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Small News From The Theme Park Industry

Dammit - I was going to head there at the weekend and finally get the cred.

Sorry - I mean, "thoughts and prayers".
Visited yesterday and the rest of the park is open, and just some heras fencing round the cred with it still in it's crashed state. Looks like the brake on the drop snagged something on the rear car and ripped it off the rails. Bet it was extremely unpleasant to be on ride.

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Workers at Walibi Holland begun a digital signature campaign earlier this year to put pressure on management to improve working conditions at the park, with the main sticking point being the segregation in treatment between permanent and seasonal employees. Permanent employees, of which Walibi has few, are covered by a collective bargaining agreement of which seasonal employees are not, allowing the park to get away with lower pay and stripped benefits (such as pension and travel allowance) for most of their staff. The Dutch trade union De Horecabond is closely following these activities, and agrees that Walibi’s working conditions are below standard for theme parks in the country, suggesting either strike or court action should be taken if the conflict continues to escalate.

 
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On their social medias Gröna Lund has announced that their Zierer Flying Carpet "Flygande Mattan" will close after this summer season.
Earlier this year the nearby Reverchon Music express "Rock Jet" was also closed meaning two classic flat rides have left Gröna Lund in short time.

Instagram link
 
And Walibi Holland is under fire again. This time for a promotional video for their Fright Nights.

In this video, which is offline now, a young terrified woman in a glass cage is auctioned by Eddy The Clown in front of some freaks. After the highest bid, she is dropped in some kind of blender and killed.

This video was released on the same day a 17 year old girl was killed by her boyfriend in Amsterdam. Many Dutch people now say they are disgusted by the kind of video and the time it has been released.
 
Disneyland Resort hotels will discontinue the Early Theme Park Entry program on January 5th, 2026, replacing it with a complimentary Lightning Lane entry for hotel guests. The early entry program, which allowed guests 30-minute access before park opening, was not widely used, according to Disneyland officials. The new benefit will allow guests to bypass standby lines for one attraction per day, excluding popular rides such as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
 
I've been wondering for decades when Kings Dominion was going to expand, considering all the vacant land the park owns. However, it now appears that Six Flags is set to sell the vacant land around the park. Since the source is behind a paywall, here's what the article says:
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. intends to sell the vacant land around Kings Dominion, a company spokesperson said, as it looks for ways to generate revenue. Kings Dominion uses less than half of the roughly 870 acres it owns in northern Hanover County.
Earlier this month, Richard Zimmerman, the company’s CEO, said Six Flags has opportunities to “further optimize” its portfolio of assets.
Six Flags took ownership of the amusement park and its property last year when Kings Dominion’s former parent company, Cedar Fair LP, joined forces with Six Flags in a $2 billion merger. The Wall Street Journal first reported the company’s plan to sell the property.
When Ohio-based Top Value Enterprises and Taft Broadcasting Co. first envisioned Kings Dominion around 1971, planners considered building an amusement park, resort hotel, golf course and shopping center, according to Richmond Magazine. Eventually, they scrapped plans for everything except the amusement park, and the extra land has sat mostly empty ever since.
In addition to the 400 acres Kings Dominion occupies, Six Flags owns roughly 470 more acres east and south of the park. Six Flags controls all the land east of Doswell Road, extending all the way to the North Anna River, which serves as the border between Hanover and Caroline counties, and the property that hosts the State Fair of Virginia.
Except for a campground operated by Kampgrounds of America, most of that land is undeveloped. The park also owns about 150 acres directly south of the Kings Dominion water park, and earlier this year it leased 10 acres to Dominion Energy for a new substation.
Altogether, Hanover County assessed Kings Dominion’s land for about $75 million this year. Selling the land could require redrawing the property lines — the largest parcel contains 600 acres, including amusement park space and open land. The properties are zoned for general business and light industrial.
It is unclear if Kings Dominion plans to keep any available land and what specific properties it wants to offer. The spokesperson for Six Flags did not provide any details about the company’s intentions.
 
It closed the afternoon of 27 July, about 4 weeks, and I've been very hopeful and glad the park/maintenance still tries. Of course anything could happen in the next 4 weeks one way or another when I finally squeeze in a visit to this infamous park. Come on Batwing, you can do it.
 
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