Butlin’s Minehead gets red-hot multi-million pound makeover

Butlin’s has unveiled a £23 million investment to enhance its rooms, introduce new play facilities, and revamp the iconic Redcoats. Visitors have enjoyed the opening of Butlin’s Skypark at its Minehead resort which is now ready for a busy summer.

Heralded as the UK’s most exciting playground, the play space, is designed with inclusivity, interactivity, and illumination at its core. It features six zones spread across two play areas, ensuring that children of all abilities can enjoy the fun together.

The playground boasts sensory features, including a unique Sound Domo that plays 18 relaxing sounds, and various zones based on positive play emotions. A dedicated play space for toddlers and a place of calm within the sensory features ensure that all children, regardless of their needs, have a spot to enjoy.

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Among the many attractions are the UK’s longest swingline, at 42 meters, a wheelchair-friendly seesaw, and two light-up intertwining slides. At night, the entire playground transforms into a magical landscape with integrated lighting that gives the space a different feel, creating a spectacular after-dark experience.

Michael Hoenigmann, managing director of Jupiter Play and Leisure, which created the new area, said: “To see all the kids having so much fun on it, it’s tremendous. You can see the smiles on people’s faces, and many kids have never experienced anything like it. Seeing a playground on this scale with so many different experiences and things to do is amazing.”

Michael elaborated on the project’s journey: “It was one of the biggest projects that we’ve ever delivered. We’ve worked on it for a long time, and it’s great to see it come to fruition.”

Entertainment director Mike Godolphin praised the new Skypark and looked ahead to the summer. He said: “The new Skypark gives us a great outdoor play experience. It’s inclusive, colourful, and exciting, bringing a great experience for all guests and setting Butlin’s apart from other holiday businesses.”

The extensive £23 million investment at the Minehead resort in 2024 – which includes the £2.5million playground open in time for summer holidays – follows severe flood damage in September 2023. The flooding, which brought a month’s worth of rain in just 90 minutes, led to the complete renovation of 400 accommodation units. This massive effort has restored and upgraded the affected rooms.

Craig Goodwin, resort director at Minehead, explained: “When we had the flooding, many guests left while they could, and we could shuffle things around. Thankfully, we weren’t at full capacity, and we were able put guests who stayed into vacant accommodation. It was on a Sunday, so the back end of their break. We had overwhelming reactions to how the team dealt with it.”

Craig highlighted the scale of the renovation: “400 apartments were affected by it, which is a quarter of our room stock of 1,600 units, including chalets, lodges, apartments, and rooms. It was one of the biggest accommodation projects we’ve seen at Butlin’s, spending £17 million.”

In addition to Skypark, Minehead has introduced the first Changing Places Toilet facility across Butlin’s three resorts. Located next to the new playground, this facility is fully inclusive and features a height-adjustable changing bench, ceiling hoist and tracking, and a toilet with transfer space on either side, ensuring all guests can use a toilet with dignity.

The new Beachcomber Inn Terrace offers a place for adults to relax with food and drink while keeping an eye on their children playing in Skypark. Pan-Asian restaurant Chopstix opened in February and has become a popular dining option for families and guests during the Big Weekender breaks.

Studio 36 has been transformed into a permanent entertainment venue, hosting nearly 2,500 guests for headline acts during adult-only Big Weekenders and providing family entertainment with new headliners like Gladiators, the Masked Singer Live, and Stephen Mulhern.

Craig explained: “Part of the reason for opening Studio 36 was to allow us to have a venue that we could adhere to social distancing rules and give guests somewhere to go. That was the catalyst for opening it, but now it’s a solid part of our day to day operation.”

With up to 7,000 guests staying at the resort at any one time during peak summer, the team at Butlin’s is well-prepared to handle the rush.

Mike explained, “We have an incredible workforce. The team is really energised and well-trained, and as a company, we offer a great duty of care to them. They are ready for the busy season and are well-prepared to ensure all guests have a great time.”

He also discussed the revamped Redcoats: “The Redcoat has always been the symbol of Butlin’s, and we’ve rebranded them and given them a new uniform this year, which looks great.

“The team love it, but what they do is still pretty much the same. They’re the ultimate holiday host; they’re all here because they want to work in entertainment. You’ll see them onstage; you’ll see them out there playing with the children, and in terms of day-to-day activities, they’re the ultimate holiday host and the next generation of entertainers.”

Looking ahead, Butlin’s has many events lined up for autumn and winter. Mike explained: “Outside of our school holiday periods and lots of the time, we have our showtime midweek. They are again great value, including Animals vs. Dinosaurs and Justin Fletcher headlining our Just for Tots breaks.

“We’ve also got our array of live music weekends with a full suite of weekends that are era led and specifically here at Minehead, we have arena shows, we’ve got darts, we’ve got weekend called Shine, and we work with Cream nightclub brand. There are many opportunities to enjoy with some great music acts.

“Looking into 2025 and beyond some of the great stuff that we’re doing this year returns, including the Masked Singer, Stephen Mulhern and the addition of the Gladiators so we’re excited about that bringing Saturday night television to life.”

He added: We’ve also got Christmas and Halloween events to come, such as a chance to meet Santa; we’ve got fireworks, we’ve got Christmas shows, and we’ve got Christmas and Halloween activities.”

For families seeking a last-minute summer getaway, Butlin’s Minehead offers breaks starting from £300 for a two-bedroom Silver Room. These breaks include all live shows, access to Splash Waterworld pools, unlimited fairground rides, and playgrounds like Skypark.