Excitement builds as one of the world’s favourite LEGOLAND® roller coasters is the first ride to be installed at Dubai Parks and Resorts
The Dragon roller coaster, one of LEGOLAND® Dubai’s most eagerly anticipated attractions for children and parents, is the first ride to be installed at Dubai Parks and Resorts – a landmark moment for the theme park destination. Taking visitors on an interactive journey of vibrant LEGO® animation, the ride weaves through the LEGOLAND Castle, before twisting and turning onto a fun-filled outdoor track.
“The Dragon is a must-ride highlight for children and parents and a key attraction at every LEGOLAND® Park around the world. It’s also the Park’s biggest ride at 16 metres high and reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour,” commented Siegfried Boerst, General Manager of LEGOLAND Dubai.
“We are very excited that the first roller coaster has finally reached Dubai Parks and Resorts. More than 50 percent of the ride engineering and manufacturing across all of the theme parks has been completed and ride components such as LEGOLAND’s Dragon ride have started arriving on site for installation. So this is now obviously a very exciting stage in the destination’s journey to completion,” said Stanford Pinto, Chief Parks Operations Officer of Dubai Parks and Resorts. The Dragon roller coaster forms the centerpiece of the Park’s LEGO® Kingdom area, home to the iconic LEGOLAND® Castle and many other exciting attractions for the whole family. LEGOLAND Dubai will feature six themed areas and over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions and 15,000 LEGO model structures made from more than 60 million LEGO bricks.
The Dragon roller coaster was manufactured, and is being assembled, by Zierer Rides and overseen by leading construction firm Hill International.
Dubai Parks and Resorts is a multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination set to open in October 2016, comprising three theme parks – motiongate™ Dubai, Bollywood Parks™ Dubai and LEGOLAND® Dubai, together with LEGOLAND® Water Park. The destination will also include Riverland™ Dubai, a themed retail, dining, and entertainment experience, along with the Lapita™ Hotel, a Polynesian-themed family resort.
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Notes to Editors
Dubai Parks and Resorts PJSC (DFM: DUBAIPARKS), will become the Middle East’s largest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination comprising three separate theme parks: motiongate™ Dubai, a Hollywood movie inspired theme park concept; LEGOLAND® Dubai, the first LEGOLAND theme park in the Middle East; and Bollywood Parks™ Dubai, a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination that will showcase the authentic Bollywood movie experience. In addition LEGOLAND® Water Park, the region’s first water park catering to families with younger children will also open on the site.
The development will also host the Lapita™ Hotel, a Polynesian-themed hotel which will be managed by the Marriott Group, and Riverland™ Dubai, a centrally located district of 220,000 square feet of leasable retail, dining and entertainment district connecting the three theme parks, water park and hotel.
Set to open in October 2016, the large-scale AED 10.5 billion project is spread across 25 million square feet of land strategically located on Sheikh Zayed Road close to the Palm Jebel Ali between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 6.7 million ticketed visits are expected in 2017, the first full year of operation.
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 111 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and c26,000 employees (peak season).
Merlin currently has fourteen attractions in Asia including Madame Tussauds in Bangkok, Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing and Wuhan, China; the fantastic LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort with its theme park, hotel and water park; world leading aquaria in Busan, Bangkok and Shanghai, – underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator; LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; and Istanbul. New LEGOLAND Parks will also open in Dubai in 2016, and Japan and South Korea in 2017. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.
LEGOLAND® Parks are unique theme park resorts specifically designed for families with children between the ages of 2 to 12 years. Based on the world’s most popular toy – the LEGO® brick – LEGOLAND Parks offer families the opportunity to play together and to let their imaginations run free through an exciting range of unique LEGO experiences from kid-powered rides, building challenges, spectacular LEGO Models, interactive attractions, family-friendly coasters and shows, that pull the audience into the action.
There are currently six LEGOLAND® Resorts in five countries – Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany, USA – Florida and California, and Malaysia. All these Resorts also include fantastic LEGO® themed hotels and a mix of other attractions like water parks and SEA LIFE aquariums making them the perfect destinations for a family short break. As well as Dubai, Merlin also has new LEGOLAND Park developments underway in Japan and S. Korea.
For further information, please contact:
Four Communications Jo Robertson +971 55 980 6697 [email protected]
