SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cedar Point’s 150^th anniversary celebration continues through Aug. 15, but beginning this Friday night, there’s another reason to party at The Point – Cedar Point Nights. The park’s summer nighttime beach festival is back Aug. 6 through Sept. 5. 

The Famous Cedar Point Beach
More than 150 years ago, guests began flocking to the Cedar Point Beach to relax in the summer sun. Fast-forward to today, summer fun still thrives – but after dark, the mile-long strand transforms into a nighttime glow-in-the-dark party complete with three distinct activity zones for guests of all ages.

The festival spans the length of the beach starting at the Party Zone, where guests can dance to the beats of a live DJ while surrounded by the light of giant glow inflatables or hang out and relax on glow-in-the-dark furniture. They can also try the Silent Disco, selecting the musical genre of their choice through special headphones. If a late-night snack is in order, the Beach Blast Grill & Beverage Shack will serve up summer favorites and specialty beverages.

The Family Fun & Chill Zones round out the nighttime beach party, providing games for every thrill-seeker, like winner wheel, football toss, light-up-the-net, glow volleyball, cornhole and light-up limbo. Kids can get in on the action with glow face painting and the sandbox seashell dig. Guests can also take it easy while sitting back and relaxing at numerous fire pits along the beach.

Exclusive Cedar Point Nights merchandise will also be available throughout the event.

Dine in the Dark
New this year, the Cedar Point culinary team is cooking up an immersive, glow-in-the-dark, all-you-can-eat dining experience. The park’s Lakeside Dining Room will transform into a neon wonderland with glowing food and beverage stations, all brought to life with blacklight. Each food station will feature a smorgasbord of freshly prepared dishes like coconut perch filet tortillas, spicy pepper shrimp with saffron rice, eye of round beef with garlic butter sauce, grilled boneless pork chops and more. Guests can round out the meal with sweet plantain bread pudding, tres leches cake or traditional Brigadeiro for dessert.

The Park After Dark
Even though Cedar Point Nights is anchored on the beach, the rest of the park morphs into an electric atmosphere as the park’s famous rides and midways are washed with color and thousands of colorful bulbs adorn park favorites. Rides like Millennium Force, Giant Wheel, Matterhorn, the Midway Carousel and Power Tower take on a whole new look as the sun sets over America’s Roller Coast^®.

Event Details
Cedar Point Nights is free with park admission and runs Aug. 6 through Sept. 5 with beach events beginning nightly at 7 p.m., weather permitting. The Dine in the Dark experience is served Thursday through Sunday nights at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. with discounted dinner tickets available with advanced online purchase.

For complete details, including park operating hours, visit cedarpoint.com/events.

Finally: After the Corona-related delay, the innovative cruise ship Mardi Gras is on the high seas. Also “on board” is the first roller coaster on the high seas, however not in the hold but as an attraction on the top deck: “BOLT: Ultimate Sea Coaster” MAURER Rides built the spectacular ride with the cruise company, Carnival Cruise Line operating Mardi Gras. 

Christine Duffy, president of Carnival, makes clear, “Mardi Gras is our most innovative ship with many really special attractions and venues. But the crowning glory of it all is BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea.” 

Imagine it: On the top deck of the luxury liner, you get on – or more accurately – get on the bike, because BOLT is a two-seater. The driver steps on the gas and, with an acceleration of 1.2 g, reaches 60 km/h in no time at all. With that, the drivers race along the track, with drops, dips, curves and a view of the endless horizon – and then probably has to brake at some point, because they come back to the start via a hairpin bend around the legendary Carnival funnel. 

Then there is not only 220 meters (720 feet) of track behind them, but also a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view of the sea, Caribbean dream islands or ships and harbors. A unique roller coaster experience 57 m (187 feet) above sea level. 

Patented Spike drive 
Technically, the whole thing is based on the innovative and patented Spike drive from MAURER Rides. Spike is, in simple terms, a further developed gear drive. Its special feature is that it turns roller coaster passengers into real drivers. They can brake or accelerate themselves anywhere on the track, with 100% traction and 1.2 g of propulsion. 

“Whether passengers want an adrenaline rush or to take it slow and enjoy the breathtaking views, BOLT simply has it all,” enthuses cruise director Duffy. Everyone designs their own personalized ride experience. 

