Theme Park Things to Look Forward to in 2022

To say this decade so far has been crazy would be an understatement. From pandemics to who knows what else, its certainly been a rollercoaster… and not a fun one either. But that’s not to say there haven’t been some positives. In the last year alone we’ve heard much-anticipated announcements and seen new rides that have really taken the theme park world by storm, and if predictions are correct, it looks like this exciting time is set to continue.

Over on our Instagram we’ve been reminding ourselves at the most impactful events for the industry throughout 2021 in our Coaster Christmas Advent Calendar, but now its time to look to the future. Join me in this mega-post as we explore some of the biggest rides and attractions set to debut in the next year, because according to Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody, its only just beguuuun!

Announcements and Updates

Project Exodus, Thorpe Park

If you’re a theme park enthusiast in the UK, or just interested in Thorpe Park and UK parks as a whole, I have no doubt you’ve heard the massive news that was dropped at the beginning of December. With almost ten years having passed since Thorpe’s most recent rollercoaster Swarm made its debut, the park has now confirmed it would finally be receiving its seventh and biggest coaster yet!

The Island Like No Other has broken some pretty impressive records in its time, from inversions to height, but now we will see this popular amusement park open the tallest rollercoaster in the UK, one foot higher than The Big One’s sea level height, and hopefully ten times crazier.

Although planning permission hasn’t actually been granted yet, the concept, codenamed Project Exodus, looks set to take UK theme parks by storm. Thorpe Park held a public consultation at the resort from the 9th through to the 14th of December, during which some pretty awesome concept art and details were released, and if you want to share your two cents on the proposed project, the park have a survey on their website, open until January 7th. At the beginning of 2022, Thorpe are set to apply for permission to build the attraction on the former site of Loggers Leap, possibly for a 2023 or 24 opening. We should hopefully learn more about Project Exodus throughout the new year, including the ride’s manufacturer, theme and the different types of inversions that will twist and drop riders through the layout!

London Resort

When you’re building a theme park, there’s a LOT of work that goes into every aspect of its construction. From attractions to themes to whether the concept can actually be feasibly built, its a complicated and lengthy process, and even then not all parks are as successful as the designers have hoped. So as you can imagine, on top of everything else that is going on at the moment, that a brand new theme park like the London Resort would be riddled with uncertainty and delays.

Originally named Paramount Park, the London Resort has been shrouded in uncertainty from the beginning. The project has faced many different objections for a range of reasons, and since being announced all the way back in 2012, the date for even starting construction has been pushed back time and time again. But despite all this, the London Resort does seem to have gained some kind of certainty over the past few years.

Now, we have concept art that, if the finished project is anything like it, assures us that the London Resort is going to be something incredible. The park will have six themed lands, a waterpark, an E-Sports facility, 3500 hotel rooms and, that’s not even everything. If the predictions are correct and construction will begin in 2022, the London Resort could open as early as 2024… and let’s face it, it looks incredible!

Rides to Add to Your Bucket List

Palindrome, Cotaland

If you hadn’t heard of this relatively new Texas theme park, you wouldn’t be the only one. Cotaland first made its way into the consciousness of many enthusiasts when it made a pretty big announcement at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando earlier this year- that it would be building an America’s-first ride that would be just one of the things helping a park that previously had only kiddie rides grow into one to watch. The new ride, named Palindrome, will stray pretty far from Cotaland’s original audience.

While the park already had two smaller coasters, this one will be a much more thrilling Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster, and has a bit of a unique selling point. Why is this? Because Palindrome will be America’s first coaster to travel over a road! Drivers will be able to see the terrified and exhilarated faces of riders soaring through the layout, and if that wasn’t cool enough, this ride will also be a shuttle coaster, so you’ll be able to experience it both forwards and backwards. Although a definitive opening date hasn’t yet been announced, we do know this unique rollercoaster should make its debut some time in 2022.

Enso, Blackpool Pleasure Beach

If you like getting dizzy to the point of not being able to walk in a straight line, this one is for you. Arguably one of the most surprising announcements to come out of this year is that soon, Blackpool Pleasure Beach will be offering riders the chance to experience their Mack multilaunch coaster, Icon, but with a unique twist. And this twist is… spinning! The back two rows of Icon’s regular launch coaster trains will be replaced with spinning trains, likely similar to those used on Mack spinning coasters such as Copperhead Strike, for the first time ever at a European theme park.

