Dreamland Margate — Attraction in Thanet

Back to the Future!

The website said:

"DREAMLAND PAST

Described as the heartbeat of Margate, Dreamland has been one of the UK’s best-loved amusement parks for a century. The seaside park hosted a zoo, miniature railway, WWII troops, big bands like the The Who and the Rolling Stones - and it's still going strong...

Considered to be the oldest-surviving amusement park in Great Britain, the site of Dreamland (as it was re-named in 1920) dates back to the British railway boom of the early 1870s when, in its original form, the ‘Hall by the Sea’ was operated by the famous circus impresario ‘Lord’ George Sanger. The park was later snapped up by John Henry Iles, who set about transforming it into a pleasure garden and amusement park with the iconic Scenic Railway as its centrepiece, which opened in 1920.

Over the early part of the 20th century, the park thrived as a popular visitor attraction and music venue with Margate remaining a hugely popular vacation spot for Londoners. But the town and park's popularity waned in the 1970s and 1980s as more Brits chose to holiday abroad - but there are plenty of people around today with fond memories of the then-named Bembom Brothers Theme Park!

Fast forward to 2003, when a plan to close the park triggered a 'Save Dreamland' campaign by locals and amusement park enthusiasts, whose successful campaigning led to securing £18m public funding to restore Dreamland and its jewels: the Grade II-listed Scenic Railway, Grade II-listed cinema complex and Grade II-listed menagerie cages.

Thanet District Council compulsorily-purchased the site in September 2013 and work began to restore the iconic Scenic Railway and the park. Capitalising on Margate’s swiftly growing reputation as a brand new capital of British cool, Dreamland Margate reopened in June 2015 with a wealth of new and rejuvenated features set to redefine ‘a day out at the seaside’.

Following significant additional investment in 2017, the amusement park was re-landscaped and expanded to provide a space that brings together lovingly restored vintage rides, thrilling new rides, art installations, adventurous street food, unique bars and an eclectic programme of live events.

DREAMLAND NOW

Dreamland: the picture perfect, ‘all-you-can-treat’ seaside sensation, your one stop shop of culture, food, festival fun and must-try rides. Granny will say 'this takes me back' and the little ones will squeal 'again, again!'

We're the pride of Margate, the UK's unofficial capital of cool. And so much more than just an amusement park. Dreamland is where ‘age’ is left at the gate. Strap on some roller skates or get interactive with art exhibits, alongside all your classic seaside food favourites. Don’t forget to hold that smile as you're waltzed, flung or dizzied on one of 25 gum-flashing rides, because around every (rollercoaster) corner could be your next most 'liked' Instagram post.

We have more than 25 rides, classics old and new, for little big kids and big little ones too. There’s Teddy and Betty land for the smallest smile-seekers and the Scenic Stage is the place to find your new outdoor anthem. And keep an eye on the skies for our Seagull mascot, cos he’s certainly got his eye firmly locked on your chips!

Whether you’re looking to thrill or chill, it’s the place to find your smile, over and over again. ‘Shake it all about’ in a park-wide game of hokey cokey, enjoy your first game of pass the parcel in years (top tip: hold on a couple of seconds too long). Then watch the sun go down with a frosty one in the Roof Top Bar.

And the fun doesn't stop there. Dreamland is fast becoming UK's coolest music venue. Gorillaz and Sara Cox have sold us out (in a good way) and the big names keep on coming to our sunset sessions.

At the end of the day, cheeks will be sore from all the smiling, phones are bursting with selfies and it’s time to collect Dad from the roof top bar.

Because, we’ve had the time of our...

So disappointed by the actions of event stewards/staff.

I had been looking forward to visiting Dreamland for a concert since last year and though I was confused by the odd opening hours listed (why weekdays but not weekends during term time?) and a bit gutted we wouldn't get to go on any of the rides before the gig I still thought that was a fair trade off for seeing one of my favourite bands in an iconic venue.

Security was insanely tight, with sniffer dogs, bag-checks and stewards eyeing up your ibubrofen and antihistamines as though they're guaranteed to be some form of narcotic, but again, I could've coped with that, as it's become fairly standard practice at summer gigs, and a couple of locals in the queue told us someone had died of an overdose at a recent drum n' bass night at the venue.

Then they started taking away everyone's refillable water bottles which seemed a bit off considering it had been hot as the hobs of hell all weekend and it was unclear whether tapwater would be free at the bar. We had intended to drop our stuff off at our accommodation before the gig, but the trains were barely once and hour and we realised that with the doors opening exceptionally early we might miss the support act.

