Faqs

Blackgang Chine offers lands of imagination and exciting rides for the whole family! Younger visitors may enjoy Nurseryland, Dodo Valley, the Pirate Barrels ride and Fairyland, while older children will love our 360-degree pendulum swing, Extinction, Waterforce waterslides and all the outdoor adventure opportunities. Parents and grandparents can enjoy the stunning sea views and relax with one of our bean to cup coffees whilst the younger ones let their imaginations run wild!

You can contact the Blackgang Chine team by emailing [email protected] calling 01983 730330 or dropping us a message on Facebook or Instagram. 

Our team will always so their best to get back to you within 48 hours.

Absolutely! There is free guest WiFi available throughout the park, though given the nature of the park’s size and location, there are areas with a weak signal. If you’re looking for the strongest signal, we recommend heading to one of our food and drink outlets. 

We’re working hard to reduce the amount of cash that is handled on-site and therefore ask that all guests ensure they are able to make purchases with either card or contactless payments when visiting. 

Blackgang Chine will be open for its main season on selected dates from Saturday 23rd March – October date coming soon. Standard opening times are 10am – 4:30pm, with late opening until 5pm during most school holidays.

The park will be open later into the evening during school holidays for specific event entertainment.
To view the exact opening dates and times, please refer to the park opening calendar.

To ensure the safety and comfort of all our guests, we do not allow bikes, scooters, skates, skateboards or any other large outdoor equipment into the park.

Many of the pathways throughout the park are steep and, in places, uneven, so we ask all guests to leave any outdoor equipment in their vehicle or at home. We do not have any space to look after equipment whilst you are inside the park.

Absolutely! We LOVE seeing dogs visit the park with their humans and our front of house team are always on-hand for cuddles! 

We simply ask that all guests keep their dogs on a short lead during their whole visit and clean up after them. Plenty of bins are provided throughout the park.

During certain events, there may be loud noises or special lighting effects that may not be suitable for all dogs. We advise checking the event-specific pages for full details and, if you’re in doubt, get in touch with us via [email protected] or 01983 730330. 

To make visits for all our guests as comfortable as possible, we’d love to keep Blackgang Chine as a smoke-free park and ask that guests refrain from smoking anywhere in the park other than the designated smoking areas.

We do have guests who visit us and stay for a full day from 10am – 4:30pm/5pm, however, we advise that most visits will last approximately 5 hours. This gives plenty of time to explore the park’s lands of imagination, spend some time on the rides and playgrounds and grab something to eat from one of our food outlets. 
The time spent in the park may be longer during specific events.

You are welcome to leave the park and re-enter again on your booked date, providing you return before last admission which is 30 minutes before the park closing time. 

Visitor are welcome to bring their own refreshments into the park and there are areas available for picnics.
There is however, a great selection of food and drink outlets within the park that serve everything from ice creams, slushies and hot drinks to main meals, snacks and sweet treats. Find out more about the food and drink available in-park here.

Chine Cafe – just a stone’s throw from the main entrance and gift shop, this is the park’s largest restaurant. Serving a wide range of home cooked meals, sandwiches, salads and lunch packs with a selection of hot and cold drinks. Top off your meal with a variety of delicious cakes, tray bakes and sweet treats. 

La Cantina – located deep in the heart of Cowboy Town, this western-themed restaurant and takeaway is ideal for hungry cowboys. Serving a range of delicious burgers and Mexican favourites, accompanied by a selection of hot and cold drinks.

iScream – situated opposite the Cliffhanger roller coaster, serving nothing but the best local Isle of Wight ice cream, you’ll be spoilt for choice at this parlour. There’s something to suit all with a range of sundaes, ice creams, Mr Whippy and hot and cold drinks too. 

Chocabloc – located at the entrance to Underwater Kingdom, serving freshly made mini doughnuts, waffles and churros with delicious sauces alongside a selection of sweet treats, hot and cold drinks. 

