When you work at Virgin Incentives, “a day at the office” occasionally means swapping desk chairs and spreadsheets for pitch-black scare mazes, roaring rollercoasters, and chainsaw-wielding actors. As the corporate partner behind the award-winning Merlin Gift Card, we take product testing very seriously. So, when Merlin Entertainments invited our team down for the exclusive press preview night of Thorpe Park’s 25th Anniversary of Fright Nights on October 1st, 2026, we jumped at the chance to put one of our favourite reward products through its paces. If you’re currently searching for standout customer incentive ideas or memorable ways to reward your staff, here is our full review of what your clients, customers, and teams can experience!
Here’s the thoughts of our colleagues, Kieren and Sam who attended the event, let’s see what they got up to:
Warming Up with Movie Magic: Trailers & Stealth
We kicked off our evening by heading over to the Launchpad area for the opening show of Rebel Ball before diving into our very first scare maze of the night: Trailers.
Having not braved a scare maze in a few years, Trailers was the perfect warmup for us. It blends classic horror cinema tropes with clever movie-set styling, making it feel equal parts nostalgic and spooky. It was just the right balance of fun and jumps to ease us into the evening!
Flushed with our first success, we decided to ride Stealth in the dark. Launching from 0 to 80 mph in less than two seconds under a pitch-black night sky is an absolute rush, and a stark reminder of why theme park thrills make such powerful, high-impact incentives.
Escalating the Intensity: Survival Games & Stitches
With our confidence high, we stepped things up a notch at Survival Games. Safe to say, this one delivered on intensity! The maze pits you against multi-route corridors with actors coming at you from every angle, culminating in a frantic, heart-pounding chainsaw finale. (Let’s just say Sam was practically chased out of the exit!)
Next up was Stitches, a long-time favorite at Fright Nights. The creative design in this maze is fantastic, from eerie toy chimpanzees to actors dressed as oversized, creepy stuffed teddy bears. The real highlight is the finale: a room packed with masked mannequins where you never quite know which figures are props and which ones are about to jump out at you.
Pitch Black Thrills & Jump-Scares: Tenement & DeadBeat
Before taking on the headline new attraction for 2026, we took a quick breather on SAW – The Ride before queuing for Tenement, Thorpe Park’s brand-new pitch-black maze created specifically for the 25th anniversary.
Tenement strips away your vision almost completely. The leaders at the front and back of your group are handed flickering torches that periodically cut out, leaving you navigating the dark multiple times throughout. In a fun twist of fate, we even ended up braving the maze alongside reality TV star Ekin-Su! It’s an atmospheric, creepy addition to the park’s lineup that totally lives up to the anniversary hype.
We saved DeadBeat for our final maze, and we certainly saved the best for last. Due to a lull in the queue, the two of us ended up doing a complete solo run-through. With no other guests around to absorb the scares, the actors gave us 100% of their attention. It was intense, hilarious, and genuinely terrifying, making it our absolute favorite maze of the night.
To cap off an incredible evening, we took a final night ride on Hyperia to take in the illuminated park views from 236 feet in the air! Check out the video below which captures our full evening at the Fright Nights press evening:
Why Experiential Rewards Win: The Power of the Merlin Gift Card
If our night at Thorpe Park proved anything, it’s that shared experiences create memories that standard corporate gifts simply can’t match. When businesses look for innovative customer incentive ideas, traditional rewards like chocolate, wine bottles or branded desk items often fail to leave a lasting impression.
The Merlin Gift Card changes that conversation completely:
- Unrivaled Variety: Provides access to over 20 of the UK’s top attractions, including Thorpe Park Resort, Alton Towers Resort, Chessington World of Adventures, The London Eye, Madame Tussauds, and SEA LIFE Aquariums.
- Flexible B2B Use Cases: Ideal for sales acquisition campaigns, high-value customer giveaways, loyalty promotions, or employee reward and recognition schemes.
- Award-Winning Industry Recognition: We’re beyond thrilled to share that the Merlin Gift Card recently won Excellence in Gift Cards at the IMA Europe Awards 2026! Held at Church House Westminster, this prestigious award celebrates the strength of our partnership with Merlin Entertainments and highlights the gift card’s impact as a truly unique, attraction-led reward solution.
- Easy Online Redemption: Recipients can easily redeem their card online against tickets and experiences at their chosen Merlin attraction.
- Personal Gifting Option: Beyond B2B, the gift card is also available for direct consumer purchase via Virgin Experience Days.
Quality control verdict? Thorpe Park Fright Nights 2026 passed with flying colors!
Ready to Upgrade Your Incentive Strategy?
Whether you’re looking to motivate your workforce with unforgettable perks or searching for creative customer incentive ideas to elevate your next marketing campaign, we’re here to help.
Get in touch with the team at Virgin Incentives below to learn how the Merlin Gift Card can transform your reward programs:
