Description
This paper presents findings from an ongoing mixed-methods study of music and sound design in CBeebies Land at Alton Towers, UK. Focusing on a child-centred theme park environment rooted in CBeebies’ most popular IPs, the project examines how music and sound function across different rides, attractions, and themed areas to shape guest experience. Particular attention is paid to the use of pre-existing musical material from CBeebies television programming—including theme tunes, character-associated motifs, and familiar sonic cues—and how these are adapted, looped, and spatially distributed within the theme park setting.Drawing on ethnographic observation, sonic mapping, and (pending funding) visitor survey data, the paper analyses how music contributes to immersion, recognition, and emotional engagement, while also operating as a spatial tool and guide. Area music, ambient sound, and ride soundtracks are likely to play key roles in demarcating zones, signalling narrative cues, and guiding visitor movement. Music is especially significant in enabling transitions between adjacent attractions and areas, smoothing shifts between distinct fictional worlds while maintaining a coherent overall soundscape. These transitions often rely on overlapping musical material, changes in texture or instrumentation, and graduated shifts in volume and audibility.
The paper further explores how musical continuity across spaces reinforces brand familiarity and supports intergenerational engagement, addressing both children’s recognition of CBeebies characters and adults’ mediation of the experience. By foregrounding sound as an active agent in spatial design rather than a passive backdrop, this research contributes to emerging scholarship on theme park music, soundscapes, and the transmedial adaptation of screen media into physical environments.
| Period | 18 Jun 2026 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Theme Park Music and Sound 2026: Sonic Cartographies |
| Event type | Conference |
| Conference number | 3 |
| Location | London, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |