EFTELING THEME PARK REOPENS ON MAY 20

 BY GABRIELLE

Efteling, the fairytale theme park in the south of Holland, officially reopened on Wednesday May 20, 2020. The theme park’s step-by-step approach to reopening has been planned closely with official regional authorities.

A series of test days have taken place, which involved the volume of visitors gradually increased to help staff at the park get used to new ways of working. These new working methods are constantly being evaluated and improved to help keep both guests and employees safe.

The safety initiatives introduced at the park are based on a protocol drawn up by the attractions industry association, Club van Elf and the Dutch Association of Zoos. Once international travel restrictions have been lifted and continuing to comply with the safety measures, Efteling hopes to welcome guests from abroad.

CEO Fons Jurgens commented on the reopening of the Dutch theme park: “In the World of Efteling, we have always made sure that our guests can enjoy the park safely. That is no different now. What is different is exactly what that safety entails. We know better than anyone how guests move in our park and how we can spread groups and we are using this knowledge to ensure guests can always keep a safe distance.

“Fortunately, we have plenty of space because our park is approximately the size of 140 football fields. We also allow a limited number of guests to pre-book their visit. This way we can guarantee that everyone has the space for their day out,” Jurgens added.

MAX & MORITZ TO LAUNCH AT EFTELING THIS SPRING

BY GABRIELLE

Max & Moritz, the family rollercoaster launching soon at Efteling theme park in Holland, is near completion, with the arrival of the first of its two trains.

Each of the two trains will represent the characters, Max & Moritz, the two naughty schoolboys from the German rhyming story Max und Moritz. The train will travel in opposite directions, taking guests of all ages, but particularly children aged 4 – 10, on an exciting journey.

The ‘Max’ train is now in place on the track, weighing over 1,300 kg. Coen Bertens, director of Efteling Theme Park, said: “This is another major milestone for the project and is certainly exciting. It takes about three days to assemble the entire train, bringing the most important elements – track and train – together. The next step is testing the ride and we are all really looking forward to it.”

As well as the ride, a new restaurant, ‘Frau Boltes Küche’, will open at Efteling this summer, not far from Max & Moritz. Like the attraction, the area surrounding the ride, including the new restaurant, will be influenced by the Max & Moritz story.

THE SIX SWANS OPENS AT EFTELING

BY GABRIELLE

A new attraction has opened at Efteling theme park in the Netherlands. Known as the Six Swans, the attraction is the 30th fairy tale themed ride at the fantasy themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel.

The Six Swans is located between the Cinderella and Snow White attractions in the park’s Fairytale Forest, the Sprookjesboom.

The new attraction is based on the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm about a princess rescuing her brothers who had been turned into six swans by their jealous stepmother.

Visitors to Efteling can experience the magical story either onboard a swan-themed boat or by foot. The boats travel along a circular on a two-minute journey.

Guests are greeted by the Princess Elisa. In order to break the swan spell, Elisa is forbidden to make a sound for six years and must knit six shirts out of aster flowers.

Inside the castle, 606 shimmering flowers surround Elisa, which light up when the swans pass her. The castle’s exterior is surrounded by thousands of aster flowers.

Fons Jurgens, Efteling’s CEO, commented: “Fairytales have been the origin of Efteling since 1952. That is why we continue to enrich the Fairytale Forest with new stories. This beautiful and interactive addition underlines our role as guardian of the fairytale.”