The Swarm

A wing coaster where your seat extends beyond the track - with near-miss obstacles timed to pass inches from riders.

About The Swarm

The Swarm opened in 2012 as the UK's first wing coaster - a type of ride where seats extend out to either side of the track rather than sitting above or below it. Built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), renowned for their smooth, precision-engineered coasters, The Swarm is themed around a post-apocalyptic alien invasion.

The near-miss elements are central to the experience: crashed aeroplanes, tilted helicopters, and fire towers have been deliberately placed along the ride path and timed so that they pass within what feels like centimetres of riders. Combined with the exposed wing-seat position - nothing above you, nothing below - the psychological effect is significant.

What to Expect

From the moment you sit down, the sensation is different. The track runs through the centre of each row but your seat extends out to the side, leaving you with an unobstructed view in all directions. When the train tilts into an inversion, you rotate around the track axis - a fundamentally different feeling from a traditional coaster.

The ride features five inversions including a zero-G roll and a flat spin. B&M's engineering makes The Swarm noticeably smooth - there is none of the physical roughness of Colossus. Speed and layout are more moderate than Stealth or Hyperia, making it an excellent introduction to inverting coasters for riders meeting the height requirement.

Tips for Riding The Swarm

• Take an outside seat. Both inner and outer wing seats are available. The outside seats - furthest from the centre track - give the most exposed sensation and the closest near-miss effects.
• Front row, outside right is widely considered the best single seat on the ride for experiencing all near-miss elements with the best view.
• Good for first-time inversion riders. If Colossus feels too intense, The Swarm's smooth B&M construction and clear sightlines make inversions less disorientating - you can see exactly what is coming.
• Queues are more consistent. The Swarm rarely hits the extreme waits of Stealth or Hyperia. Mid-morning is typically fine; check the live queue page to confirm.
• Look out for the theming. The queue line contains wreckage props and set dressing - one of the better-themed queue areas at Thorpe Park.

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