Captain Jacks – found down in Pirate Cove, this is the perfect pit stop for snacks and both hot and cold drinks. From sausage rolls and ice creams to coffees, slushies and dizzy drinks. Open during busy periods only.

Pirate of the BBQ – open during busy periods only, head to the BBQ for flame cooked meals like burgers and hotdogs. 

Ice Rush – overlooking Cowboy Town, this is the perfect way to cool down after a ham-packed day of chasing outlaws. Serving an array of refreshing slushies, cold drinks and a variety of ice lollies. 
Find out more about the food and drink available in-park here.

All guests must be at least 14yrs to enter the park unaccompanied by an adult during the daytime. This minimum age rises to 16yrs for entry after 5pm and may be higher for specific events. Please check event specific information for full details.

We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone we do not believe to be old enough, so please bring some ID (passport, birth certificate).

We’re working hard to reduce the amount of cash that is handled on-site and therefore ask that all guests ensure they are able to make purchases with either card or contactless payments when visiting. 

If you’ve purchased an item whilst in the park and have uncovered an issue or fault, please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected]. Please include the date of your visit, time of purchase if possible and as much detail as you can about the issue so our team can help find a resolution as quickly as possible.

As a Season Pass holder you will get unlimited access to the park for our 2025 season. That includes access to all of our in-park events and entertainment. All 2025 season pass holders get discounts in the park, too!

• 20% discount on food and drink (excluding alcohol and packaged confectionery)
• 15% discount on shopping at our stores in the park
• 10% discount on all pay-per-play activities, such as gold panning in Cowboy Town.

Purchasing your brand-new 2025 Season Pass is super simple! You’ll need to know the following details for each pass holder:

• First name
• Last name
• Date of birth
• Passport-style photo (this can be taken on a phone, however we need to recognise you. Please ensure you are the only person in the photo with a relatively clear background.)

If you’re renewing your 2024 Season Pass, it’s even simpler! All your information is already logged in your customer portal, so you just need to pay.

Vectis Ventures holds all personal data securely in alignment with our GDPR and privacy policies.

2024 Season Pass holders will receive a renewal email ahead of its expiry date – simply click the links in this email to renew without having to upload all your details again.

If you’ve missed the email, don’t panic! Log into your customer portal and you’ll be able to click renew.

If you have a pass holder under 1M who has now grown, this will need to be added on, however it will pull through info and pictures attached to that user.

Yes! You can spread the payment in three monthly instalments with PayPal’s Pay In 3. Simply select PayPal as your payment method at the checkout. This option is only available through online purchasing.

All children under 1 meter tall go free, however you must register a free pass for them to ensure efficient scanning into the park.

Guests who require additional assistance whilst visiting the park can claim a complimentary Season Pass for their carer(s). Blackgang Chine partners with Nimbus Disability, operators of the Access Card scheme, to assess and manage applications for our Essential Companion tickets. Click here for further information.

The person requiring an essential companion must purchase a Season Pass in their name, their carer will then gain free access when they accompany them on a visit. This is not tied to one particular carer and can change with each visit.

Our 2025 passes are valid from the first day of the season right through to the last date, which typically runs from end of March until late October/early Nov. Please check our opening times page for the most up to date details.

All rides and attractions are included in your admission price, and this includes our in-park entertainment.

Special events and featured entertainment throughout the season may incur additional fees.

Various food, drink, and retail options can be purchased at our outlets in-park; remember, your Season Pass unlocks discounts for these!

Some activities require an additional fee to play.

Season passes are not transferable or interchangeable. Anyone attempting to enter the park with another individual’s season pass will be refused entry, and that Season Pass may be voided without a refund.

We encourage all our Season Pass holders to embrace digital and help us achieve our goal of significantly reducing print.

However, you can print the downloadable PDF from your order confirmation email at home.

Yes! All 2025 season pass holders get 20% off food and drink when they show their pass.

PLUS! 15% off retail, and 10% off pay per play activities.
 

A Pre-Season Discounted rate of £55 will be in place from the 03/11/2024 until the park opens in March 2025.

