KIRMES & Park REVUE (English) Special: Rouen (Vorschau)

PREVIEW
NOVELTIES FOR GREAT BRITAIN
Text:
Photos:
Marcus Gaines
Diverse Parks & Manufacturers
Alton Towers
“Nemesis Sub Terra” is
the name of the new attraction
at Alton Towers
The new and unusually
well themed “Magma” Freefall
Tower at Paultons Park
After a 2011 with no new rides, Alton Towers will
open 2 new attractions in 2012. “Nemesis Sub-
Terra” will be an indoor drop ride, with a theme continuing
on from the story of “Nemesis”, a B&M inverted
coaster that opened in 1994. Guests will find
themselves plummeting into the alien underground
catacombs from which the Nemesis was first disturbed.
The ride hardware is believed to have been
supplied by abc rides. On the opposite side of the
park in the “Cloud Cuckoo Land theatre” “Ice Age
the 4D Experience” will open as a more family friendly
addition. Based on the upcoming 3rd movie in the
franchise, guests will enjoy a 3D film combined with
physical effects including snow.
2012 will see the closure of the flat rides “Submission”
and “Enterprise” which need to be removed to
make way for the construction work of a new coaster,
code named “Secret Weapon 7”. It’s expected both
will re-open alongside this coaster when it debuts in
2013.
Thorpe Park
Thorpe Park will open the largest new ride in the UK.
“The Swarm” is Europe’s tallest B&M Wing Coaster
and begins with a 38.7 m tall dive loop straight off
the lift hill, and has 5 inversions with riders travelling
at nearly 96.5 km/h along 775 m of track. If the coaster
itself isn’t thrilling enough, the ride area is
extensively themed to a post apocalyptic disaster
zone. The trains and their passengers will experience
multiple near misses travelling under the wings of
crashed aeroplanes, the blades of helicopters, past
exploding fire trucks, and through the
rubble of a collapsed church.
Chessington World of Adventures
2012 marks the 25 th anniversary of Chessington
World of Adventures. To celebrate,
the park is putting on a new show “Dreamworks
Madagascar Live! Prepare to Party”.
Featuring a party atmosphere of music and
dance, families will see all their favourite
characters from the movie franchise, including
Alex, King Julien and the Penguins.
Following the performance, guests
will get the chance to meet the characters
face to face for photo opportunities. The
show takes place on an outdoor stage in
the new Africa section of the park, which will also be
equipped with an African Cafe and African delights
shop.
Legoland Windsor
In 2012 Legoland will open its first resort hotel and
debut the “Star Wars Miniland Experience”, an indoor
Walkthrough. Guests will enjoy authentic sound
and lighting effects.
Funland Hayling Island
Owners of Funland Hayling Island have primarily
invested in general improvements to the park with
the creation of a new entrance and installation of a
new ice cream parlour. The park has also purchased
the “Flying Saucer” ride from nearby Paultons Park,
and plans to build a 3D cinema later in the year,
featuring films from the Juice Group.
Pleasurewood Hills
Four new rides and a new show for the 2012 season.
Headlining the recent purchases is “Jolly Roger”, a
42.6 m drop tower believed to be a travelling model
supplied by Fabbri. It’s unclear why the park has
chosen not to install the 60 m drop tower for which
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