Riders’ speeds are posted after the race. Cameras are mounted along the course so guests can receive a souvenir if they wish. The bikes, with two back-to-back seats, are designed in metallic red and blue, with a flash of bright yellow. A digital speedometer display and speakers with innovative sound effects promise an experience beyond previous cruise and roller coaster dimensions. 

MALAYSIA — The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri today commemorated the official announcement and signing ceremony of ESCAPE Cameron Highlands. While being the third addition to the ESCAPE brand of theme parks in the country after ESCAPE Penang and ESCAPE Challenge in Petaling Jaya, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will be quite unlike any other leisure attraction in the country. Spanning across a 60-acre valley at an elevation of 220 metres, this will be the biggest ESCAPE park in Malaysia. The park will also be the first of its kind in the region to offer an outdoor ski attraction, set within an equatorial climate.

ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will be a nature-based adventure park built into the natural landscape of Cameron Highlands that adopts a low impact development approach in design and execution. The project will also proliferate Cameron Highlands’ natural beauty by presenting a renewed tourism boost for one of the country’s most popular hill resorts.

Speaking at the virtual ceremony, YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri said, “ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will literally and figuratively be a breath of fresh air, as far as the tourism industry is concerned. This novel destination stands to offer something truly unique: reconnecting us with nature.”

“The future of global tourism will be about family fun in the form of wellness. I predict an exponential growth in demand for nature-based tourism worldwide. Malaysia will set itself apart from its regional neighbours by promoting clean, healthy, family-oriented tourism. We will capitalise on our abundant natural beauty heading towards this new direction.”

“ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will do so much more than revitalise Cameron Highlands as a major tourism hub.  This timely development will kickstart the revival of Malaysia’s domestic tourism industry, as a whole, which has been greatly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic since last year,” she added.

Designed and built by the world-renowned Malaysia-born theme park developer Sim Leisure Group, Phase 1 of the project is estimated to take 15 – 18 months to complete with an initial investment of RM15 million. This investment is conservatively expected to exceed RM100 million over subsequent phases, spanning the next 10 years. With its retro-eco concept and unique appeal, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands is expected to draw 200,000 visitors within its first year, and is expected to exceed a million visitors annually beyond its 5th year.

“Unlike other theme parks, ESCAPE adopts the strategy of development in multiple phases to continuously add the novelty factor by introducing new attractions every year. As such, the project will continuously morph to evolve into something bigger and better, while still retaining the flavour and ethos for which the ESCAPE brand is known.  As the brand presents a new genre of FUN in the industry, we do not rely on our past or even current successes, but constantly innovate, researching new ideas and developing new attractions, to cater to evolving consumer demands. This is key to ESCAPE’s evolution in chartering new levels of FUN measured in our own metric of ‘smiles per hour’ while retaining our philosophy of rediscovering childhood play and reconnecting with the natural environment,” said Sim Choo Kheng, Founder of Sim Leisure Group and ESCAPE Theme Parks.

ESCAPE Cameron Highlands combines the essence of the brand’s proprietary ‘retro-eco’ genre of fun with Cameron Highlands’ natural topography and environment. The theme park will bring ESCAPE’s Gravityplay and Adventureplay games to new heights, capitalising on the site’s overall 220m height difference which was a prime selection factor of the project site.

In addition to ESCAPE’s signature downhill rides and adventure-based attractions, the park will showcase the world’s first outdoor ski facility in an equatorial setting, featuring a ski lift elevating visitors to the top and a 1.2km dry ski track, which will take skiers through scenic routes, including local themed villages.

With its temperate climate, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will be themed into five different European villages at varying elevations – starting with the Iberian village at the bottom, followed by the British, Balkan and Nordic villages moving up, before finally peaking at the Alpine village at the top.

“The conception of these five themed villages leveraged on our expertise in designing and building themed facades across multiple theme parks around the world, including Europe. These themed villages will also feature accommodation and rental offerings, in addition to hosting traditional European pastimes and activities, which will complement the ‘fun factor’ of ESCAPE’s signature Gravityplay and Adventureplay attractions,” said Sim.

Sustainability and maintaining a low carbon footprint are at ESCAPE’s core. Unlike conventional amusement parks worldwide, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will preserve the natural habitat, setting the trend for sustainable theme park development.

