National Rollercoaster Day: Can you win the Straight Face Challenge to grab free rides for a year?
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Think you could hurtle around a rollercoaster at 80mph without cracking a smile, screaming – or looking absolutely terrified?
Theme park giant Merlin is throwing down the ultimate thrill-seeker challenge to celebrate the 40th anniversary of National Rollercoaster Day on Sunday, August 16 – with a year of free rides up for grabs.
GET TICKETS: Click on the theme park links to buy your tickets in advance.
From August 16-23, visitors to Thorpe Park, Alton Towers Resort, Chessington World of Adventures Resort and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort can attempt Merlin's Straight Face Challenge.
To enter, riders need to brave a coaster while keeping their best poker face, purchase their official on-ride photo and share it on social media using #StraightFaceChallenge.
The prize is a Platinum Merlin Annual Pass worth £299, giving the winner a year of theme park adventures. The pass includes entry to Merlin attractions with no exclusion dates, four free Bring a Friend tickets a year and a free one-shot Fastrack on each visit.
And there's good news for families planning a summer day out, with day tickets for all four theme parks starting from £34.13.
Pop twins Jedward have already tried – and spectacularly failed – to keep straight faces while tackling the 81mph Hyperia at Thorpe Park and The Smiler's record-breaking 14 inversions at Alton Towers.
Perhaps that's no surprise. Merlin research found 69% of Brits say rollercoasters make them happier, while 47% reckon they laugh more on a coaster than watching a comedy film.
So, can you do better than Jedward?
Book your theme park tickets below and take on the Straight Face Challenge from August 16-23.
- Alton Towers Resort: altontowers.com
- Chessington World of Adventures: chessington.com.
- LEGOLAND Windsor Resort: legoland.co.uk
- Thorpe Park: thorpepark.com
Alton Towers Resort is renowned for providing world-class attractions for guests of all ages, including Wicker Man, the UK's first wooden rollercoaster to be built in over 20 years, Oblivion, the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster and The Smiler, the world's first 14 loop rollercoaster, to name a few. The Staffordshire based theme park continues to welcome millions of guests from across the globe, delivering memorable and unique experiences and events each season.
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is Britain's biggest wildlife theme park. The only UK attraction to offer a theme park, zoo and SEA LIFE aquarium, plus two themed hotels, magical rides and attractions, and over 1,000 animals spread across 128 acres. Chessington is Britain's wildest adventure! Chessington is a 35-minute direct train from London Waterloo.
The LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is a unique family theme park where children aged 2 - 12 can take to the road, soar through the skies, and sail the seas in complete safety. With interactive rides, attractions, live shows, building workshops, and driving schools, not to mention a staggering 80 million LEGO® bricks, all set in 150 acres of beautiful parkland. There are nine other LEGOLAND® parks in the world in Denmark, California, Florida, Germany, Dubai, Malaysia, Korea, New York and Japan.
Thorpe Park is a record-breaking theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey. After opening in 1979, it has evolved into the UK's leading thrill destination, boasting the highest concentration of thrill rides in the country.
The Park is home to the Big 6 coasters - including Hyperia, the UK's tallest, fastest and most weightless rollercoaster – which together pack in a huge 4,450m of twisting track, 25 jaw-dropping inversions and speeds of up to 81mph.
In addition to its coasters, Thorpe Park is also renowned for having the UK's wettest water rides, the award-winning Halloween event, Fright Nights®, and family-fun attractions like first-time coaster Flying Fish. Plus, visitors can turn their day visit into a mini-break with a stay at the Thorpe Shark Cabins. For more information visit www.thorpepark.com.