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Front Gate
www.parkworld-online.com
BigQuestion
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Do you plan to extend your season this winter?
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Håkon Lund, Konge Parken, Norway: We are constantly looking at
ways to extend the season. All parks struggle with how to spread big capital
expenditure across more operations days. We have a season which is very
6.3
short, only 110 days. We introduced a successful Christmas market in 1997
Gs – highest G-force on any roller-
which has grown and grown ever since. This year it runs from the end of
coaster in the world, Tower of Terror at
November until December 20. Since we are located in the northern climate,
Gold Reef City in Johannesburg
we have very challenging weather from September to November and have
not done Halloween until now. However, earlier this year we bought an indoor FEC, and will
start more winter programming here, including Halloween among other
12.5
things.
kilometres – total length of Teleférico
Merida cable car in Mexico, the longest
Frank O'Connell, Hersheypark, USA: Although Hersheypark stops daily cable car run in the world
operations after Labor Day, September 7, we remain open on weekends through
Saturday, September 26. Beginning October 16, the park is open for three
weekends of Hersheypark in the Dark, our Halloween event. Hersheypark
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Christmas Candylane begins in mid-November and runs until the end of the year.
number of Michael Jackson figures
made by Madame Tussauds. Only
Edward Pawley, Drayton Manor, England: We opened up our Thomas
Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed
Land kids area during the school holidays back in February and, thanks to good
more times
weather, got an encouraging turnout. From November 28 to January 3,
Thomas will feature in our second Magical Christmas. It was a big success last
winter and our surveys showed that 96% of people said they would return. On
100
pre-bookings we are already up 30-40% on last year. We’ve changed a few
things though, it’s a week shorter this time and won’t be having a live show this
years – anniversary being celebrated
year, but we will be showing a festive film in our new 4D cinema. We tried a Christmas opening
this season at Great Yarmouth Pleasure
once before called Winter Wonderland, about eight or nine years ago, but we opened up too
Beach, England
much of the park and assumed we’d get the same crowd as we do in the summer. Now it’s much
more focused on families, and thanks to a little blue train it seems to be working.
22,000,000
Jay Gillian, Gillian's Wonderland Pier, USA: Our season stays the same. dollars – quoted investment for Kings
We are open from Palm Sunday weekend to the second week of October. We Island’s (Cincinatti) newest rollercoaster,
stay open that long to support our fellow merchants on the Ocean City
Diamondback
boardwalk. On New Year's Eve we open all the indoor rides and some outside
ones if the weather permits. It's a special event with the community. It's a non-
Figures by Economics Research Associates
alcoholic New Year's Eve celebration for the arts, a family event.
(ERA)
www.econres.com
SEPTEMBER 2009
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