ESCAPE Cameron Highlands is poised to be an industry game-changer of international standards. Targeting domestic and ASEAN tourists looking to escape the tropical heat to experience something truly different, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will elevate the themed attraction industry in the country to new heights, allowing visitors to reminisce sweet memories of childhood play in a natural environment, envisioned by Sim himself. The idea for the ESCAPE brand of theme parks was conceived in 1998 when Sim relived his childhood during a visit to the Vietnamese Thu Duc Village, just outside Saigon.

“We were contracted to build and operate a theme park there. I saw how the village kids and adults played the same way I did growing up in the ‘kampung’ in Penang. I started recollecting my childhood moments and refining those ideas into a theme park of my childhood mischief – one that would foster self-directed free-range play, catering to an increasingly astute and demanding market of consumers and thrill-seekers.”

“The ESCAPE concept in a nutshell advocates the re-discovery of childhood and re-connection with nature. It reintroduces the benefits of play and enhancement of motor skills by introducing. the nostalgic activities of yesteryear in a contemporary but natural environment. We have been doing this with ESCAPE Penang and ESCAPE Petaling Jaya, but I can guarantee, it will be quite unlike anything in ESCAPE Cameron Highlands,” Sim adds.

ESCAPE Cameron Highlands is built in collaboration with the site’s landowner, Hektar Muda Sdn. Bhd., led by Dato’ Jimmy Doh.

“We are truly pleased and looking forward to this venture with Sim Leisure Group. We wholeheartedly believe that ESCAPE Cameron Highlands is a key innovation in Malaysia’s leisure industry – a gamechanger that will set itself apart from other themed destinations in the country.

As the landowner for the site, and with substantial landbank still remaining around ESCAPE Cameron Highlands, we have a far-sighted vision for Cameron Highlands, involving securing more operational partners to assist us in this journey, while being anchored by ESCAPE Cameron Highlands,” said Doh.
All in all, the introduction of ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will quite literally and figuratively take the brand – and Malaysia’s leisure industry – to new heights. As such, the introduction of ESCAPE Cameron Highlands will lead the way in not only recovering the industry which has been badly hit in recent times, but also surpassing its former glory.

GILBERTSVILLE, Pa. — Tom Chiarella of Gateway Ticketing Systems® has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Head of Product, reaffirming the Executive Leadership and organization’s belief in his vision for the future of Gateway and their Galaxy Ticketing and Guest Experience solution. The promotion comes shortly after Chiarella was named one of The Lehigh Valley Business Journal’s Forty under 40 in 2021.

Tom joined Gateway in 2014 as a Program Manager and in 2016 became a Team Lead of Software Development. In 2017, Tom was promoted to Sr. Manager, Product Development where he strategically grew the Product Development team and improved Galaxy’s maintenance and release cycle. Additionally, Chiarella used his customer facing experience to help improve communication standards and response times of the customer service team to better serve Galaxy users.

In late 2019, Chiarella’s hard work was rewarded with a promotion to Director of Product and a place on the Executive Leadership Team at Gateway.

“Tom’s ability to balance customer needs with our future vision of the product, to manage a large team, and to contribute immensely to the financial responsibility of Gateway, leaves no doubt in my mind that he is prepared to take even more responsibility over the product and lead our company successfully into the future.”

Says Chiarella about his new role: “As we continue to witness the rebound of our industry, it’s an incredibly exciting time to work more closely with Michael on the long-term strategy and drive the execution of the company.”

Referring to the precarious situation in which the exhibiting Verband Der Deutschen (VDV) association members find themselves, Wieland Schwarzkopf, VDV President, declares: “We are all undoubtedly in a very difficult time for everyone, with great uncertainties worldwide, especially in the events and shows sector – not to mention international travel. All of us in this industry are struggling with extreme conditions to keep our business going. Sometimes we have to adapt to changing conditions on a weekly basis. However, it is precisely for this reason that it is unacceptable that IAAPA seems to not have learned from last year’s mistakes and is once again trying to wait until the very last moment to decide whether or not the IAAPA Expo Europe (IEE) in Barcelona (and subsequently also the Expo in Orlando) will actually take place.

