A day at Joyland Great Yarmouth: Family thrills and nostalgia

The O'Hallorans

We’re made up of Lyndsey, John and Erin, who all love a new adventure. We try to get away as much as possible, especially during school holidays and variety is a must for us. That means staying anywhere from a luxury hotel to a hostel and it’s not often we go to the same place twice.

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Joyland in Great Yarmouth is the perfect spot if you’re looking for a fun-filled day by the seaside. This classic amusement park has been a family favourite for generations, offering nostalgic rides, thrilling attractions, and that unmistakable seaside charm. Whether you’re a kid or just a kid at heart, Joyland‘s mix of excitement and old-school vibes will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Where is Joyland?

Joyland,
Marine Parade,
Great Yarmouth,
NR30 2DL

Opening times

Joyland’s opening times vary depending on the season and school holidays. When open, Joyland tends to open at 11am with varying closing times.

Major Orbit ride at Joyland Great Yarmouth

History of Joyland

Joyland first opened its doors in 1949 and was founded by the Cole family as a children’s theme park. Classic rides like the ‘Snails’ and ‘Tubs’ have remained fan favorites and are still in operation today, alongside new and exciting attractions that keep the fun fresh for every generation.

Prices and tokens

Joyland’s rides operate on a token system with eachride costing 1 token per rider. Tokens cost £2 each. You can buy value bags either at the entrance or from machines close to the rides.

List of rides at Joyland

Pirate Ship
The famous Super Snails
The Tyrolean Tub Twist
Spook Express roller coaster
Neptune’s Kingdom
The Jet Cars
Balloon Wheel
Major Orbit
Junior Skydiver

Our first experience of Joyland Great Yarmouth

Even though I have lived in Norfolk for 12 years now, and Erin is 8, it took until the summer of 2024 for us to visit Joyland. Great Yarmouth isn’t a long way from us and we visit quite often so it was about time we came here for a family day out.

The thing about Joyland, even if you haven’t been before, you must have heard of it if you live in Norfolk. So many people I know go and have a great time, shouting about the famous snails. This is such a classic ride and it’s been at Joyland since 1949! You can’t come and ignore the best historic ride in Great Yarmouth. Erin and I rode the snails together, and it was so much better than I expected it to be. There are some nice twists and turns and ups and downs to enjoy! Erin liked the snails so much that she went on it again towards the end of our visit.

Joyland is only small and during school holidays, especially summer, it can get really busy. The queues can be all over the place, sometimes not having clear markers for where they start and end. Please be sure to hold hands of any small children to make sure you stay together.

Erin riding the Junior Skydiver at Joyland

You won’t find big thrill rides at Joyland however, I do feel like there’s something for everyone. One of the new attractions (2001 so not really new anymore) is the Spook Express, which is a small rollercoaster. Bigger kids and grown ups will definitely like this one but it’s suitable for younger children too! As Joyland only has a handful of rides, it’s not somewhere you can spend all day but it’s good for a morning or afternoon. I love that the rides aren’t too expensive so a £20 value bag with 12 tokens would last us quite a while if only Erin wanted to go on the rides.

We had a blast visiting Joyland Great Yarmouth for the first time. It was fun to experience classic rides that have been in Joyland for years. There’s nowhere else like this in Norfolk and it’s somewhere you need to visit with the kids!