More details released about new Puy du Fou theme park planned near Banbury and Bicester

Puy du Fou will be holding consultations across three dates next month so the public can comment on the plans for the £600 million-history-themed park.

The company has a reputation for creating historical shows and immersive experiences, which celebrate history, national heroes and culture.

The first Puy du Fou park opened in France in 1978 and was joined by a second destination in Toledo, Spain that opened in 2021.

Bicester’s Puy du Fou park is set to open from April until October and will feature four-period villages and 13 world-class live shows.

Plans for the new park also include a wooded park, landscaped gardens, ponds, lakes and more than 40 acres of wildflower meadows.

CEO of Puy du Fou, Olivier Strebelle, said:“After announcing our initial concepts last year, we held consultation events in Bucknell, Bicester, and Oxford, and have since met hundreds of local people and organisations. This has helped us draw up proposals that will create a world-class destination that excites British visitors with their own history while still being a good neighbour to local people.

“We want to create a setting of beautiful gardens and wildflower meadows, and the first new forest in Oxfordshire for generations, covering 50 acres and with 20,000 new trees being planted.

“This would be a £600 million investment in the local economy over the next ten years and would employ 700 people, plus create as many as 2,000 new jobs at hotels, suppliers and other local businesses, from its first year of opening.

“I look forward to listening to local people and businesses as we work on finalising our plans for this exciting project.”

The new park will be near the village of Bucknell and Junction 10 of the M40 roughly three kilometres north of Bicester.

The first public consultation will take place at Weyland Hall, Bicester on Thursday, February 6 from 12pm until 7pm.

This will be followed by consultations at Whately Hall Hotel, Banbury on Friday February 7 from 12pm until 7pm and at Bucknell Village Hall from 10am until 5pm on Saturday February 8.