Details of our official 2025 opening date, and main Season Pass price will be available soon.

Season passes are strictly non-transferable and non-refundable.

When purchasing your pass, you will need an up-to-date passport-style photograph. This is so we can identify you upon entry to the parks. If the photograph isn’t of a suitable likeness or not clear enough, we reserve the right to refuse entry.

A digital copy of your season pass will be provided via email after purchase. 

You should ALWAYS bring your digital pass when visiting the park. Access to certain events may require passes to be shown upon entry, even if an online booking has been made. We cannot guarantee park entry if you cannot provide proof of season pass status.

Season passes guarantee standard entry to the park when it’s open for the year that they’re issued. The 2025 main season will run from late March to early November, with exact opening dates and times to be confirmed. Vectis Ventures reserves the right to amend these dates at any time.

Children under 1 meter tall can enter the park for free.
Children under 1 metre must obtain a free Season Pass to be efficiently scanned into the park. 
Children’s height will be measured at admissions, and shoes must be worn at all times.

On attaining a height of 1 metre, all children must either pay the normal individual admission day rate or purchase an upgrade to their Season Pass, which must be done at admissions in the park. This is charged at a pro-rata monthly rate, reducing as the season goes on.

Children under 1 metre and between 1 metre and 1.2 metres will be issued a colour-coordinated wristband to ensure a smoother operation within the park in ride queues.

Season pass holders get 20% off food & drink in-park when presenting a valid pass.
Season pass holders get 15% off shopping in-park when presenting a valid pass.
Season pass holders get 10% off pay per play activities in-park when presenting a valid pass.

Vectis Ventures (Blackgang Chine) is entitled to use the season pass holder’s details to contact them about service information, including, but not limited to, information about changes to these Terms and Conditions, details on using the Season Pass and expiry and/or renewal reminders.

The Park Manager, Managing Director, or their agents may refuse admission or revoke Season Passes at any time on the grounds of public safety or if other exceptional circumstances permit. Attempting to use a season pass that is not your own will result in the pass cancellation without a refund.

Access to the park is provided in accordance with our standard terms and conditions of entry.

The park reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to vary the opening and closing dates of the park and remove or cancel all or any part of the rides, events, attractions or facilities for any reason at any time. The full value or any part of the value of the season pass will not be refunded, nor will any compensation be payable if any of the rides or attractions become unavailable or if any part of the parks, rides and attractions are closed or removed.

Season passes allow pass holders unlimited entry to the park during the main season and provide unbeatable value for those wishing to visit multiple times throughout the year. They are valid for use during the main season from when the park opens in March to when it closes in November, subject to event-specific terms and conditions and availability.

For those who would like to visit the park regularly, the passes are the best possible value – meaning you only need to visit a few times to see the value against standard admission tickets. Find out more about season passes here.

Children under 1 meter tall can enter the park for free. 

Children under one metre must obtain a free Season Pass to be efficiently scanned into the park. 

Children’s height will be measured at admissions, and shoes must be worn at all times.

On attaining a height of one metre, all children must either pay the normal individual admission day rate or purchase an upgrade to their Season Pass, which must be done at admissions in the park.

Children under 1 metre and between 1 metre and 1.2 metres will be issued a colour-coordinated wristband to ensure a smoother operation within the park in ride queues.

We request and recommend that guests without a season pass book their visits online in advance. This is the only way to guarantee entry on your chosen date.

Enter our postcode into your sat nav’s to find us by car: PO38 2HN

Parking at Blackgang is free so you can stay as long as you like in the park without worrying.

The number 6 bus route stops right outside our entrance.

Please click here for the most up to date timetable. 

Car passenger ferry crossings to the Isle of Wight run from Portsmouth, Southampton, and Lymington. 

Foot passenger crossings are available from Portsmouth, Southsea, Southampton, and Lymington. 

The minimum age is 16 years (year 11 completed) and 18 years for Ride Operator and Food Prep roles. Age restrictions are for reasons of health & safety.

We aim to respond to all applicants within two weeks.

