Palace Entertainment, the US subsidiary of Parques Reunidos, has acquired Dutch Wonderland from Hershey Entertainment.
Set amist Amish country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the 43-acre family amusement park boasts more than 30 rides, a water play area and live entertainment. The property was founded in 1963 by the Clark family and sold to Hershey in 2001.
Palace Entertainment operates seven theme parks, 10 waterparks and 21 family entertainment centres (FECs) in 11 American states and is the largest operator of waterparks and FECs in the USA. Over the past five years Parques Reunidos has acquired more than 51 parks in the USA and throughout Northern and Southern Europe. The group is owned by private equity fund Candover.
“We are very proud of the integration of a leading park like Dutch Wonderland within our group,” says Palace Entertainment president and CEO, Fernando Eiroa. “We are fully aware of the unique position that Dutch Wonderland holds within its community and we will be doing everything to enhance the Dutch Wonderland brand, while keeping the special family appeal of the park.”