Throwing away two perfectly good refillable water bottles including one which had been round the world and to several other gigs with me was frustrating, but I ultimately accepted it was our fault for not checking guidance on the website more thoroughly, then came the real kicker that motivated me to write this review...

Earlier that day I'd bought a beautiful late-19th century porcelain teacup and saucer from one of Margate's many excellent antique shops and which, for the reasons given above, I hadn't been able to drop off back in Westgate at our accommodation. It was neatly wrapped in the bottom of my rucksack, but the steward took it out, unwrapped it and insisted I throw it away. I told her that was ridiculous and asked on what grounds. She claimed it was 'glass' and could be used as a weapon. I asked if she knew the difference between glass and porcelain at which point she called over a supervisor and asked him for his take.

The supervisor could have been reasonable and acknowledged the ridiculousness of the situation, instead he doubled-down on the rhetoric that my teacup could have been used 'as a missile' and lobbed into the crowd to cause injury. I asked if this was really likely given that the cup was over a hundred years old and my only intention was to take it home and display it.

Because our tickets had already been scanned, I was told my only choice was to leave the gig, teacup in hand, and not be allowed back in, or throw the cup away amid all the other banned items (though the bin was mostly full of reusable water-bottles brought by the eco-conscious at this point). A choice between something I'd paid £65 for and something I paid £4 for is hardly a choice, but even now I find myself really fed up thinking of that beautiful piece of china smashed to smithereens in a landfil site after surviving two world wars.

If venues want to attract the kind of clientele who won't worsen their reputation for drug deaths, maybe they should reconsider their policy of treating everyone like a criminal. Even in the world's strictest airports I've never been in a position of being accused of carrying a weapon when the weapon in question was a piece of antique porcelain.

I suppose I can only be grateful they didn't catch me in possession of the cranberry-glass mushroom paperweight I bought at Westgate brocante earlier that day, which could, if lobbed into a crowd, have done some...

Amazing venue, terrible policies & awful staff. I attended an awesome music event, WAH, which was sold out, as their events always are. So understandably the queue to get in was huge. First off, the security man checking our bags was awful. He said to my friend in front who was wearing a mini backpack "if that were any bigger, you wouldn't have been allowed in". Ok, what was the point in saying that? Then when I was next, with my bigger bag, he didn't say anything about it, but told me I must throw my reusable water bottle in the bin! Do you know how hard it is to find the perfect reusable bottle, that has large capacity, doesn't leak & fits in the car cup holder?? Yet I'm told to throw it in the bin! I agreed to tip out the water & carry it in empty. No. He insisted I must throw it in the bin. There is tap water available inside the venue. I argued this & told him I was going to hide it around the queue somewhere to find later. He said he will search for it & throw it away. It went on like this for a while. Eventually, I stashed the water bottle in a hiding place, walked past him & he flagged down more security to search me. The security lady I spoke to proudly told me she'd made another woman cry earlier when she made her throw away her water bottle. I cannot fathom the pettiness of this! Anyway. The event itself was FANTASTIC! The toilet situation was ABYSMAL. The drinks were incredibly expensive. The bar staff were rude & acted inconvenienced by every request. The tap water was served in the flimsiest of plastic cups that spilt everywhere. At the end of the event, on the way out, I jumped over a barrier & managed to find my treasured water bottle under the marquee & was thrilled the mean, petty little man was unable to find & throw it away. Ultimately, I cannot believe such a stupid policy even exists. It was 30 degrees & people need to stay hydrated at an all day dance music festival With climate change, the Paris agreement & requirements for companies to commit to net zero targets, with businesses & individuals trying their best to be more sustainable, it's unfathomable that this venue are forcing people to throw away sustainable, reusable items in favour of flimsy, single use plastics. I legitimately felt like a criminal for having to stash my water bottle & "break in" to get it later. There are no lockers offered on site to overcome this! The staff seemed to take genuine pleasure in flexing their security "power" & enjoyed telling people they were "lucky they were allowed in" for various reasons, such as bag sizes, or by making people cry! So, so, strange. It was a bad start to a great day. Lucky it was a great event, it didn't ruin the whole day for us. But "Dream" Land need to take a long, hard look at their policies & staff going forward. Great venue with great potential, but based on above experience, would...