Park News
www.parkworld-online.com
CentrO Park 2.0 Merlin breathes new life into Oberhausen
Following the closure in 2010 of CentrO Park, Merlin Entertainments is to open two new attractions in the German city of Oberhausen. A Legoland Discovery Centre (LDC) and Ocean Adventure Park are planned as part of a €15m investment at the CentrO mall, the country’s largest shopping centre. The latter will replace the amusement park opened by showman Oscar Bruch in 1996 and is described as the next step in the evolution of Merlin’s Sea Life brand. A Sea Life aquarium already operates in Oberhausen adjacent to the CentrO site. LDC, meanwhile, will be the latest mini Legoland outlet in Germany, replacing the existing Legoland Discovery Centre in Duisburg. Merlin took over the CentrO Park site in March
last year, and the first phase of development is already well under way. The new Ocean Adventure Park will include an Antarctic-themed attraction combining a ride and aquarium with Gentoo penguins. Visitors to Merlin-operated Legoland
Billund in Denmark can already enjoy a penguin encounter on the rollercoaster Polar X-plorer. Offering a fun, interactive and educational two to
three-hour indoor experience for families with children aged 3 to 10, Legoland Discovery Centre will feature a 4D cinema, play areas, Lego models of local landmarks, Lego building opportunities and more. By moving 17km from Duisburg to Oberhausen, the new LDC will offer many commercial and managerial benefits to Merlin, as well allowing it to offer joint ticket deals with the other two attractions on site.
“Merlin Entertainments has been operating in Oberhausen very successfully with Sea Life since 2004,” notes Sabrina de Carvalho, the company’s head of ‘Midway’ attractions in Germany. “Now we are investing more than €15m on what will be a brand new leisure destination combining three high- quality attractions. It is a great project and we have no doubt that it will be very well received.“
Introduding WhirlyBall
Described as: “The world’s first totally mechanised team sport,” WhirlyBall is, a combination of bumper cars, basketball, Jai-alai and hockey. Perhaps a little too late to be included in this summer’s Olympic
games, it’s the centrepiece of a new attraction in Orlando called the WhirlyDome. Typically played in a five-on-five configuration, WhirlyBall features players piloting WhirlyBugs bumper cars as they use a scoop to pass and shoot a plastic ball at their opponent’s goal. Flo-tron Enterprises is the creator and manufacturer for WhirlyBall, including the bumper cars and floor pick-up system. Located on International Drive, the WhirlyDome also features a Formula One racing simulator (the first of its kind in North America), Laser Frenzy, Laser Tag, a self-serve bowling café, billiards, arcade, live entertainment and the Bloodhound Brew Pub & Eatery.
whirlydome.com
Lake Winnie unleashes Fireball
We told you they were planning another ride! Just weeks after opening the Oh-Zone tower ride by Larson, Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has added a Fire Ball (Super Loop) from the same manufacturer. There’ll be no missing the new attraction, as it’s located right inside the front gates. Its towering loop has permanently changed the park’s skyline. The new ride starts out gently as the train eases into a rocking motion, but then picks up speed and it takes riders over the top. “This is the first ride we’ve ever added at Lake
Winnepesaukah that completely inverts all the riders,” notes the park’s Talley Green.
lakewinnie.com
*Merlin is also planing to build a Legoland Discovery Centre in Toronto, its first ever attraction in Canada. The $12 million facility will debut in spring 2013 at the Vaughan Mills shopping and entertainment destination. Merlin currently has 14 attractions in North America, and Canada will be the 21st country in which its has opened attractions. Park World understands the company may also be planning a second Legoland Discovery Centre in the UK, following its existing outlet in Manchester.
Legoland Discovery Centre
Universal's Superstar Parade
Universal Orlando Resort has introduced Universal's Superstar Parade. Performed daily, the parade features hundreds of street performers and music and dance
performances. Both the all- new parade and Universal's Cinematic Spectacular, a new nightly show that unfolds across Universal's central lagoon, opened in May as part of ongoing park improvements.
Wills & Kate in Blackpool
To celebrate the first wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, new figures of the royal couple have been added to Madame Tussauds Blackpool in England. Catherine (Kate) is dressed in an copy of the Jenny Packham dress she wore to a charity dinner, while Prince William is in a suit by Gieves and Hawkes.
14 JUNE 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102