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New Parks and Attractions Opening Worldwide in 2008

Alexandria, Va. (USA) — The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions’ (IAAPA) 2007 Attractions Expo is a meeting place for the most creative minds in the amusement and attractions industry. From Nov. 12-16 in Orlando, the best and brightest will take their first steps on paths to attraction greatness as plans for the future are formed. Here’s a look at some exciting, most talked about new developments coming in 2008:

NORTH AMERICA

During spring, the $400 million Hard Rock Park will open its gates in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as the first new major regional theme park of the decade. This 140-acre rock’n’roll park boasts more than 40 rides and attractions, including “Led Zeppelin – The Ride,” a 150 ft-tall looping steel coaster with nearly 4,000 feet of track. www.hardrockpark.com

Aquatica by SeaWorld will bring the waterpark experience to a whole new level with an Orlando-area opening in March 2008. Announced during spring 2007, Aquatica by SeaWorld will blend the thrills of a traditional waterpark with the up-close animal experience that has given SeaWorld its global reputation. Guests will experience sandy beaches, specialty waterslides that will zip riders through tubes surrounded by swimming dolphins, and winding rivers passing through exotic bird-filled jungle areas, waterfalls, and a grotto filled with tropical fish. www.aquaticabyseaworld.com

Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim and Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando (to be renamed Disney’s Hollywood Studios in January) will debut “Toy Story Mania!” at their respective parks in 2008. Inspired by the blockbuster Disney-Pixar film franchise, this interactive attraction will break new boundaries in the dark ride/game genre in a 3-D enhanced environment. Riders will “shrink” to the size of a toy and participate in several classic midway games, all the while surrounded by their favorite “Toy Story” characters.

Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., is set to open the $5 million “River Battle,” a new water adventure ride. Nine rafts, each with room for eight passengers, follow a 500-foot channel, and battle ensues as passengers, each armed with a soaker gun, take aim at each other and more than 100 targets, including large-scale “talking animals” such as beavers, skunks, otters, and bears.www.dollywood.com

Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto is building the nation’s biggest, tallest, and fastest roller coaster: “Behemoth.” The CAD $26 million ride is the park’s 15th roller coaster and largest investment in 27 years of operation. www3.cedarfair.com/canadaswonderland

Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa., opens “Fahrenheit,” a $12.1 million vertical lift inverted loop coaster,  debuting May 2008 as the park’s 11th roller coaster moving passengers at almost 60 miles per hour over 2,700 feet of steel track. Guests will also experience the new “Howler” ride on which riders create their own “tornado-like” experience on eight, four-passenger, sphere-shaped cars that rotate 10 rpms at a 20-degree angle. www.hersheypark.com

 

Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Ind., expands its waterpark with the $6 million addition of “Kima Bay,” a water-play attraction with more than 100 elements opening in May 2008. www.holidayworld.com

New for 2008, “Thunderhawk” joins the Michigan's Adventure (Muskegon) coaster lineup as the first and only suspended coaster in the state. Riders will sit suspended below the track ski-lift style and start with an 86-foot drop before racing at up to 50 mph through more than 2,000 feet of twists and turns, including five inversions. www.miadventure.com

SeaWorld San Diego will this spring unveil its new Sesame Street Bay of Play, a two-acre themed land featuring beloved characters such as Elmo, Bert, Ernie, and Big Bird from the long-running children’s television show. The project includes two kiddie rides and a live show, and further deepens the relationship between the Sesame Street brand and Busch Entertainment, owner/operator of three SeaWorld parks in North America.

Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, N.J.), Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, Ill.) and Six Flags New England (Springfield, Mass.) each will debut “The Dark Knight Coaster” in conjunction with the July 2008 Warner Bros. feature film release. The $7.5 million coasters will be set indoors for a dark ride experience utilizing storytelling, physical movement, video, sound, and special effects. www.sixflags.com

Six Flags St. Louis will open “Evel Knievel” wooden roller coaster with a 2,700-foot track, 80-foot drop, and double 55-foot drops. The new ride, in partnership with the famous daredevil Knievel, also features queue line monitors showcasing many of Knievel’s most dramatic moments and breath-taking crashes. www.sixflags.com

Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington) and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, Calif.) both will open “Tony Hawk’s Big Spin,” a spinning roller coaster that helps riders defy gravity like the extreme sports legend himself. www.sixflags.com

Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio) next year opens “Goliath,” an inverted coaster that will suspend 28 riders from an overhead track and take guests on a 50-mph ride. www.sixflags.com

Six Flags Great Escape (Lake George, N.Y.) adds “Wiggles World,” a new children’s area with specially-themed Wiggles rides such as “The Big Red Car” and “The Big Red Plane.” The waterpark also will open a new “Wild Wedgie” waterslide at Splashwater Kingdom. www.sixflags.com

Six Flags Over Georgia (Atlanta) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, Calif.) are adding Thomas the Tank Engine rides and themed play areas. www.sixflags.com

Waldameer Park in Erie, Penn., will open “Ravine Flyer II,” a 2,900-foot-long wooden roller coaster featuring a 119-foot, 60-degree opening drop, six tunnels, and a top speed of 57 miles per hour.

EUROPE

De Efteling park of The Netherlands opens a new $50 million Dreamland Resort hotel, the second hotel at the nation’s largest theme park. www.efteling.nl

Just north of Paris, Parc Astérix, the theme park based on the popular French comic character, is working on a new-for-2008 attraction designed to coincide with the next Asterix feature film, “Astérix Aux Jeux Olimpique” (“Astérix at the Olympics”), starring Gérard Depardieu. www.parcasterix.fr

During 2008, Walt Disney Studios Paris adds “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror,” a free-fall drop ride that takes passengers straight down from the top of a hotel. The park also debuts its “Stitch Encounter” shows based on the feature animated film “Lilo & Stitch.” www.disneylandparis.com

ASIA

Hong Kong Disneyland debuts an “It’s A Small World” boat ride complete with the usual Disney favorites as well as an expanded look at the Hong Kong culture and skyline. www.hongkongdisneyland.com

At Tokyo Disney Resort, Japan will welcome the first non-North American permanent theater for Canada’s famed entertainment extravaganza, Cirque du Soleil. The project, currently under construction, is managed by Oriental Land Company. www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp and www.cirquedusoleil.com

Outside of Shanghai in the neighboring city of Zhouzhuang, a $40 million park will open to celebrate the theme “5,000 Years of Chinese Culture.”

MIDDLE EAST

Ice Land Water Park, also known as Oasis Water Park, is the first of two major attractions coming to WOW RAK, as in “WOW” for the Ras Al Khaimah emirate of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The waterpark is set to open in May 2008, with its adjacent Planet Earth Theme Park opening by April 2009. The two WOW RAK parks have a projected cost of $230 million, with the waterpark spreading over 30 acres and featuring the world’s largest man-made waterfall (160 meters wide, 35 meters tall).

Also in 2008, Legends of Arabia is one of three theme parks planned for the massive Dubailand development in Dubai, UAE. The Legends of Arabia theme is based on timeless stories and mythological characters of the region.

LATIN AMERICA

Brazil welcomes Beto Carrero World’s second park, Aventura Selvagem, with an exotic animal theme. www.betocarrero.com.br

Vertigo Park opens in Cali, Colombia, as a new theme park with major rides such as “Vertigo Force” launch coaster adjacent to a cinema and shopping mall.

IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007

The IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007 is the largest conference and trade show for the amusement park and attractions industry in the world. With its theme “Expand Your Universe” the show will drawan estimated 25,000 people from more than 85 countries from the amusement and leisure industries to the Orange County Convention Center from Monday, Nov. 12, through Friday, Nov. 16. The trade show floor will be open Tuesday, Nov.13 through Friday, Nov.16. IAAPA Attractions Expo 2007 offers a solid week of business and fun. More than 1,000 exhibitors will display their products and services in 500,000 net square feet of exhibit space. The event will also include educational sessions, behind-the-scenes tours, marquee social events, and networking opportunities. This is the marketplace where amusement and attraction industry leaders, decision makers and visionaries gather to network, view the latest innovations, and plan for the future.

About IAAPA

IAAPA is the premier trade association for the attractions industry worldwide.  Founded almost 90 years ago, IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanently situated amusement facilities and attractions and is dedicated to the preservation and prosperity of the amusement industry.

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