Park News
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The French children’s park Bioscope is to reopen next year following a deal with a consortium lead by tethered balloon manufacturer/operator Aerophile. Themed around man’s relationship with nature and the environment, the park closed for what it was thought would be the final time last September after just six years in business. French newspaper reports suggest it failed to attract more than a third of its break-even annual attendance of 300,000. Aerophile, based in Paris, will invest €4 million in new attractions during its first year. An exclusive interview with the company’s president Jérôme Giacomoni will feature in the September issue of Park World.
Boston is the latest US city set to get access to a Legoland Discovery Center (LDC). Merlin Entertainments will open the attraction at Assembly Row, giving families in Greater Boston and New England a bite-sized piece of Lego fun as from 2014. Merlin is partnering with developer Federal Realty to realise the 44,000 sq ft facility at the new Assembly Row shopping mall in Massachusetts, with construction starting the autumn/fall.
Terry Monkton, managing director of UK motion base ride and attraction specialist Simworx, has been appointed to chair the Trade Associates group within the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA).
On June 17 KidZania opened its 13th kids’ city. The 7,000 square metre KidZania Kuwait at The Avenues Mall in Kuwait City features than 80 career choices and destinations where young guests can take on leadership roles, manage finances and work together to run the city, making it the area’s premier play and learn education destination. Like all KidZania locations, KidZania Kuwait caters to the local market and features culturally relevant touches like its Oil and Gas Laboratory.
Polin Waterparks & Pool Systems is to open a Chinese office in Guangzhou. The Turkish company recently supplied a slide to the local Chimelong Water Park and currently has orders for parks in Tianjin, Beijing and beyond. It will not, however, open any production facilities in China. “The quality of our fibreglass is very important,” says Polin spokeperson Sohret Pakis.
An indoor play centre in Melbourne, Australia, has been hosting adult sex parties, according to local media allegations. A staff member with radio station 3AW staff is reported to have seen “graphic photos of other activities taking place in the area where children normally play” at Casey Kids Play House. Fairfax Media reported the appearance of a video on YouTube captioned ”after hours party setting”. The video was apparently uploaded by a user who shared the same name as the owner of the play centre. A spokesman for City of Casey Council’s planning department has confirmed that an investigation will be held into whether the play centre has breached the conditions of its permit.
AUGUST 2013 19
Power Splash! Interlink water ride opens in Finland
Guests at Power Park, Härmä, Finland, can celebrate summer with the arrival of a new water ride called Kwai River. The Super Flume by Interlink opened last month and features two lifts and two drops.
Named Kwai River, the ride takes its title from the seminal World War Two movie Bridge Over the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness, with each of the boats used on the attraction being named after a character from the film. The ride has been incorporated into a new area of the park but had to be built around an existing bridge structure, which ultimately inspired the theme. The Bridge Over the River Kwai soundtrack is used throughout the ride to provide added ambience.
Not just a major theming backdrop, the bridge also provides access to a new Thai restaurant. The views from the bridge are, apparently, spectacular and give guests a bird’s eye view of the new attraction and other areas
of the park, including the racetrack that inspires the park’s original theme. Featuring a 400m-long channel, the ride’s first drop is an interesting 7-metre camelback section with a turn in it, followed after the second lift by a 14m drop. Inside the themed station building is 12m-long section for loading/unloading. Utilising a total of nine, six-seater boats, the ride provides hourly capacity for 600 passengers. “We wanted to add a big new water ride to the park and having looked around at what was on offer from different suppliers we chose the Super Flume,” says Power Park technical manager Petri Sariola. “It has been very popular with our guests since opening and will no doubt help to increase our visitor numbers overall. Interlink have been very good with all aspects of the installation and overcame any initial teething problems that occurred. It is a really good addition to the park.”
powerpark.fi
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