Diggerland Explained

Diggerland is a chain of theme parks where members of the public can operate heavy machinery such as diggers and JCBs. There are four theme parks in England, and one in the United States. Diggerland is part of the H.E Services Group and Allsafety Limited.

Locations

There are four Diggerland theme parks in the UK, located in Strood in Kent (opened in 2000), Langley Park in County Durham (opened in 2001), Cullompton in Devon (opened in 2001, closed in 2020, and reopened in 2022) and Castleford in West Yorkshire (opened in 2007). In 2015, it was announced that Diggerland would open their fifth UK park in Evesham, Worcestershire,^{[1] [2] [3]} but this was delayed indefinitely in 2017.^[4]

Diggerland had a temporary park in Dubai during the summer of 2005. Their 2006 plan to expand to Richmond, Virginia, in the United States was stalled out by the Great Recession.^[5]

Diggerland expanded into the United States and opened a park in West Berlin, New Jersey, in 2014.^{[6] [7]} In 2021, a waterpark was added to the U.S. Diggerland.^[8] In January 2024, the U.S. park was sold to Innovative Attraction Management who had also acquired Enchanted Forest Water Safari the previous year.^[9]

Events

Racing events happen between March and October, because they need to be completed in daylight hours. Dumper Racing is held on a monthly basis.

Diggerland also has a team, The Dancing Diggers, which operates every other year and features large diggers doing stunts. In 2017, they performed at several county fairs, including the Royal Bath and West Country Show.

External links

• Diggerland UK
• Diggerland USA

Notes and References

1. News: Diggerland on the way to Evesham. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106102158/https://eveshamobserver.co.uk/news/diggerland-on-the-way-to-evesham-5644/. 6 January 2017. Evesham Observer. 24 April 2015. 22 August 2024.
2. News: Diggerland USA in West Berlin, New Jersey, set to open in May as owner Hugh Edeleanu continues expansion plan 14 years after first opening in Strood. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141019033416/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent-business/county-news/will-they-dig-it-in-15866/. 19 October 2014. KentOnline. Chris. Price. 15 April 2014. 22 August 2024.
3. Web site: Digger Man does Diggerland. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220120224130/https://www.earthmoversmagazine.co.uk/digger-man/view,digger-man-does-diggerland_101.htm. 20 January 2022. Earthmovers Magazine. Nick. Drew. 30 April 2013. 22 August 2024.
4. News: Theme park bosses no longer dig Evesham as plans for Diggerland withdrawn. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170807232215/https://eveshamobserver.co.uk/news/theme-park-bosses-no-longer-dig-evesham-as-plans-for-diggerland-withdrawn/. 7 August 2017. Evesham Observer. Joshua. Godfey. 12 April 2017. 22 August 2024.
5. Web site: U.K. Rental Company Finds Success With ’Diggerland’. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210332/https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/UK-Rental-Company-Finds-Success-With-Diggerland/16414/. 23 September 2015. ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com. Giles. Lambertson. 20 June 2011. 22 August 2024.
6. News: Diggerland amusement park lets kids operate construction equipment. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140605213237/https://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-diggerland-amusement-park-20140602-story.html. 5 June 2014. Los Angeles Times. Brady. MacDonald. 5 June 2014. 22 August 2024.
7. Web site: Diggerland, a construction equipment theme park, is coming to New Jersey. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20240522195826/https://www.equipmentworld.com/construction-equipment/video/14952981/diggerland-a-construction-equipment-theme-park-is-coming-to-new-jersey. 22 May 2024. equipmentworld.com. Marcia. Doyle. 13 January 2014. 22 August 2024.
8. Web site: Coates . Charlotte . 2025-01-10 . Diggerland USA acquired by Innovative Attraction Management . 2025-02-11 . Blooloop . en-GB.
9. Web site: South Jersey theme park Diggerland USA sold to Florida company . 2025-02-11 . www.bizjournals.com.