This sort-of-new-addition, named Enso, was announced through a series of social media posts back in November, and even as January is approaching, we still don’t know much about it- whether the experience will be an upcharge, or will it is permanent. With several other attractions at the park receiving updates in the new year, it looks like 2022 is set to be a pretty good year for Blackpool Pleasure Beach!

Iron Gwazi, Busch Gardens Tampa

Ahh, Iron Gwazi. This RMC Hybrid coaster has already caused quite a stir in the theme park world and it hasn’t even opened yet, but this isn’t because of its record-breaking height or speed. Instead, its simply because its taking quite a long time to open! The story of this ride begins all the way back in 1995, when Busch Gardens’ Busch Brewery was demolished, and replaced with a new wooden coaster by Great Coasters International four years later. This new attraction, named Gwazi, pitted riders against one another in an exciting race between two duelling sides- the Lion and the Tiger. Gwazi operated pretty much solidly from its opening in 1999 through to February of 2015, when it closed and remained Standing But Not Operating up until 2018.

When a wooden coaster is SBNO, it generally means one of two things. Either the ride is going to close permanently, or, the option every coaster enthusiast hopes for- it’s getting the RMC treatment. In the case of Gwazi, this second option turned out to be the one that came to fruition, and as more and more information was released about the US’s newest hybrid coaster, excitement and speculation only grew and grew. Busch Gardens, along with RMC, actually finished construction at the beginning of March 2020, but due to the pandemic, Iron Gwazi couldn’t debut as planned. September 2020 brought the news that the ride’s opening would be postponed to Spring 2021, yet once again this was pushed back, this time until March 2022. With the proposed opening date now just four months away, let’s all hope that Iron Gwazi’s debut has been pushed back for the last time!

Pantheon, Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a lot further north than its counterpart in Florida, but these two sister Seaworld parks have something pretty big in common: both are planning to open record-breaking rollercoasters in the new year! Set to open in March 2022, BGW’s new coaster Pantheon will twist riders through a layout themed to five Greek gods, featuring an impressive four Intamin LSM launches to form the world’s fastest multilaunch coaster.

Adding to the experience will be two inversions. A Zero-G Winder not too long after the first launch will send riders upside down and round with a sensation only found on three coasters around the world, while later on will come a Zero-G Stall. If this wasn’t enough to create that mix of excitement and fear we all love, Pantheon also promises at least five moments of airtime, and even a vertical rollback.

Back when the original Seaworld park, Seaworld San Diego, opened in March 1964, no one could have predicted the journey the park, and eventually the Seaworld chain would go on to become what it is today. Now, with eight parks, forty-one coasters and plenty of rides still under construction, Seaworld looks set to continue their specialty of combining conservation with thrilling attractions.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Epcot

Since opening on the 1st of October 1982, Epcot has been through a LOT of changes. Back then, Walt Disney World’s second theme park used what it called ‘edu-tainment’ to bring the promise of a bright future and unity between all nations, through two main lands: Future World and World Showcase. This is a sentiment that is still at the heart of Epcot today, but now Future World is no more, replaced instead with World Nature and World Discovery, and many of the older attractions are being replaced, too.

One thing that was always pretty unique about Epcot compared to many other major theme parks, was that it doesn’t have any rollercoasters! At one point, there was an attraction named Sum of All Thrills in the main hub Innoventions, which allowed guests to design their own thrill ride and experience it on a robotic arm ride, but if you wanted to ride an actual coaster, you would have to go to one of the neighbouring Disney parks.

That is, until now. Set to open in Summer 2022 in time for Epcot’s 30th anniversary, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be a Vekoma spinning coaster, and will break the record for the world’s longest indoor rollercoaster. The new ride is currently being built on the former site of the Universe of Energy pavilion, and should be a big step in Epcot becoming “more Disney”!

Jumanji: The Adventure, Gardaland

Jumanji is a “game for those to seek to find a way to leave their world behind”, and if you’ve ever wanted to explore this jungle where absolutely everything and anything could happen, you’ll soon be able to at Gardaland in Italy. Announced back in September 2021, Jumanji: The Adventure will use a range of animatronics and special effects to bring the world of Jumanji to life, being the first ever park to do so. A month after the announcement, the first rock was laid to mark the beginning of construction, and since then work has been progressing at a rate that looks set to ensure the ride should open on time.

