc UFC fighter Lerone Murphy calling for his own title shot, Greater Manchester is having a truly great moment within the discipline.

But in terms of characters, for our money at the minute, there are arguably few more compelling characters in mixed martial arts than McGrillen-Evan (to use his full name) besides Liverpool favourite Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett.

All hail the golden era of North West knockout stars.

The resurgence of not just high-potential but increasingly successful fighters in the region has not only seen an added interest in the fight game, but the city is attracting even more events of late, too.

A night of bare-knuckle boxing is coming to Manchester’s AO Arena
Case and point.

Having made the step up from flyweight to compete amongst the bantams, Lewis ‘The McGrizzla’ McGrillen – we’ll never not chuckle at that nickname – is quickly going from one of the PFL’s best prospects to among the most exciting names in MMA full stop.

With 13 professional fights under his belt, a dozen of those being wins and 10 of them being by TKO, he’s past being considered merely ‘one to watch’ if you ask us.

A product of the notorious Manchester Top Team, led by the likes of aforementioned ‘Miracle ‘Murphy and fellow native Kane Mousah, the bantamweight champ will be looking to make an even bigger name for himself on the PFL’s global stage this autumn.

McGrillen is due to tussle with County Tyrone’s Caolan Loughran, 29, in the Dubai bout on Friday, 3 October, and we’re backing him to make a big splash.

You only watch the likes of his match against Dean Garnett, one that was dubbed “the fight of the year”, and you’ll understand why…

Nevertheless, his opponent had a lot of his own choice words to say following plenty of big talk from a very confident Lewis. Who are you backing to come out on top, fight fans?

Read more:

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Featured Images — Supplied/Stillryan (screenshot via YouTube)

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Aldi’s ‘superfan’ card is back to give someone FREE shopping for a year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Aldi’s is looking to give one lucky person free shopping for a full year as its ‘superfan card’ competition returns.

Did you know that, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average UK household now spends, on average, £4,124 on groceries annually? For many families, that figure could be even higher too, unfortunately.

But for one lucky Aldi shopper, they soon won’t have to part ways with a single penny for 12 whole months.

That’s because the budget supermarket retailer has announced the return of its ‘superfan card’ after it proved to be a huge success last year, and wants to celebrate its most loyal customer by offering them a year’s-worth of groceries for free.

Only one shopper will be able to claim the exclusive new card.

Aldi outside
Aldi’s ‘superfan’ card is back to give someone free shopping for a year / Credit: Aldi UK

While Aldi is the UK’s cheapest supermarket, which tends to mean customers spend less groceries overall anyway, the wide selection of seasonal Specialbuys on offer in the fan-favourite ‘middle aisle’ can often mean shoppers end up spending more.

Which is why Aldi’s Superfan Card will be worth £5,000 so the winner can bag all the exciting extras as well as the essentials.

Last year, it was actually Charlotte Mellor from Oldham who bagged the first-ever Superfan Card offering a year’s worth of free groceries, so will Greater Manchester be lucky enough to go again for a second year? Only time will tell.

All bargain-lovers need to do to be in with the chance of winning the card is explain to Aldi judges – who will carefully review all submissions – in no more than 250 words they are the company‘s biggest fan and deserve to win a year’s worth of free shopping.

Read more:

You just need to be over 18, and to email your name, age, hometown, and your entry to [email protected], before the deadline on Thursday 18 September at 11:59pm.

The winner will be contacted by Wednesday 1 October 2025.

Featured Image – Aldi

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