Joyland
ENTRY
Free
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Great Yarmouth
What it’s like
A pay-per-ride amusement park by the seafront where entry's free and you just buy tokens for the Snail Ride, Spook Express and the Pirate Ship.
Entry costs nothing here, you only pay when you actually ride something. Tokens are £3 each, or you buy them in bulk as a £30 bag (12 tokens plus 2 free) or a £60 bag (25 tokens plus 5 free), which works out a fair bit cheaper if you know you'll be there a while. The famous ride is the Snail, which has been running since 1949, so there's a decent chance you're queuing behind a grandparent who rode it as a kid too.
Beyond the Snails there's a proper spread of old-school seaside rides: the Virginia Reel, the Pirate Ship swinging overhead, a dark ride through Neptune's Kingdom, the Spook Express, and a junior Skydiver for the smaller ones who aren't ready for the bigger stuff. There are arcade games and smaller coin rides dotted about too, plus a Photo Hut where you can go and find your ride photo after the Snails, Spook Express or Jet Cars using the number on your sticker.
It's outdoors and open air, and Joyland is upfront that opening hours move around with the weather and how busy trade is, there's no fixed closing time advertised, and they open around 11am generally. That's a bit of a faff if you're planning your day precisely, but it also means turning up on a decent afternoon rather than booking ahead. The season runs mid or late March through to the end of October, with daily opening during October half term and a final day for 2026 of Sunday 1st November before it shuts for winter.
Dogs are welcome on a lead, though they can't go on the rides themselves, so if you're bringing one you're looking after it while the kids queue. There are also special Halloween evenings on select dates with unlimited rides from 6pm to 8pm, which sounds like the one to book in the diary if you're around Great Yarmouth that time of year.
Facilities
Need to know
- Booking
- Special Halloween evenings with unlimited rides 6:00pm-8:00pm available on select dates
- Dogs
- Allowed on lead only, cannot ride attractions
- Buying a value bag works out cheaper per ride than paying £3 a token each time
- No fixed closing time, it runs on weather and how busy it is, so don't plan too tightly around an end time
- The Snail Ride has been going since 1949
- Halloween evenings with unlimited rides run 6pm to 8pm on select dates
Plan your visit
Is it free to get in?
Getting in costs nothing. You pay £3 per token for each ride, or buy a £30 or £60 value bag for more tokens plus a few free ones.
Do we need to book?
There's no booking mentioned for normal visits, you just turn up. The Halloween evenings with unlimited rides are on select dates and worth planning around.
What time does it open and close?
It generally opens around 11am, but Joyland says this and the closing time depend on the weather and how busy trade is on the day. There's no fixed closing time advertised.
When's the season?
Mid or late March through to the end of October, with daily opening during October half term. The final day for 2026 is Sunday 1st November before it closes for winter.
Can we bring the dog?
Yes, on a lead. They just can't go on any of the rides.
What rides are there?
The famous Snail Ride, the Virginia Reel, the Pirate Ship, a dark ride through Neptune's Kingdom, the Spook Express, a junior Skydiver, plus arcade games and smaller coin-operated rides.
Can we get ride photos?
You get a numbered sticker after the Snails, Spook Express or Jet Cars, and you show that number to the team at the Photo Hut opposite the token box to see your photo.
Is there a token machine or cash only?
Both cash and card are accepted for buying tokens.
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