Whoa where are we, that isn’t a bookshelf, where’s my LEGO model of balder!?
It doesn’t matter, there’s more important things to think about - theme park news.
Construction has begun on an 8 billion USD paramount theme park in China. The
paramount-branded resort is set to cover 643 aces, with further entertainment and other mixed use
projects covering another 1200 acres! The park itself will open in 2024 with six themed areas,
including a Star Trek zone called the ‘Final Frontier’. Ride wise,
there are plans for thrill attractions inspired by Mission Impossible and the Italian Job.
According to the designers, the development will be a “first-class
and internationally renowned tourism and vacation destination” - fingers crossed then!
Now, a while ago, we heard that MACK Rides were building a launched coaster over in China.
That sounds pretty standard, but this one had a wacky layout, including a super high speed roll,
and an interlocking cobra roll and vertical loop. Well it’s here, and it’s been testing! Footage of
the new roller coaster is insane. The ride, which resides at Suzhou Amusement Land, currently has
MACK Rides’ fastest inversion to date, as well as a whole host of sensational airtime. Incredible!
Meanwhile, Vekoma showcased a new model within the latest issue of the EuroAmusement
Professional magazine. It’s called the Super boomerang, and as you might guess,
is a supersized version of the company’s boomerang attraction.
Unlike the original boomerang however, this one looks soooo much more interesting. The ride
features two vertical spikes, a multi-pass-launch, and some funky looking inversions.
I know we are all meant to hate boomerangs but if a park got this, I really wouldn’t mind!
In other news, there’s been some interesting rumours coming out of Knott’s Berry Farm.
Take what I’m about to say with a huge pinch of salt,
Knott’s Giga coaster coming in 2023. Yep, that’s right, the long rumoured giga coaster
may finally be coming to the park for the 2023 season. The rumours suggest that the
ride’s station is set to be built on the old Mystery Lodge area, so keep your eyes peeled.
Man, Knott’s are finally getting their huge B&M coaster, what about Thorpe Park man, someone give
Thorpe their long awaited B&M hyper coaster. No seriously though because I’d really like that.
Some sad news for people who like to visit theme parks regularly, i.e. everyone watching.
Phantasialand, you know the theme park in Germany with Taron and FLY, yeah they’re no longer selling
annual passes. So, if you want to ride some of the world’s best themed roller coasters, you’re going
to have to fork out the admission price, every, single, time. The park had already temporarily
halted the sale of season passes during COVID. However, they’ve recently announced that the sale
of season passes will not return. Currently, it isn’t known why Phantasialand has decided
to remove annual passes, or whether they’ll ever return in the future. Man, that is sad.
On the flipside, Disneyland has just confirmed that Mickey's Toontown will be renovated in 2023
ready for the debut of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Disney say that “the beloved Mickey’s Toontown will transform into a vibrant symphony of sights,
sounds, and sensations.” One of the key parts of the transformed area will be
CenToonial Park, I see what they did there. CenToonial Park will be a greenspace for guests
to relax and day dream. Mickey’s Toontown will close in March of 2022 ready for the new changes.
A few months ago we heard that Southport Pleasureland in the UK
wanted to build a new roller coaster. Actually, not just any new roller coaster,
a clone of the beloved Thunderbolt roller coaster at Luna Park, a ride made by Zamperla. Well,
on Monday it was confirmed that planning permission for the new ride had been granted! So,
people in the UK can expect to ride their very own lightning coaster sometime in the near future.
And that’s it for another week of theme park news. Make sure to tune into next week as we
cover all the best and most important bits of the IAAPA expo, that's the International
Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions expo, that’s going on right this second!