Yes, all our applicants are interviewed by a Department Manager

Each job advertised will have an ideal start date

Yes, this is possible with some roles. However, you cannot exceed the legal number of hours allowed according to your age.

Everyone has Induction training. This gives you and overview of the business, Customer Service standards and Health & Safety. You will then be taken through a tailored training programme for your particular job role.

There is a bus service that stops right outside, however the bus times may not match your shifts. Speak to your Line Manager if you would like your shifts worked around the buses. Late nights can be a problem on public transport. Always make sure you can get home before accepting an evening shift.

This really depends on the role. Seasonal team members can work anything from 10 to 40 hrs per week depending on how busy we are. Rotas are drawn up 2 weeks in advance so you will know what hours you are working.

Possibly, yes!

All our standard park entry tickets include up to 7 days’ free returns. Return visits are offered with our compliments for up to 7 days (up to and including the 7th day) from the date of first entry; subject to standard entry terms & conditions. 

Special event tickets do not include 7-day returns as standard – please check event-specific information for full details.

Full ticket terms & conditions can be found here. 

If your tickets includes up to 7 days’ free returns, this will be clearly stated when you purchase tickets online. Please check the product description online when purchasing.

Free returns are often not included with event-specific tickets such as those tickets that are valid for single date or evening-only entry. If you’re unsure, check the event-specific information on the website, or get in touch with us via [email protected] or 01983 730330. 

If you’re trying to book online for later in the year, it is likely that those tickets are not yet available for purchase. We will release tickets for the rest of the year as soon as we can, and advise keeping an eye on our social media for all the latest announcements. If you’re unsure, please send us an email via [email protected] and our team will aim to respond within 48 hours.

Persons under 1 metre tall gain free entry to the park subject to measurement upon arrival. Children’s height will be measured at admissions and shoes must be worn at all times.

All guests visiting the park who are residents on the Isle of Wight are recommended to purchase a ‘Season Pass’ to get unbeatable value for all park visits. These passes can be purchased either for Blackgang Chine only. 

For those who would like to visit the park regularly, these passes are the best possible value – meaning you only need to visit a few times to see the value against standard admission tickets. There are no discounts offered on standard tickets for Isle of Wight residents.

Find out more about Season Passes here.

Unfortunately, Blackgang Chine is not able to accept Tesco Clubcard vouchers.

Currently, Blackgang Chine is not able to offer an NHS or blue light discount. If you’d like to get the best value on your tickets, we recommend booking online as far in advance as you can.
 

Blackgang Chine is not able to offer a student discount currently. 
If you’d like to get the best value on your tickets, we recommend booking online as far in advance as you can.

If you want to get the best value tickets, we advise booking online as far in advance as you can. Booking online will also guarantee entry on your chosen date and can be done anytime ahead of your visit, even on the morning of the day you want to visit, subject to availability. Our 7-day returns policy applies to standard tickets purchased online.

If you’re having trouble booking tickets online, we recommend first waiting a couple of minutes, refreshing your browser window and trying again.

If the trouble persists, please feel free to give us a call on 01983 730330 or email us via [email protected]. Alternatively, you can drop us a message on either Facebook or Instagram.

Our team will do their best to assist and resolve any issues with booking as soon as possible.

If you think there’s an error with your payment, or you believe payment has been taken multiple times, please let us know as soon as possible. You can do this by emailing [email protected] and including as much detail as possible about your order (confirmation number, date and time, payment method).

Our team will look into your enquiry and endeavour to respond to you within 48 hours.

The park is set on some of the Isle of Wight’s most beautiful coastline atop 400” high cliffs. This means that the route around the site slopes in places, and some paths have a gradient of 1:5. Most of the park is accessible by wheelchair, but strong helpers should accompany those in manual wheelchairs who wish to visit all park areas. 

Those using electric mobility scooters must ensure they are confident using the equipment and do not exceed its capabilities. Particular attention should be paid to the paths leading to and from Restricted Area 5, Cowboy Town & Snakes & Ladders, where gradients are likely to be at their steepest.