Over on Gardaland’s website, updates and information about Jumanji: The Adventure have been popping up since October. Now, we can watch as an intimidating Stone Giant animatronic takes shape and finds its home in the ride, ready to create chaos throughout the experience. If you’re more interested in stats, November saw 287m/942ft of track arrive at the site, that will connect the twelve scenes in the ride.

This unique dark ride is set to open at the beginning of the 2022 season, meaning it won’t be too long before the adventure begins. Whether you grew up with the original 1995 Jumanji or the 2017 reimagining, I think we can all collectively hope that the experience will be as amazing and immersive as its looking so far!

New Lands to Escape To

Arendelle: The World of Frozen/Scandinavia, Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland

When the world was hit with Frozen Fever back in November 2013, we all found it pretty difficult to Let it Go. I’m sure my incessant need to make Frozen puns will all make sense when I’m older, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at a themed land set to bring the magical kingdom of Arendelle to life. At the time of the land’s announcement in 2016, we could already take a ride through this icily cool Disney animated film on Frozen Ever After over at the Norway Pavilion in Epcot, and parts of the pavilion had been given a snowy-summery makeover in time for the opening, but I think we all wondered what an actual Frozen land would be like.

Provided there aren’t any delays to construction, this dream should soon become a reality in 2022. Arendelle: The Land of Frozen will allow guests to join all their favourite characters in celebrating Elsa’s annual Summer Snow Day, taking a gentle boat ride in a similar version of Frozen Ever After, and a slightly less gentle race down the North Mountain on Wandering Oaken Sliding Sleighs. This second ride will only debut at Hong Kong Disneyland’s version, and will be a rollercoaster, but if you have little ones you know would love something like this, don’t worry! It’s only a Vekoma mine train similar to Seven Dwarves Mine Train over at Magic Kingdom, which has a height limit of 38 inches/97cm.

Sweet Valley, Energylandia

Energylandia in Poland may have only existed for seven years, but this incredible theme park has already earned a spot on many enthusiasts’ bucket lists. Between this and Cotaland, it looks like these small, emerging parks are putting some serious effort into their new attractions, so let’s explore a new land coming to Energylandia in 2022.

Back in April, the park made a pretty ‘sweet’ announcement- excuse the pun- that next year we would be seeing Sweet Valley make its debut in the 2022 season, with two rollercoasters, as well as a range of other attractions. Choco Chip Creek, the land’s headline attraction, will be a Vekoma mine train that looks to offer a fun and thrilling ride with views of Sweet Valley, while the slightly smaller Honey Harbour, also from Vekoma, doesn’t have too much information released about it yet, but will likely have sugary-based theming to fit in with the rest of the land.

Construction has already began on what could be one of the best themed lands in Europe, judging by the concept art and some of the other immersive attractions Energylandia has created in its almost eight years of operation. With many of Sweet Valley’s rides being family-orientated, but some still offering a bit of thrill, it looks like the park’s eighth land will have something for everyone when it opens next year!

Avengers Campus, Walt Disney Studios Paris

I interrupt this blog post to bring you a pretty big confession: I’ve never watched any Marvel or Avengers movie. I watched the Loki series when it was first released on Disney Plus, but that’s more or less where my Marvel knowledge ends. But whether you’re a massive Marvel fan or, like me, are still a bit of an amateur, its undeniable that this high-flying, now Disney-owned film studio is gaining more and more of a presence in the parks.

Like many of the lands, parks and attractions on this list, Avengers Campus at both Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Paris have been subject to delays throughout construction, yet while the version in California opened last year, we are still awaiting the one in Paris. This incarnation of the land will be larger by over three hectares, featuring three attractions, as well as three shops and cafes. Headlining these will be Web Slingers: A Spider Man Adventure, giving riders the chance to join the Worldwide Engineering Brigade- otherwise known as WEB- to fight alongside their favourite superheroes. If your knowledge of the films and comics is extensive enough, you may be able to spot some Easter Eggs throughout the attractions and land.

With Avengers Campus having already opened in California, we have a decent idea of what we can expect. Pym Test Kitchen looks to deliciously destroy everything you thought you knew about food proportions, while on Web Slingers, theming, screens and special effects blend together for an immersive experience. The two lands won’t be completely identical however. In Paris, we’ll see Rock’n’Rollercoaster rethemed to take guests on a thrilling journey with Iron Man, described by Disney as “hyper-kinetic” and “high-speed”.

