October 8th - Theme Park News in a Nutshell

 Here is this week's Theme Park News:

• Legoland California is closing yet another opening attraction with Safari trek’s neighbour Fairy Tale Brook to close at the end of October to make way for “future awesomeness!”

• Disney revealed the full roster of celebrity narrators for the Candlelight Processional at this year's EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. New celebrities include Brendan Fraser, if he can get his cup of coffee.

• Both Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort have announced upcoming discounts for families visiting with children, ages 3-9, Starting October 24.

• Disney+ has announced that a second season of "Behind the Attraction" will drop on November 1. The six-episode second season will highlight Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, EPCOT, Food, and Nighttime Spectaculars.

• In the uk Thorpe Park have announced their 2024 coaster will be named Hyperia, stand 236 feet tall and hit speeds of over 80mph

• In Denmark Djurs Sommerland has announced that the park will build their tallest attraction ever for the 2024 season, a 60 meter tall new drop tower to be located inside the park’s Mexicoland.

• Merlin Entertainments has announced the impending retirement of its Chief Financial Officer, Alistair Windybank. He joined Merlin in 2008 and have served as the company's CFO since 2020

• Iaapa have announced that”Universal Beijing Resort – The Untold Story of Triumph over Trying Times; COVID, Lockdowns, Quarantines, And More" will be the topic for this year's Legends panel at this years expo in November. It will be hosted by Bob Rogers, and feature: 

• Tom Mehrmann, President and Chief Operating Officer of Universal Destinations and Experiences, Pacific Rim. Former President and General Manager for Universal Beijing Resort

• Mike Hightower, retired President at Universal Creative.

• Sylvia Hase, President of Hasbas Entertainment who were responsible for the Untrainable show.

• SeaWorld San Antonio is the latest theme park to go solar in its parking lot, beginning construction of a solar canopy that will shade approximately 1,200 spots in the VIP section of its parking lot. The canopy's solar panels will have a capacity of 4.3 megawatts and generate 16% of the park's electricity consumption, according to SeaWorld.

• An American water park guest has filed a suit against Walt Disney World after a visit to Typhoon Lagoon caused an “injurious wedgie”  from the Humunga Kowabunga slide in 2019. the incident was serious enough for her to be hospitalised, and she’s asking for $50000 in damages.

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