Coming soon! To ensure that all our guests can enjoy the park comfortably and safely, we are currently planning Accessibility Sessions. During these sessions, we may close off certain park areas, turn off the music and lift some of the usual requirements for a limited number of guests. Find more detail on these sessions on our accessibility page.

Guests who require additional assistance whilst visiting the park can claim free tickets or Frequent Visitor Passes for their carer(s). Blackgang Chine partners with Nimbus Disability, operators of the Access Card scheme, to assess and manage applications for our Essential Companion tickets. Click here for further information.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide wheelchairs or disability scooters for hire at the park.

We have a range of facilities available to help make park visits more suitable and comfortable for our disabled guests.

You can find more information on our Accessibility page, and if you still have questions, please contact us via [email protected] or 01983 730330.

To ensure the safety of our guests whilst on the rides, there are height restrictions in place that our ride operations team will enforce.

Extinction: Guests must be at least 1.2m in height to ride.
Evolution Drop Tower: Guests must be at least 1m in height to ride
Shipwrecked: Guests must be at least 1m in height to ride
Waterforce waterslides: Guests must be at least 1m in height and be accompanied by someone over 14 years old to ride (or 1.2m to ride unaccompanied)
Snakes & Ladders: Guests must be at least 1.1m to use these slides and ladders
Pirate Barrels: Guests must be at least 0.9m in height to ride, each barrel has a total weight limit of 159kg

We have been advised by the Health & Safety Executive that refusal on the grounds of health and safety does not constitute discrimination. We hope that you understand and accept that all decisions made by our team are in the interest of your safety.

To ensure the safety of all guests and staff, slides throughout the park will close in the event of wet weather, most notably, Snakes & Ladders, Extinction, Evolution, Shipwrecked and Waterforce may be affected or closed due to high winds. During any operational closures, our team will monitor the situation closely and will work to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

All the park’s rides and attractions are free to use as often as you like. 
Most event entertainment is also included free of charge, however, shows and special entertainment offerings may incur additional charges or booking fees. This may include activities such as Gold Panning, potion making in Rumpus Laboratory, Face Painting etc. Please see event specific information for full details. 

None of our rides rely on the use of high-powered magnets to operate.

We do a lot of charitable work with various good causes across the Isle of Wight and UK every year. If you represent a charity or good cause and would like our support, please email [email protected] with details of your request. Our team will endeavor to respond to you within 48 hours.
We regret that we are not always able to support every single request we receive, but even if we’re unable to help on this occasion, our team will let you know.

We regularly provide prize donations for charity raffles and other similar events. If you are running a fundraising event and would like to request a prize donation, please email [email protected] with detail of your request. Our team will endeavor to respond to you within 48 hours.

We regret that we are not always able to support every single request we receive, but even if we’re unable to help on this occasion, our team will let you know.

Absolutely! We love welcoming school groups into the park and see lots of visiting groups throughout the year. There are certain dates when we are unable to accept school visits, due to highlighted events or entertainment. To find out more about when school groups are able to visit the park, please check the schools page

If you’re planning a school visit or would like more information about how to book for a school group, please visit the schools page of our website which cover all the necessary detail. 

You can pay easily and securely through our booking portal or defer payment by invoice 28 day prior to your visit. Once booked you will receive an E-ticket to be used for admission on the day of your visit.

We offer schools a pass for two adults to visit us in advance of a trip free of charge. These must be booked in advance via the booking form. Our Front of House teams will be happy to help answer any queries you have during your visit. This will help you plan your visit with us around the requirements of your students.

Your coach drivers will park in the designated coach parking area to let you safely disembark. We ask that the lead teacher comes in to see our Front of House team to book the school in, pick up the maps and any extra information you may need for the visit before bringing the group through. This is to ensure that we are able to give all the relevant information – it can get very noisy in our Front of House, especially if we have more than one school in at once.

