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P18


Park Word


JANUARY 2017


4 Park Hoppin' Paul Ruben on Fun Houses


5 Front Gate Big Question/Figures of Fun/Kernels


6-28 Park News Your monthly round-up


30 Great Coasters International Cover story


32-34 IAAPA Attractions Expo Show review


36-37 Thea Awards 2017 Winners revealed


38 Winter Wonderland Event profile


43 Snow Park Oman Attraction Profile


40-42 Santa Park (Finland) Profile


44-45 Be Alert, Be Safe! Terrorist advice for park operators


46-49 TIC Park (Colombia) Profile


50 Ride Guide New products – VR Special


P46


54 Web Guide Online resources


58 Show Guide Calendar


THIS MONTH’S COVER SHOT: Great Coasters International builds some of the smoothest, most thrilling and greatest quality “woodies” in the world, such as Lightning Run at Fun Spot America in Orlando (pictured). Read our exclusive company profile – and get a heads-up on some of the new rides to come in 2017 – on page 30.


www.greatcoasters.com P40 P38


Santa Park, Snow Park, Winter Wonderland: anyone would think this issue was supposed to be published before Christmas. Even if that were true, it would not be hitting most readers’ desks, laptops, phones or tablets until January so I make no apology for featuring these three projects as all are interesting in their own way; whatever the season. Snow Park is in fact a year-round attraction, opening this October in Oman (see page 43). Just 10 years young, Winter Wonderland at Hyde


Park in London (page 38) has become so popular that in six weeks it does a better attendance than any UK theme/amusement park achieves in a whole season. Sure, the free entry and central London location helps, but many visitors spend freely inside, whether it’s on rides, games, food or drink (especially drink). Congratulations to organiser PWR Events for fostering an authentic German fairground atmosphere in the heart of the British capital, at a time of year once considered the closed season (and keeping it family- friendly too). A more intimate experience is offered to guests at


Santa Park in Rovaniemi, Finland (page 40). The Arctic Circle setting is a big selling point for husband and wife


team Ilka and Katja Lankinen. With around 100,000 visitors a year, they are some way short of the millions who flock to Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, but they are nevertheless the biggest Father Christmas theme park in the world, and they don’t stop once the festive season is over. The enchanting and rather swish new Arctic Treehouse Hotel should be popular with the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) market that brings in business from February onwards. Santa Park has also enjoyed success exporting its Little Christmas concept to destinations as far away as China and South Korea. It’s clear that at Christmas, as during the rest of the


year, families expect quality. Those operators that do it right can clearly reap the rewards. Providing a similar experience to Santa Park, and a more laid back one than Winter Wonderland, Lapland UK just outside London also celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016. Both it and the Hyde Park event are a world away from some of the ramshackle festive “theme parks” that sprung up across the UK previously (and usually closed soon after). May the strong survive!


Owen Ralph – editor


Editor: Owen Ralph (+44 161 438 2934) parkworld@btopenworld.com


North American Editor: Paul Ruben (+1 585 381 1012) parkw@rochester.rr.com


Contributors this issue: Chris Kemp, Astrid Gonzalez, Eugenie Sloan


Sales Manager: Mark Burgess (+44 1622 699124) mburgess@datateam.co.uk


Publication Manager: Jacqui Hunter (+44 1622 699106) jhunter@datateam.co.uk


Publishing Director: Paul Ryder pryder@datateam.co.uk


Managing Director: Parvez Kayani p.kayani@datateam.co.uk


Publication Secretary: JANUARY 2017 • ISSN 1462-4796


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