Fireworks Spectacular 2024, Alton Towers (2024)

The Phalanx are set to reveal the technologies of the future...

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Welcome to the Phalanx Expo

The fireworks shows which Alton Towers put on in the nineties were legendary, not least their much talked about Nemesis display. With the park rebuilding Nemesis and reopening it as Nemesis Reborn at the beginning of the 2024 season, it was almost a sure bet that this year's fireworks would once again take on a Nemesis theme.

The front lawns were taken over and transformed into the arena for the Phalanx Expo, with large screens displaying a countdown timer from the start of the day. Phalanx troops patrolled the area too, with some on the ground to answer guest questions and some on watchtowers looking down from above. Atmospheric music such as Aeterna and The Fire in Her Eyes from Two Steps From Hell (a perennial Alton Towers Fireworks soundtrack favourite) played along Towers Street.

Around ten minutes before the display itself, the backstory to this year's show began to be revealed with the on screen countdown being replaced with a video explaining how the Phalanx had been founded in 1963 to protect Earth against "the strange and unusual". Throughout the next few years they secretly worked to shelter the human race from knowledge of alien life, until an event in 1994 codenamed SW3 - the disturbance at Alton Towers which resulted in the alien creature Nemesis being revealed to the world. Now, under the new Phalanx CEO John Dalton, the Phalanx are putting scientific advancement at the forefront ... whatever the cost.

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Dr Amelia Baker in the Phalanx research lab

A few minutes later, a second video was shown where we were introduced to Dr Amelia Baker, the leading scientist at the PAI (Phalanx Advanced Industries). With a brief tour of the research laboratories, the audience was told more about the night's Phalanx Expo: Initially in 1994 the Phalanx had tried to restrain and imprison Nemesis, but after 30 years of preparation they now work with her for the good of humanity and they are now ready to share the results of their research:

"And now it is time to share it with you, our trusting public. Please enjoy tonight's Phalanx Expo in the knowledge that your future is in the safest of hands."

An introductory laser and light preshow followed, with Strauss' famous Also sprach Zarathustra (aka the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) creating drama and anticipation in the crowd.

"The wait is over, the time has come. The Phalanx Expo has arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - it's all been leading to this."

A couple of days before the event, Alton Towers Divisional Director Bianca Sammut had posted some facts about the show on her Instagram account: Over 30,000 fireworks were to be used, together with 388 lights plus more than 45 lasers and other special effects. The figures suggested a huge display and the beginning of the show did not disappoint, with fireworks filling the sky to a thumping dance soundtrack mashup featuring Fatboy Slim's Right Here Right Now, Flow Rida's Good Feeling and Pete Tong's version of Shapeshifter's Lola's Theme.

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John Dalton, the new Phalanx CEO on stage

With the music morphing into heavy rock, the video screens showed Phalanx's new CEO John Dalton flying into Forbidden Valley via helicopter, before making his way to the Expo Arena and appearing live on stage as more fireworks together with huge flames shot into the air. "Well I wasn't going to catch a bus, was I?!" was his understated opening line.

Having live actors - in this case one portraying John Dalton - is a great addition to Alton's Fireworks Spectaculars, but something that hasn't been seen since 2019's Power of the Towers so it was great to have this element back. Unfortunately, however, the stage at the front of the crowd was pretty low to the ground and it wasn't easy to see much from further back on the lawns. Thankfully the screens showed a closeup, but it took a while to realise what was going on and that it wasn't just all pre-recorded video.

"Tonight Phalanx show you, through our investigations into the Nemesis asset, the bright bright future it has created. Tonight we advance onwards and I, John Dalton, as CEO of the Phalanx promise you and all of you watching around the world a truly explosive celebration."

John Dalton introduced the next section of the show, which looked back to the beginnings of Nemesis as distinctly red fireworks exploded before a new twist to the story was revealed: In the last few years the Phalanx have not been keeping Nemesis imprisoned, but have rather been working to understand her and work with her.

The big reveal was ahead: the new technologies that Phalanx were showcasing at the Expo were defensive weapons developed from research into alien technology, for use in defending Earth against alien threats.

"Tonight the Phalanx Expo sends a message to the cosmos: Earth is defended. Protection against alien life, made from alien life. Let me show you the future, as Phalanx introduces the Intergalactic Defence Programme."

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Light Speed Missile

Music inspired by The Chemical Brothers (yes, really) followed, as John Dalton introduced three new "protocols" - the Light Speed Missile, Disintegration Beam, and Bioshield. As always seems to happen at Alton Towers Fireworks, things didn't go entirely to plan and the Expo was soon interrupted by an unidentified spacecraft. To further ruin an increasingly agitated John Dalton's night, there was a pretty clear cut transmission from the spacecraft too: "Phalanx prepare for annihilation."

We - the civilians in the arena - were told to stay where we were, with guarantees that the Phalanx would protect us every step of the way. Predictably, soon all hell broke loose. The Bioshield was compromised, the power supply failed and the entire system went down. Dalton though didn't seem to be that put off, broadcasting via an emergency feed:

"Let me unveil tonight's grand finale: our secret weapon. An alien creature born of destruction. Her potential harnessed by Phalanx. The time has come. Activate the ultimate weapon: Nemesis."

Ah, of course! ... The convenient plot device about Phalanx and Nemesis working together. With spectacular explosions and a myriad of mostly red fireworks set to the newly composed Nemesis Vengeance theme from the Nemesis Reborn soundtrack, Nemesis obliterated the spacecraft and everything is back to being ok. Hurrah for Nemesis (and hurried story resolutions to fit into the traditional 25 minute running time). It provided the opportunity for another killer line from JD too: "Ladies and gentlemen, I said tonight would be explosive - and we showed ET who's boss!"

"Here at the Phalanx Expo, you witnessed the future. And from tonight, Phalanx will advance onwards into the Universe. To protect. To conquer. With Nemesis by our side we will rise like a phoenix together. I am Phalanx. You are Phalanx. The future is Phalanx."

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Fireworks finale

Muse's Starlight provided an energetic, joyful finale soundtrack. Various voices echoed around the arena, swelling to a creciendo of chants of "I am Phalanx!". It's a little unclear what the show's producers intended here, but it was weirdly distopian.

No Alton Towers Fireworks display would be complete without the traditional In the Hall of the Mountain King to close out the show, with this year's culminating with the famous Nemesis theme mixed in as fireworks lit up the Towers and surrounding area.

That wasn't quite the end though. As with tech expos from other large companies, the announcement came: "Oh, there's just one more thing." The arena screens lit up one final time, showing a teaser trailer for the park's new 2025 ride. As one-last-things go, it wasn't amazing and didn't reveal anything Alton Towers fans didn't already know, but it was a nice final touch given the Expo theme.

The show was certainly the loudest and most bass-filled in recent years, and the crowd seemed to appreciate the spectacle. While the story wasn't always easy to follow, it was packed with details for the true Nemesis fanboys, and the general direction was clear if a little bonkers (as all good Alton Firework themes should be).

Overall, despite the launch of Nemesis Reborn, the park's season has been marred with poor operations, a multitide of ride breakdowns, no Skyride and an extremely delayed and poorly received Hex refurbishment. Budget cuts are increasingly obvious, which made some fear for this year's Fireworks event. Thankfully though it seems to have been protected, and the show was theatrical and huge as you might hope - which made the news that broke on the Friday morning of the closure of Merlin Magic Making all the sadder.