Knockhatch Adventure Park

What Knockhatch Adventure Park does

Knockhatch Adventure Park is a privately held, family-owned family attraction located on the Hailsham Bypass in East Sussex, United Kingdom. Founded in 1998 by Annette Jaggers, the park operates 361 days per year from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm and combines three core product verticals under one site: thrill rides (including Blackbeard's Buccaneer water ride and the new Wave Runner 2 water coaster launched September 2025), an integrated zoo called Jungle Kingdom featuring glass-fronted open-air enclosures for capybara, lemurs, meerkats, otters, macaws and other species, and indoor/outdoor play facilities (Lost World Playbarn, Jungle Splash splash pad, and The Magical Wood immersive play area opened July 2024). The park also operates a dedicated owl sanctuary with twice-daily outdoor flying displays.

The business runs on a multi-stream revenue model: day tickets sold online via the Digitickets platform (with a discount for 24-hour advance booking) or at the gate, annual subscription passes with 10% discounts on upgrades, food and beverage, F&B across seven on-site outlets including a Costa franchise, paid animal experiences (Keeper, Capybara, Meerkat, Owl, Lemur), corporate Team Days packages utilizing the Sussex Barn conference facility, group/school bookings at discounted rates, and an on-site gift shop. Distribution leverages the Digitickets and myonlinebooking.co.uk platforms, Tesco Clubcard Reward Partner codes, and Blue Light Card discounts at the gate. Marketing is primarily digital (a multi-language website in English, French, German, and Spanish; email via Moosend; live-streamed animal content on Facebook and YouTube) supplemented by PR outreach and themed community events such as Vaders Raiders Star Wars fundraising days.

The park has invested in differentiated accessibility infrastructure through a partnership with Nimbus Disability for the Access Card and Digital Access Pass schemes, plus a Changing Places toilet facility, and runs a 5-year bat conservation project documenting nine species on-site. It maintains a BALPPA sector membership and PCI DSS-compliant payments, but uses no AI/ML capabilities, relying on standard third-party SaaS for ticketing, CRM, analytics, and customer support. With 11-50 employees and a single physical site, Knockhatch is positioned as a mid-sized regional attraction serving families, schools, and corporate groups across South East England.

Name

Knockhatch Adventure Park

Legal name

Knockhatch Adventure Park Limited

Website

https://knockhatch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knockhatch Adventure Park is a family-owned, single-site UK adventure park in Hailsham, East Sussex, combining thrill rides, an integrated zoo, and indoor/outdoor play facilities, serving families, schools, and corporate groups across South East England 361 days a year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theme Parks & Family Entertainment

NAICS

Amusement and Theme Parks (71311)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure & Aerial Parks (Ropes Courses, Zipline Parks, Climbing Parks) (THAJAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Amusement Parks (Regional/Local Ride Parks & Funfairs) (THAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Family adventure park
• Theme park attractions
• Animal encounters
• Family day out
• Outdoor recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hailsham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Day Tickets: Standard park entry tickets sold online (with discount for 24-hour advance booking) or at gate. Children under 2 enter free.
2. Annual Passes: Recurring annual membership providing park access, 10% off attraction upgrades, 10% off food and drink, and 10% off gift shop purchases. Renewals receive 20% discount.
3. Food & Beverage: Multiple on-site food outlets including Hungry Toad Cafe (main outlet), Burger Bar, Waffle House, Costa @Froggies, Jumping Pillow Kiosk, Dino Kiosk, and Dragon Bites Kiosk. All outlets use biodegradable packaging.
4. Attraction Upgrades: Additional paid experiences beyond standard entry including specific rides and attractions requiring extra payment.
5. Animal Experiences: Pre-bookable paid experiences including Animal Keeper Experience, Capybara Experience, Lemur Experience, Meerkat Experience, and Owl Experience. Some can be purchased on the day.
6. Team Days & Corporate Events: Bespoke corporate packages including conference facility (Sussex Barn with video projector), catering, and team building activities like Go Karting and Sherlock Holmes Experience.
7. Schools & Groups: Discounted rates for school groups and nurseries (15+ persons), with home educator groups also eligible for group discounts.
8. Gift Shop: On-site gift shop selling merchandise and animal feed (50p per pack).
9. Christmas Wreath Workshop: Special event workshop at £50 per person, includes materials, instruction, festive drinks and mince pies. Limited to 8 people per session.
10. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available for purchase, redeemable at the park.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Knockhatch Adventure Park is a single-site family attraction in Hailsham, East Sussex that combines themed rides, a zoo with animal encounters, indoor and outdoor play areas, and food and beverage outlets into one ticketed day-out experience. It sells admissions, Annual Passes, animal experiences, Team Days, and school/nursery workshops to families, schools, and corporate groups. The park is family-owned, was founded in 1998, and operates with 11–50 employees.

