The Swarm (roller coaster)
The Swarm is a steel wing roller coaster at Thorpe Park in the United Kingdom. It is the first Wing Coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard in the UK and opened on 15 March 2012. The ride sits on a reclaimed island next to water, with the station built inside a ruined church and a crashed plane nearby to create an apocalyptic theme.
The Swarm runs on a 775-meter-long track, stands about 38.6 meters tall, and reaches speeds of up to 59 mph. It has five inversions and uses two trains, each with seven cars and four seats per row (28 riders per train). The seats are mounted on either side of the track, giving riders the sensation of flying.
Key elements include a 180-degree twist at the top, followed by the world’s first dive drop, a dive under a wrecked plane, and a zero‑g roll. The ride continues with an inclined loop, a wrecked helicopter, a corkscrew, a final inline twist, and then the brakes. An on-ride photo was once available but was removed in 2016.
In 2013–2015, the rear two rows on each train were rotated to face backwards as part of a promotion called Brave It Backwards, before all seats returned to forward-facing in 2016. The ride was promoted with the LC12 campaign “The End Is Coming” before opening. The Swarm received mixed reviews and, despite its striking design, did not significantly boost park attendance.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:29 (CET).