We’re back, I hope you missed us.
Anyway, let’s get straight to it.
Theme park news, I have some!
Luna Park at Coney Island has broken ground on their new expansion set to debut in 2022.
The park is constructing a range of new rides and attractions, including a new high ropes
course named Sky Chaser, and a log flume intertwined with a roller coaster.
Both of these will be fabricated by Zamperla Rides, namely being their J2SK coaster and
Super Flume ride models.
The plans were delayed a year due to COVID, but Luna Park is hoping that this new expansion
will help to draw crowds back.
In the meantime, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced a new roller coaster, in fact, it’s
their 20th roller coaster.
Wonder Woman Flight of Courage will become the world’s tallest and longest single-rail
roller coaster.
The park plans to debut their new ride in summer of 2022, helping them maintain their
record of having the most roller coasters in any single theme park.
Energylandia is eyeing up that record though, with their 18th roller coaster set to open
in 2022 too.
Wonder Woman utilises RMC’s steel raptor track and is nearly identical to Six Flags
Great Adventure’s Jersey Devil Coaster.
To bag the record, Magic Mountain made their version 1ft taller - of course they did.
So, residents of California can look forward to another RMC raptor coaster, one that people
in New Jersey have already been on - kinda.
Wonder Woman isn’t the only new roller coaster coming to the United States though.
Gerstlauer’s partner, Ride Entertainment, have announced that Gerstlauer has signed
an agreement to build a one-of-a-kind infinity coaster somewhere in the United States.
The ride is scheduled to open in late 2022, and currently, that’s pretty much the only
detail we have.
Oh and that it is being built in a “high-profile location”, whatever that means.
Is this Cedar Point’s rumored multi-inversion coaster, or will it be going to some other
“high-profile” theme park?
Fortunately our questions will be answered at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando next month.
Over in the Netherlands, The Efteling is making good progress on creating the ‘World of
Sinbad’, a new themed area at the Dutch resort.
Work to retheme and update two rides at the park, Sirocco and Archipel, is currently progressing.
The Efteling is spending close to 3 million euros on the new land, which will also incorporate
an already existing ride, Vogel Rok.
Vogel Rok is already themed to the stories of Sinbad the Sailor, making for a more consistent
themed area.
Blackpool’s new entertainment complex has been given the green light.
The Blackpool Central Project, a £300 million venture being built on a plot of land formerly
occupied by the Blackpool Central Railway station, is expected to attract 600,000 visitors
annually.
The development will include a public events square, three indoor entertainment centres,
restaurants, and a hotel.
It won’t all happen at once though.
The plans are split into several phases, the first of which is a new multi-story car park,
and rejuvenation of the city’s Heritage Quarter.
After that we can expect to hear more about the exact ins and outs of what the rest of
the investment might look like.
However, Blackpool Pleasure Beach had objected to the construction of the indoor theme parks
as they could undermine their amusements offering.
I’d call that a bit of a yikes when the managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach,
Amanda Thompson, is also currently the chairman of IAAPA, the International Association of
Amusement Parks and Attractions.
I thought they were meant to be pro-new theme parks!?
The world’s first Peppa Pig theme park will officially open its doors on the 24th February
2022, how exciting!
The first theme park dedicated to Peppa Pig actually resides next to the Legoland Florida
Resort.
Guests can already purchase tickets to enter the new park come February, or purchase combo
tickets for entry into both Legoland and the Peppa Pig park.
So there you go, get your tickets now huh!
Sky Loop, a Premier Rides Sky Rocket II, is opening at Riyadh Winter Wonderland this winter!
There’s a lot to unpack there.
Firstly, Riyadh Winter Wonderland is the temporary Christmas event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
every year.
Secondly, Sky Loop has been spotted on the events rides list, with what is a very clear
photo of a sky rocket two.
Man, I think that’s such an awesome addition to a temporary amusement event - move over
Olympia Looping there’s a new ride in town.
Not really, Olympia Looping is pretty awesome, and wildly impressive too.
But that’s not all that’s going on over in Saudi Arabia.
The country has also revealed plans to build a theme park on an old oil rig, that’s right,
a theme park on an oil rig.
The project, aptly named “The Rig”, will be a 150,000 square metre mixed entertainment
complex, featuring hotels, restaurants, heli-pads (sure), a range of adventure sports activities,
water slides and more.
The Rig is just one project of many hoping to support the country’s efforts to become
a leading global tourist destination.
Look, the world’s first roller coaster on a cruise ship turned a few heads, so I’m
sure the world’s first roller coaster an oil rig might attract some attention too!
Sadly we don’t know too much about the project right now as it’s in early development phases,
but we’ll keep you up to date as we hear more.
So there you go, there’s lots going on - new roller coasters, new theme parks, and less
oil rigs.
In a world crippled by climate change, that sounds like a win, win, win to me.
Why not turn all of the world’s oil and gas rigs into theme parks, huh!
Hold on, I’ve got a few calls to make...