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Could say the same about majority of your posts...

Thanks for putting all that together so I don't have to read the big detail. if it's more like cedar taking over SF, i'm quietly positive about the move. it could see standards at SF improve. A SF taking over Cedar scenario is more unthinkable. Hopefully we don't get a Paramount Parks situation out of this, and the merge strengthens them as a company with more power to compete with the top two for market share. There is no scenario where the big players like CP, SFMM or Knott's are in danger. Some of the other more regional parks with lower patronage and ROI may see some changes out of this though, which is sad, but ultimately it's a business and they have to do what is profitable less they sink the entire ship.

You'd be mad to sell Knotts. It's the ultimate piggyback attraction to Disneyland and makes good money. Don't know why it matters if you have two parks under the same ownership nearby...How is it different to WBMW & SW, or Thorpe & Chessington, or Busch Tampa and SW Orlando.

You'll have to ride it when it opens and find out

Luna Park Sydney has released details of its new $15 million dollar imersive attraction, the Dream Circus. It has provided almost 90 years of fun but now Sydney's iconic Luna Park is entering the digital age with a new immersive attraction pegged to be the next chapter of the park's history. Luna Park opened in 1935 on Sydney Harbour during a time of economic and political turbulence during the Great Depression. The theme park offered "escapism, wonder and joy" for residents during that difficult time, CEO John Hughes said. The historical face of Luna Park and as it looks now. (Nine / Supplied) "Born in the midst of the great depression, Luna Park was built in Sydney out of this need for being social to escape through some of that frivolity," he told 9news.com.au. Eighty-eight years later, torrid times have hit again but Luna Park remains to offer a similar escape. "Now in 2023 with what is happening globally on the back of a pandemic, we think that there is this innate need again to escape, somewhere to go have fun and somewhere to go socialise." From December 22, Luna Park will have upgraded the Big Top to an immersive experience attraction, opening with a locally created experience called the Dream Circus. A render of inside the Big Top immersive experience. (Supplied)HERE The park has made the $15 million investment into redeveloping the Big Top to compete with the globally growing demand for immersive experiences. Luna Park will offer a 3000-square-metre fully accessible multi-purpose entertainment venue within the Big Top with "Barco projection technology, a spatially mapped audio system, hologram technology, motion-activated LED screens and the latest in lighting technology". It provides a 360-degree visual and audio experience in the Big Top that will initially be used to show the Dream Circus production and later for live music, product launches, fashion week and other corporate connections. The event space will open with the Dream Circus production. (Supplied) Sydney Luna Park CEO John Hughes. (Supplied) The move into the immersive and digital space is the future for the amusement park, the CEO added. "We know globally that Gen Z, Gen Alpha are craving these highly social and immersive experiences," he said. He acknowledged that simply relying on rollercoasters and rides at Luna Park isn't sustainable for the future of the theme park and moving into the digital space and creating an "Instagrammable" experience will attract a new wave of visitors. "Luna Park has historically pushed what is possible creatively it has always been a leader in the next best thing," Hughes said. "It is in our DNA. We are replicating it in a 2023 way to a 2023 audience who are largely digital natives," he said. The park already welcomes 1.1 million visitors per year - a return to pre-COVID-19 numbers, Hughes said - but with this new experience it hopes to attract 50,000 visitors this summer alone. Luna Park is sticking closely to its history honouring the best of the new technology while remaining a heritage Art Deco amusement park with classic rides and attractions. From the current to construction site to event space in seven weeks. (Supplied) The Dream Circus is a narrative journey to be premiered in the Big Top. (Supplied) But as the CEO noted, with Australia and the globe facing difficult economic times again in 2023 and the cost of living crisis squeezing budgets, the park believes it has hit the right balance on pricing with the new experience. Starting at $35 for kids and $45 for adults, the team said it is pricing "comparable to a movie". "When you look at the broad spectrum of going to the cinema, going to other attractions or going to shows that come to town we think that is priced quite low given the experience and quality," Hughes said. "Hopefully people can see the value proposition of coming to the park for a ride pass and an experience pass for the Dream Circus for a fairly affordable price." The link to the original article can be found HERE This seems like an excellent proposition for the park- at the same time it converts a function space that can be utilised into a permanent attraction but the attraction itself can also be used to enhance the features of the function space. It will be interesting to see just how and what this attraction actually looks like when it opens to the public. Either way, it certainly shows that Luna Park are still thinking out of the box and have followed up their recent significant investment of 9 new rides with this experience. The Luna park site has been updated to reflect the new attraction and has more info. It will be an upcharge and ticketed attraction and is not available if you are an existing annual pass holder. Info from the website is as per below:

I’m sorry, what? Preferring a better immediate view of the ride over a view of the Globe first is fine (though, I think the general consensus would be opposite, especially for social media purposes. And it’s worth noting that concept art is *art* depicting a *concept*, and therefore almost always differs from the final product), but I don’t even know what you’d need to be to use the accident as justification for wanting a slightly different viewing angle of an entirely unrelated ride.

You sound really confident about that, but I wouldn't be so sure. Its a strong park, and can stand on it's own. If the group tried to close it down they'd get crucified, and selling it would be a HUGE mistake. As for land values - The area surrounding it is a lot of residential property. It's not a potential hub of industry at the junction of two major arterial highways. It's nowhere near Wonderland as a comparison. As far as attendances, Knott's ranks near the top of the group. Of the 11 Cedar Fair parks in this analysis, Knott's is beaten only by Cedar Point itself. Revenue wise, its about the same, or larger than Cedar Point too. No. While much is uncertain as a result of this merger - one thing is for sure - Knott's isn't going anywhere.

My initial reply to this would have suggested there wouldn't be much difference given the distances and the locals for each park have little crossover, but the more I worked through it the more interesting it became. If knott's were to close, I feel like the majority of their tourism attendance would move to another Disney day, or just spend time around the Anaheim resort precinct. Locals on the other hand visit Knott's because they don't like the bustle (and robbery) of the D bubble. If MM were to close however - the solution is less obvious. The park's bread and butter are youths\young adults who are *relatively* local to the area, and seeking thrills, not experiences. The nearest big park is Universal, but it's a very different experience and not really what an Adrenaline junkie is looking for. I'd wager Universal would pick up some of the market simply due to geography, but those who have the ability to travel... Would they go all the way to Knotts for an Adrenaline fix?

This is great to see. I’ve always thought they should offer a cheaper version that doesn’t include all the perks (like DW currently does), so kudos to VRTP for adding this option. Definitely makes the Locals One Pass look even more value for money (which is probably what they’re going for) because for an extra $40 you get almost $230 worth tickets to their events.

There are more than only two fish in that pond.

This looks great. Honestly, if this is the direction Dreamworld is headed (back to their beginnings), I think they've turned a corner and I have some hope for the future of Motocoaster and Sky Voyager.

We have a new font on the signage in front of the globe

Demo update

You won't be missed.