You are in:
- Back Issues » 2009 » July
Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester
Merlin Entertainments’ first new standalone attraction in the UK for almost 10 years will open in the northern city of Manchester in time for next Easter. Located inside the Trafford Centre shopping mall, the £7.5 million (€8.7m/$12.8m) development will be the country’s first Legoland Discovery Centre (LDC), one of two opening worldwide in 2010.
BALPPA confirms new chief executive
Following the recent announcement of Colin Dawson’s planned retirement, the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) has confirmed that Martin Barratt (pictured) will replace him as chief executive next spring.
Amazing Asian Animals
Open since late April in Hong Kong, Amazing Asian Animals is the first major new attraction to open as part of Ocean Park’s HK$5.5 billion (US$710m/€508m) Master Redevelopment Project.
Manta - ray of flight
It may not be the tallest or fastest flying coaster, but the new Manta at SeaWorld Orlando is very thrilling and fully themed. One minute guests witness rays in underwater flight; soon after they feel what it’s like to become one.
Bizzaro debuts in New England and New Jersey
Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey, has unveiled Bizarro. Themed around the DC Comics character of the same name, this newly-enhanced rollercoaste now features high tech special effects and on-board audio system to assault the senses.
Finland's first Star Flyer
Finland’s tallest amusement ride was unveiled in May when Tykkimäki in Kouvola opened the country’s first Star Flyer. The ride is the latest version of the hit attraction from Funtime in Austria and stands 72-metres tall with a top speed of almost 70 km/h.
Looney Tunes Live - The Experiment
Currently playing at three Butlins holiday parks in the UK, this new hi-tech stage show fuses live action with animation featuring a cast of popular Looney Tunes characters. The show was devised by OddPost Entertainment using motion capture technology from Animazoo/Animalive and has been a big hit with Butlins guests since it debuted in May.
Show Time!
Few other offerings keep guests entertained for longer or in such great numbers, which is why shows are essential to most amusement park operators. As more and more park owners begin to re-examine their expenditure on new attractions, is live entertainment now rising to the fore as a cost-effective way to keep guests happy?
Free Fly opens in Sweden
The first of what S&S hopes will be a successful line of new coasters debuted late June at the Swedish park Skara Sommarland. Tranan (The Crane) is a Free Fly coaster featuring longitudinally spinning cars suspended from the outside of the track.
Ride DVDs - hit or miss?
This time last year it looked like on-ride video was about to take off as the next big thing in secondary spend. New companies limbered up to make their mark on the amusement industry with technology that captured not only riders’ faces, but their screams and full facial movements too. A year on, has the technology become the hit we were promised? Owen Ralph investigates.
Making Your Park’s Dining Unique
The food service at Ocean Park in Hong Kong is the most inspired I’ve ever seen in a theme park. If ever you visit, be sure to check out the Bayview Restaurant and Terrace Café (pictured).
School is Almost Out ...Get Ready!
Before school’s out, do your homework! What can you apply to your food & beverage operations this season that you learned from last season?
Goin' to the Dogs
Don't you just love a parade? Like the Celebrate! A Dream Come True Parade at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom or the Glow in the Park Parade at Six Flags? But even if you hate parades, you will enjoy Ocean City's annual Doo Dah Parade, a parade to celebrate the end of the tax season. It's the most sincere parade of all.
Chimelong confirms new park project
The Chimelong Group has been revealed as the developer of a planned marine park, safari and hotel development at Hengqin Island in Zhuhai, part of China’s Guangdong Province.
Alien takeover at Gardaland
June 20 witnessed the unveiling of Ramses: Il Risveglio (The Awakening), Gardaland’s new-look dark ride.
Rip Ride Rockit ...almost ready!
Due to open any day now, Universal Studios in Orlando will soon unveil “one of the most radically innovative rollercoasters ever created” – Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Built by Maurer Söhne, the ride combines a number of new coaster moves with a highly sophisticated audio and video system to offer unique ride experience.
Buccaneer Battle sets sail
At Six Flags Great Adventure, Gurnee, Illinois, the battle lines have been drawn and the flags have been raised as the park’s new interactive water ride, Buccaneer Battle, sets sail.
King Kong returns to Universal
King Kong is set to appear in 4D form on the newly upgraded Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour, starting summer 2010.
Ripley's Impossible LaseRace
Imagine playing inside a video game. At Ripley’s new Impossible LaseRace in Grand Prairie, Texas, visitors do just that as they jump, crawl and straddle a gauntlet of laser lights. The player’s mission is to beat the clock and reach the end without breaking a single laser beam. If they do, time is added to their score.
Mousetown USA
Funtown/Splashtown USA, Saco, Maine, has introduced a Wild Mouse coaster from Maurer Söhne for the new season. The ride features hairpin turns, including a crazy 270-degree turn. steep hills, and dips.
nd
KMG debuts High Swing
KMG, the Dutch ride builder, premiered its new High Swing tower in Antwerp last month. The ride stands 60-metres tall and accommodates up to 24 passengers (12 pairs) at a time in high-flying seats as the central column rotates.
