Paultons Park first announced the arrival of the new Viking-themed world at the beginning of 2025. Valgard: Realm of the Vikings is set to open in May 2026, boasting several new rides and a themed restaurant.
Paultons Park, located in Hampshire in the far south of the United Kingdom, has been riding on a high in 2025. During the UK Theme Park Awards 2025, the park was not only crowned Theme Park of the Year but also Best Theme Park for Families (Large) and Best Theme Park for Toddlers (Large). It’s Peppa Pig World in particular that has been a crowd pleaser and has been the park’s most famous world so far.
Valgard: Realm of the Vikings
However, a newcomer might change that. At the start of 2025, Paultons Park announced the arrival of the Valgard: Realm of the Vikings world and an opening date has now been confirmed. If everything goes as planned, the new world should be opening its doors to visitors in May 2026.
“Valgard promises an immersive, atmospheric, and action-packed experience for families and has been specifically designed to grow with our fans. The introduction of inversions and a vertical lift hill on Drakon certainly up the adrenaline levels at Paultons Park, but staying true to our roots, we haven’t forgotten about the little ones and there is something for all of the family in our new Viking village”, said James Mancey, deputy managing director at Paultons Park.
Valgard will be primarily aimed at a public of older children and teens, contrary to some of Paultons Park’s other attractions. Some of the planned additions include Drakon (a thrilling rollercoaster with two inversions and a beyond-vertical drop), Vild Swing (swinging 12 metres high), and Raven (a reimagined version of the park’s existing Gerstlauer Bobsled ride). A themed playground and a Feasting Hall are also in the making.
“We are thrilled to share our plans for our largest and boldest investment to date. As an independent, family-owned theme park, we’re incredibly proud of the investments we make to deliver the very best guest experience. We’ve opened two brand-new rides in the last two years and with the build of Valgard firmly underway, we’re excited to open a further three, bigger-and-better-than-ever-before rides, between now and summer 2027”, said James Mancey.
When Valgard: Realm of the Vikings will have opened its doors, Paultons Park will feature more than 80 rides and attractions, divided across six themed worlds. However, the expansion doesn’t stop there. Plans for a new holiday village boasting between 85 and 95 lodges were submitted at the start of 2025, and by 2027, a new water ride should be added to the park as well, though details have not been unveiled just yet.