Product overview

Knockhatch Adventure Park is a family-owned adventure park operating as a single unified experience combining themed attractions, a zoo (Jungle Kingdom), and multiple dining options. The core offering centers on thrill rides (including The Wave Runner 2 water coaster and Blackbeard's Buccaneer), interactive animal encounters (zoo with Jungle Kingdom, owl displays, Animal Encounters Barn, Zoo Feeds), and extensive play areas (Lost World Playbarn indoor play, Jungle Splash outdoor water play, The Magical Wood immersive play area). The park offers paid experience add-ons including Animal Keeper, Meerkat, Owl, Capybara, and Lemur experiences. Multiple food outlets operate on-site including Hungry Toad Cafe (main restaurant), Burger Bar, Waffle House, Costa @Froggies, and various kiosks. Additional services include Annual Pass subscriptions, Team Days corporate events, birthday celebrations, Attraction Upgrades (Go Karts, Crazy Golf), and accessibility provisions via Access Card/Digital Access Pass with Nimbus Disability partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Admissions to Knockhatch Adventure Park Per-person ticketed entry to the park giving access to themed rides, play areas, and the on-site zoo for families and individual visitors.
• Annual Pass Subscription pass granting repeat admission to the park across a 12-month period, targeted at regional families and repeat visitors.
• Animal Experiences Premium close-up animal encounters at the on-site zoo, sold as add-on experiences to paying visitors.
• Team Days Group bookings for corporate teams using the park's rides, play, and animal facilities for team-building days.
• Educational Workshops and School Trips Curriculum-linked workshops and group visits for schools and nurseries combining animal encounters and play-based learning.
• On-site Food and Beverage Food and drink outlets located within the park providing meals, snacks, and drinks to visiting guests.

Quantifiable outcome

• £7200 raised for Chestnut Tree House children's hospice in 2023-2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered notable, core, flagship and minor.

• Pump House DesignsnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Battle-based architects who created computer-generated imagery for the new £100,000 lemur enclosure in Jungle Kingdom. Brought in-house plans to life with detailed designs for the open-air enclosure featuring large glass walls for 'nose to nose' lemur viewing.
• Marlow RopesnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Local company with 200+ years of rope-making heritage in Hailsham. Donated climbing ropes for lemur enclosure and queue lines. Their ropes are used in space and elite sailing race teams worldwide. Demonstrates local community engagement.
• Nimbus DisabilitycoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading disability organization providing the Access Card Scheme and Digital Access Pass system. Enables validated accessibility provisions including essential companion tickets, queue assists, and access facilities. Protects provisions from misuse while streamlining booking process for visitors with disabilities.
• Chestnut Tree HouseflagshipOthersKnockhatch's nominated charity partner - Sussex children's hospice caring for 300 children and young adults (0-19 years). Park hosts dedicated fundraising days and raised £7200 in 2023-2024. Unable to support other charity fundraising requests.
• Vaders RaidersminorOthersStar Wars costume group that hosts themed fundraising events at Knockhatch. Conducted three dedicated fundraising days in 2023-2024 featuring Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and The Mandalorian. Contributed £4200 to Chestnut Tree House.
• myonlinebooking.co.ukcoreTechnology or IntegrationTicketing system provider for online ticket, season ticket, and gift card purchases. Stores customer name, address, email, phone, and photos for Annual Pass holders in centralized computer system.
• BidfoodminorOthersFood supplier that sponsored part of the Changing Places toilet facility installation. Part of Knockhatch's accessibility commitment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Odds Farm Park: Buckinghamshire family farm and adventure park with animals, play, and seasonal events. Comparable to Knockhatch as a smaller regional family park combining farm/zoo animals with outdoor play, though focused on the farm experience.

Direct peers

• Drusillas Park: East Sussex zoo and adventure park combining animals, rides, and play areas. Drusillas is the closest direct comparable to Knockhatch in geography, size, and hybrid zoo-park model, serving the same South East family market.
• Gulliver's Theme Parks: UK family theme park group with multiple regional sites (including a Theme Park Resort). Compares to Knockhatch in targeting the under-12 family segment with rides, animals, and value-focused day tickets.
• Folly Farm: Welsh adventure park, zoo, and farm combining rides, animal encounters, and play areas. Closely comparable hybrid model to Knockhatch at a similar scale, though in a different UK region.

Broad incumbents

• Paultons Park: Hampshire-based family theme park home to Peppa Pig World. Larger and more capitalised than Knockhatch but competes for the same UK family day-trip demographic and operates a similar mix of rides, animals, and themed experiences.
• LEGOLAND Windsor: Major UK theme park targeted at families with young children. While operating at much larger scale, it competes with Knockhatch for the same South East family demographic and category spend.
• Chessington World of Adventures: Major Merlin-operated theme park and zoo in Surrey. Overlaps directly with Knockhatch on the zoo-plus-rides concept and competes for South East England family visitors, though at very different scale.
• West Midland Safari Park: Large UK safari park with theme park rides and animal experiences. Similar hybrid entertainment-wildlife model though at a substantially larger scale and operating in a different region.
• Flamingo Land: Yorkshire theme park and zoo combining thrill rides with a zoo. Comparable hybrid business model to Knockhatch, though larger scale and operating in a different region of the UK.
• Woburn Safari Park: Bedfordshire safari park with animal encounters, events, and family activities. Comparable in combining a wildlife collection with family leisure experiences, serving a similar discretionary family market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KnockhatchAdventure
• Facebookfacebook.com/knockhatch
• Xx.com/knockhatch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knockhatch-adventure-park

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knockhatch Adventure Park