Dreamland Amusement Arcade Margate

Dreamland, Margate’s iconic seafront amusement park, needs no introduction. A magnet for London day-trippers and local families alike, it’s bold, brash, and brimming with character. Over the years, the park has seen varied changes in presentation, ownership, and management, and today it offers a vibrant mix of modern attractions rooted in sideshow pier and fun fairground culture. 

The place feels like a movie set and has impressive modern amenities that cater perfectly for coachloads of tourists yet remain completely practical for just a handful of visitors on rainy days, as we experienced first-hand during our visit. We could spend hours exploring all of the different types of fun attractions here, though our focus remains on the Dreamland Amusement Arcade, located handily at the front of the park in the main foyer area.

For such a large and iconic venue, visitors unfamiliar with Margate may be underwhelmed by the entrance, which is located off Marine Terrace down Hall-by-the-Sea Road that slopes toward the entrance. Inside, however, a wide entrance foyer funnels visitors to the front of the park, passing various exhibitions and a tourist gift shop. The entranceway and amenities in the foyer are wheelchair friendly.

Just off the foyer is a bar & diner and a roller disco set in a beautiful hall with a vaulted ceiling. This is where the Dreamland Amusement Arcade (The Games Room) is located, accessible from both the foyer and an outside terrace area facing the amusement park entrance. Customer toilets can be found within the foyer and also next to the roller disco skating rink. With comfortable seating, food and drink options, this is the perfect break spot before (or after) enjoying some amusement park rides. 

Claw Machines

Entering the Games Room from the foyer, the arcade opens into a large rectangular space, with a long row of Dreamland-branded Elaut claw machines lining the walls and a prize shop located further inside. These claw machines have an impressive range of branded plush prizes, including Mario, Lilo & Stitch and Winnie the Pooh characters, so well worth checking out. There are also some other grabbers, including Skill Cut-style machines and other instant win machines.

Children’s Arcade Games

The whole of Dreamland is geared toward children, and the arcade is very accessible, even for the smallest of players. They have a wide selection of suitable games, and there is a lovely carousel kiddie ride for young children to enjoy. Further into the amusement park, keen eyes will also spot a red machine called ‘The Sooty Show’ which features classic Sooty & Sweep characters who play a short song in a band, perfect for kids, where they also get an instant win capsule prize at the end.

Coin Pushers

Dreamland Amusements has a nice range of coin pushers, including classics such as Big Ben, ‘It’s a Cracker’ and Crompton’s Disco Fever. Fans of modern coin pushers will also love the Pac-Man, Dracula - Pot’s of Tickets and Pharaoh’s Golden Ticket, which all pay out ticket prizes. 

Classic Arcade Games

It seems as if this amusement arcade in Margate used to be a ‘retro arcade’ and has since had more modern machines added. This is great as there is an eclectic mix of classic and modern machines, meaning this section is packed full of great games to discover. 

Arcade racing machine fans will love the two-player Grid Race Leader by Sega, and also the two-player Phantom Motorcycle game. If you are more into shooting games, then be sure to look out for the Mission Impossible Arcade, Transformers Shadows Rising, Zombie Outbreak and Fantasy Water (which shoots water at the screen).

Two absolute classics that are certainly worth playing are the classic Luigi’s Mansion arcade game and also the four-player Pac-Man Battle Royal, which is an entertaining game to play with friends. There is also a Dragon Punch machine, a Fantasy Airgame air hockey table and a Shiver Me Tickets two-pence roll-down machine.

Fairground Games

At the foyer entrance, there is a row of four impressive basketball arcade machines, where players can face off against friends and smash high scores. Close by are also two classic skee ball machines called Alley Hoop (basketball themed) and Fireball Fury. Lastly, they have a two-player Fast Gunman machine, where players use quick-draw skill to shoot down targets and also a fun Hoopla ring toos game.

Wheel Spinners

There is just one wheel spinner in this amusement arcade, and this is the classic Big Bass Pro fishing wheel, which pays out big ticket wins to lucky players. 

VR Machines

There is a large, dedicated space in front of the Roller Disco, where players can experience the sensory fun of modern virtual reality technology. Here visitors can choose from a selection of experiences and enjoy them by wearing a VR headset and moving awkwardly around in a safe environment (whilst looking a bit silly in front of the rest of the family). 

Ticket Slot Machines

There is one triple-row ticket slot machine in this venue, and it is the popular Count Dracula themed game with an upper feature board. Here, players can win jackpots of up to 500 tickets!

£5 Jackpot Fruit Machines / Casino Slots

With the Dreamland amusement arcade being geared toward children, there are no fruit machines or casino slots to play in this arcade, and we believe this is the right choice given the setting and layout.

Pinball Geoff

In the main foyer, next to the main entrance, is a magical exhibition that arcade fans past and present will absolutely adore. This section, known only as Pinball Geoff, houses a collection of rare and exotic pinball machines, which are all fully playable for visitors. This exhibition is decorated in a lovely retro theme, and there are several other retro arcade games here also, including a vintage Foosball table, a very old jukebox and even a classic Space Invaders arcade machine. 

As part of this, Geoff has a pinball repair shop where we caught a glimpse of even more retro arcade machines actively being repaired, which was very cool to see. The current pinball table line-up in 2025 consisted of ACDC, Hurricane, Dr Dude, Vegas, Galaxy, Moon Flight, Big Hit, Fireball and Hot Line. We have left this info light, as this exhibition really needs to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Do not miss this when visiting Margate.

Amusement Park Rides (exploring outside)

We won’t list every ride here, though we do want to highlight some of the fantastic attractions that pair perfectly with classic pier and arcade fun. In the amusement park, visitors can enjoy classic amusement park rides including a Ghost Train, Helter Skelter, and a Waltzer. There is also a Kentucky Derby game at £2 per play. Sharp-eyed visitors will spot a Zoltar Fortune Teller and a classic Penny Press in the foyer.

Venue Verdict

Dreamland is an iconic destination, offering a clean, relaxed setting with plenty to explore both inside and out. We particularly love the free entry model, which allows visitors to choose which rides and attractions to enjoy at their own pace. The Games Room and Pinball Geoff alone are a real treat for arcade enthusiasts, though combined with the full range of amusement park rides and attractions, Dreamland provides the perfect day out for families, groups of teenagers, and seniors alike. The modest entrance and redevelopment along the seafront might not give much away, but step inside and you’ll discover a vibrant, Instagram-worthy experience that should not be missed when visiting the south east of England.

As with all our reviews, plenty more machines can be found, best discovered in person!

Featured Machine: Luigi’s Mansion Arcade Game