If you want more than one day to explore Avengers Campus, a new Marvel-themed hotel has already opened at the Disneyland Paris resort. Hotel New York opened with the resort back in 1992, and more recently has been reimagined to have a superhero twist. If you’re ready to save the universe with your favourite Avengers, you’ll want to visit Walt Disney Studios Paris for the opening of this massive new land in Summer 2022!

Parks

Lost Island Theme Park, Iowa

Not to be confused with the video game of the same name, Lost Island is just one of the upcoming parks that made announcements at the recent IAAPA 2021 in Orlando. In fact, they’ve been making announcements throughout the past few years, and since 2019 we’ve learned more and more about what should become one of Iowa’s largest theme parks.

The owners of Lost Island are no strangers to themed entertainment. Located not too far from the construction site of the theme park, the popular Lost Island Water Park is owned by the same family, and is home to a go-karting track, lazy river, a wave pool and enough water slides to ensure there really is something for everyone. Lost Island Theme Park seems to be following the same trend. Although definitive names haven’t been revealed for most of the attractions, themes and manufacturers have been. Spread across five themed lands based around different ‘clans’, Lost Island have so far released details for twenty six attractions, including an Intamin Accelerator Coaster, a Ferris Wheel, and a range of small rides for kids who aren’t quite ready for the bigger ones yet.

As for many of the parks on this list, no complete opening date as been announced just yet. But with construction updates showing Lost Island’s rides and attractions continuing to take shape, lets hope this exciting theme park will open as planned in 2022!

Peppa Pig Theme Park, Florida

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson once said that Peppa Pig World is his “kind of place”, and if its yours, too, you’ll want to keep reading this one. From its debut in 2004, the kids cartoon Peppa Pig became an instant success, to the point that seven years later, a small theme park entirely dedicated to the slightly irritating young pig opened up next to Paultons Park in the UK. 2018 saw the opening of a smaller version at Gardaland in Italy- with a balloon ride, a junior pirate boat ride and a walkthrough Peppa Pig House- but now Florida is getting a piece of the Peppa hype too.

Named Peppa Pig Theme Park, the park is set to offer a range of fun-sized attractions for fans of the show. These include a rollercoaster- a Zamperla family launch coaster to be exact- taking riders on a slightly questionable shortcut with Daddy Pig, as well as a boat ride and circular tracked ride similar to the ones at the original Peppa Pig World. For young children who aren’t quite ready for rides yet, there’s a cinema, a splashpad and sandpit, and plenty of places to play. And in what may come as a great relief to parents who simply cannot take any more Peppa, Legoland Florida is just round the corner.

The Peppa Pig Theme Park is set to open in February 2022, and considering just how popular this little pig is, it should be a great addition to Florida’s already incredible theme park lineup. Lets just hope there aren’t too many of us enthusiasts visiting just for the Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster cred!

Lotte’s Magic Forest, South Korea

This list has taken us to the US, Europe and Asia, and for the last item on this list, lets return to Asia to have a look at a unique park opening next year in Busan, South Korea. Since 1989, Lotte World in capital city Seoul has been one of South Korea’s largest theme parks, and one of the largest indoor attractions in the world. Today, Lotte World is home to three rollercoasters and two main themed lands, but this is just where the story begins. Summer 2021 brought the announcement that a new theme park would be opening further South, four times bigger than its predecessor and with theming that looks like it could compete with Disney.

Described as Asia’s first European-style theme park, Lotte’s Magic Forest will be home to an elaborate clocktower, a talking tree and a regal castle towering over the park. From the concept art released, it looks pretty similar to Efteling over in the Netherlands, and will hopefully be just as much of a success. Construction updates seem to show the park’s six themed lands and wide offering of rides beginning to take shape, and some attractions have even begun testing.

Lotte’s Magic Forest uses the same layout as many of the traditional Disneyland-style parks, and looks to offer the same kind of enchanting and whimsical experience. All we can do now, with this park and all of the attractions and parks on this list, is to wait for the designers and builders to work their magic!

Which of these announcements, attractions, rides or parks are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments below, and have a very Merry Christmas!

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Thanks for reading! Now let the Christmas festivities commence!

-Lily🎄🎁 🎅