Blackgang Chine has primarily outdoor attractions, and the indoor space is limited. The best advice is to dress accordingly and enjoy being outside. In adverse weather conditions, schools may be able  to eat inside our main cafes – please speak to our front of house team when you arrive to arrange this!

We understand that situations and circumstances change. You can change or cancel your booking up to 28 days before the day of your visit free of charge, but you will need to call our team to do so. After this point there will be a cancellation fee.

Please be aware that strobe lighting may be in use within our Rumpus Mansion Attraction at Blackgang Chine.

The Vortex attraction at Blackgang Chine contains a rotating lighting effect, which may effect some visitors.

The parks have a range of facilities suitable for disabled visitors.  Whilst the parks are accessible to visitors, please be aware that the park is situated on hilly ground. Unfortunately we don’t hire out wheelchairs or disability scooters, so please make adequate provisions before you visit.

Please download our current guide for guests with disabilities from our useful resources for more detailed information on ride restrictions, attractions access and any requirements for helpers to accompany guests. This should enable you to assess your own abilities and make an informed decision about which attractions you are able to, or wish to use.

Blackgang Chine has a water slide ‘Waterforce’ which children sit in boats to ride. The insides of the boats may be wet, and children may get splashed at the bottom of the slide.

We want you to be able to relax and enjoy your visit with us, comfortable in the knowledge that your students will be safe with us. We have a pre-prepared risk assessment for both parks, or alternatively if you would prefer you can book a free pre-visit and create your own. Please see our policies and details page for our risk assessment and public liability insurance certificate. Individual attraction risk assessments can be provided upon request.

We hope you won’t need to use these facilities whilst you are with us. However, there is a first aid post and rest facilities located within the Main Entrance/Exit building of both parks, and this is also the facility for cold storage of medicines. Each outlet will also have a basic first aid kit if required. Both parks will always have staff on duty who are trained as ‘Appointed Persons’ for first aid help. A defibrillator and wheelchair is also located at the first aid post.

The Park has a very clear and fine-tuned ‘Lost Child Procedure’ in place. This includes contact with all outlets via telephone and/or two-way radio and levels of escalation, depending on the situation. All staff are thoroughly briefed on this procedure. If a child is missing from your party, please inform any member of staff immediately.

Rides are routinely inspected and serviced daily, weekly and monthly as per requirement by qualified in-house personnel. All rides are annually inspected by LTC (Leisure Technical Consultants) who then issue an “Amusement Device Inspection Procedures Scheme” (ADIPS) certificate. We hate to close any ride or attraction, but we reserve the right to close them for routine maintenance if required. In this instance we will always endeavour to re-open them as quickly as possible once it is safe to do so.

We hate to close rides & attractions for essential maintenance & refurbishment at short notice, but we reserve the right to do so. Safety is of paramount importance to us, and we will always ensure that is the priority. We will try to let you know if we can when issues occur.

For safety reasons, in wet weather Snakes and Ladders will close at Blackgang. In extremely high winds, Extinction, Evolution, Shipwrecked, and Waterforce Waterslide at Blackgang may also close – however this is quite a rare occurrence. In these cases, the situation will be continually monitored, and should the weather improve the team will attempt to re-open the rides when safe to do so. In the case of an electrical storm, Waterforce will close, until the storm has passed.

Unfortunately due to the number of schools we have visit us every year, and our already great schools-exclusive pricing, we are unable to accept Season Passes as part of school groups. All visitors as part of the school will need a valid school ticket.

Blackgang Chine is the ideal school group day visit and should be part of any primary years trip, whether you are planning a reward or a learning experience. Packed with fun activities for all age groups, from rollercoasters to animatronic dinosaurs, giant garden games to roleplay opportunities, we also offer a wide range of curriculum-relevant learning materials in key subjects and topics including Geography, History, English and Maths.

Blackgang Chine offers a great value package for school group visitors and free places for teachers. A great fun day out for all ages and interests in an enclosed theme park environment, perfect for learning, fun or a bit of both. Bring your own packed lunch or visit one of our many cafes and snack outlets.