Shark marketing!
How’s this for a guerrilla marketing opportunity? Hundreds of mysterious sharks appeared all over San Diego recently as the Sea Life Aquarium spread the word about its new Sharks Revealed exhibit using “sea tagging.”
iSpeed launches at Mirabilanidia
Promising the “adrenaline of Formula One,” Mirabilandia launched its new iSpeed rollercoaster on June 20 with the appearance of motorcycle champion Mark Simoncelli.
Santa Cruz swings
Sea Swings has lifted off at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California. From Bertazzon 3B, the classic-looking ride replaces the park's old Typhoon.
New kids rides for Pacific Park
At Pacific Park on the Pier in Santa Monica, California, five new family rides have been introduced for 2009. These include Inkie’s Air Lift, a Zamperla balloon ride; Sig Alert EV, round bumper cars from RDC; Santa Monica Pier Patrol, a truck ride by SBF/Visa; Sea Planes (pictured), a Zamperla plane ride, plus a Rockin’ Tug, from the same manufacturer Zamperla,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dark ride for South Korea
4Kids Entertainment and Mirage Studios have approved the first-ever theme park ride based around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property, which is “shell-ebrating” its 25th anniversary this year.
Drievliet goes '5D'
As reported recently in Park World, Dutch family park Drievliet is to add the 3D film Curse of Skullrock. We have since learned that the accompanying theatre by Simworx will feature “5D” effects seats.
Jumping Dragon at Lagoon Park
Lagoon Park, Farmington, Utah, has introduced a new family ride from Zierer called Jumping Dragon. Similar to a Musik Express, the ride moves in a circuit with hills and valley and is ornately decorated with a serpent-like figure featuring a 15ft moving tail.
Forest Falcon
A new attraction has risen from the forest at Duinrell in the Netherlands. Operating since May, Falcon is smallest of several EuroFighter coasters installed this season by Gerstlauer. The ride features 361-metres of track, a vertical lift and a signature 97-degree drop. A small family park and campsite, Duinrell is located near the coast at Wassenaar, close to The Hague (Den Haag).
PARC Foundation makes first award
Darien Lake Theme Park Resort, PARC Management and its new philanthropic arm, The PARC Foundation, recently awarded the inaugural Jack Kemp Community Service Award to celebrate the life and work of the American politician, vice-presidential nominee and professional football player.
Kernels
Doug Waterbury has established Empire Attraction LLC, an umbrella company to manage his numerous entertainment venues and events in New York, including Santa’s Workshop, the Historic Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, Yesterday’s Royal, the Sylvan Beach Screamer Speedboat Thrill Ride, the Sterling Renaissance Festival, the Sterling Celtic Rock Festival and Screamers’ Hollow. “New Yorkers no longer have to travel thousands of miles to find exciting and worthwhile family entertainment,” says Waterbury, “it is all right here in their own backyard.”
Canada's largest publicly owned and newest aquatic centre has opened in Kelowna, British Columbia. H2O Adventure offers waterslides, a family wave pool, river run and the country’s first ever FlowRider indoor surfing attraction. The aquatic centre can cater for up to 500 swimmers at a time with attractions, which also include an AquaPlay multi-level play structure.
Great City Attractions (GCA), formerly World Tourist Attractions, has chosen RefTech Services to supply a ticketing system for its Wheel of Windsor observation wheel just outside London. The ride, which spent the Christmas period in the city’s Hyde Park, opened for another season’s business at Windsor on April 2. The RefTech system delivers walk up sales and demographic analysis without the requirement for lengthy staff training. Online sales are handled through a dedicated website developed for GCA by RefTech. Any tickets sold or scanned for entry will be reported upon via a secure internet connection within 10 seconds of the transaction.
The London Eye reinvigorated the Ferris Wheel. What other ride or attraction is ready for renewal and why?
Chuck Bingham, Martin & Vleminckx: I’ve always thought certain old rides should be brought back; one of those is the Flying Scooters. Now I see a guy from New York intends to resurrect the Whip. Some of those old rides were really simple but they delivered a great experience. I remember some years ago talking to Jac Houben and asking why we can’t put the coaster train on the other side of the track and, low and behold, Vekoma did the suspended coaster a few years later. Water rides are another area where you wonder what can be done that’s new, because it’s been the same basic idea for years. Actually, we do have new concept but I can’t tell you about it yet. It’s a twist on an old favourite so look out!
Little Amerricka
A modest, 11-acre, squeaky-clean family park in Marshall, Wisconsin, Little Amerricka has been growing steadily, and rather unexpectedly, throughout its 19-year-history. Gary Kyriazi meets general manager Darrell Klompmaker and owner Lee Merrrick, whose name is responsible for that rather quirky spelling (A-Merrick-a).
Happy Valley Wuhan
The leading Chinese attractions operator OCT has confirmed Wuhan will be the location for its fifth Happy Valley theme park after signing an agreement in late May with the local government.
Six Flags restructures
Six Flags Inc has begun proceedings under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, saying it needs to reorganise and shed $1.8 billion (€1.3bn) of debt.
