A popular French theme park dubbed ‘better than Disneyland’ is making headway with plans to open a new British site. Puy du Fou is a unique amusement park with existing sites in France and Spain, each themed around the history of the respective countries and their people. The parks—the first of which opened in western France in 1978—attract millions of visitors every year, are the number one leisure attraction on TripAdvisor in both France and Spain, and recently won ‘World’s Best Park’ at the Thea Classic Awards in Los Angeles.
The Puy du Fou team have had their eyes on a stretch of land just outside Bicester in Oxfordshire for a little while, and have been busy pitching the new multi-million pound site. They claim the potential new park would be unlike anything we already have in the UK (I believe it!) – and would create up to 700 new jobs in the area. The plans include two themed hotels on site.
While you won’t find any rollercoasters or neon lights at this particular amusement park, you will be thrown back in time with world-class live shows recounting Britain’s history, and fully immersive recreations of notable moments and things throughout time. You’ll even be able to walk around period villages as they would have looked hundreds of years ago.
Absolutely nothing in Puy du Fou’s parks is fake: no plastic or artificial simulation. Everything is built using the crafts and materials of the time period they represent, adding to the authentic feel of the place. Olivier Strebelle, chief executive of the French park said:
“We create an authentic, natural and historical environment set within beautiful gardens, which become the setting for world-class shows and immersive cultural and historical experiences for the whole family to enjoy.
“With Britain’s rich history, and with so many British people already visiting us in France and Spain, we have been looking for a site in the country for many years and we have now identified the perfect location.”
Of course, nothing is confirmed and they will have to await approval, but if all goes to plan – time travel could be possible the park could be built by 2028. We’ll keep you updated.