“Although it has been foreseeable for some time and has been completely clear for a few days that Spain, among other countries, has been declared a COVID high-risk area, IAAPA has not yet made a clear announcement. On behalf of our member companies, who are also exhibitors at the trade fairs, I appeal to those responsible at IAAPA EMEA to make an unequivocal statement and decision without any further delay. We are in the middle of the summer holidays here in Germany and in other European countries; it needs no further explanation what it means for exhibitors, stand builders, transport companies, etc., to still not have 100% planning certainty or ‘green light’ eight weeks before the start of the fair.”

The VDV President sees another serious problem in a possibly far too low number of visitors, especially in Barcelona, due to the situation. “To be honest, to date I know no one from the generally loyal group of international trade visitors who plan to visit the trade fair this year; possible entry hurdles such as quarantine obligations or possible access or contact restrictions are, to my impression, keeping many interested parties from visiting the Expo this time,” says Schwarzkopf, who urgently claims a clear statement and decision from IAAPA.

Born April 8, 1936, passed away at home in Douglasville, Georgia, on July 21, 2021. Wally and his beloved wife, Connie Paul James, shared forty-nine years together. Wally was known for his life-long love of motorcycle racing, skiing, and service to the worldwide waterpark Industry.

He was born in Vermont and later moved to Akron, Ohio. He was a member of the National Ski Patrol at Brandywine Ski Area, Peninsula, Ohio, later becoming manager of the facility. While at Brandywine he was one of the first people in the nation to develop a waterpark as a summer alternative to skiing. Connie and Wally subsequently moved to Humboldt, Iowa, where for fifteen years they owned and managed their own ski center. In 1999, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Wally furthered his career as an overall consultant to the leisure and insurance industry. He was a legal and risk management consultant, expert witness and facility inspector of entities such as go-kart centers, aquatic-based parks, and amusement parks.

In this capacity, Wally made numerous presentations, published articles in industry journals and received multiple awards. Wally was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014, was recognized by the World Waterpark Association, the National Ski Patrol system and the International Recreation Go-kart Association for contributions to outdoor recreation, risk management and safety. Wally and Connie traveled across the globe for his work to places including, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Australia, Japan, Germany and England.

“Wally James was one of the most important mentors for me and others.  He encouraged me to get involved with the World Waterpark Association Safety Committee and with ASTM F24 as we first wrote a waterslide standard.  Those activities led to safety and risk management being a big part of my career.  I always looked up to Wally for his knowledge, for being authentic, and telling us the way it is even when it was painful to hear.  He made a real difference teaching us the importance of  being vigilant in safety as the industry developed. The waterpark industry wouldn’t be where it is without Wally,” said Franceen Gonzales of WhiteWater West.

Wally was preceded in death by his parents, Anthony and Iona James, sisters Diane, Patty, and daughter, Becky. His surviving siblings are Martha McEwen, Marion Foster (Charlie), and Charlene. Wally’s children are Stephen, Cynthia, Timothy, Christopher, Diane Anderson (Michael) and Amy James. The family asks that in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Wally James’s honor to The Parkinson’s Foundation, https://www.parkinson.org/ways-to-give.

To plant trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.

HERSHEY, Pa. — Pepsi and Hersheypark today unveiled Pepsi Pop Star, a first-of-its-kind, immersive entertainment experience created within the iconic amusement park. Inspired by the brand’s deep history and roots in music and entertainment, Pepsi Pop Star is the ultimate stop for the whole family to unapologetically unleash their inner pop stars for free when it opens on July 30, 2021. 

Located in the Kissing Tower region of Hersheypark, the 2,500 square foot space will offer multiple free experiences and opportunities for everyone to get their groove on this summer with:

• Dance Pods: Visitors can book their free spot to record their dance performances in private dance pods featuring personalized, customizable avatars generated via selfie moving to professional routines matched to a selection of top songs from artists like Kane Brown, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, and more. 
• Free Souvenir: The completely contactless experience creates a friendly competition, challenging guests to land their highest score on the scoreboard and take home their own 15-second music video to celebrate their time in the limelight and share across social channels using #PepsiPopStar #HersheyparkHappy. 
• Exclusive Fan Merchandise: To complete the immersive music experience, guests will also be able to shop a selection of unique branded merchandise on-site, just like they would at their favorite concert. This will be the first time Pepsi has ever offered licensed gear with one of its partners.
• The Pepsi Cooler: The most active dancers can quench their post-performance thirst with a selection of ice-cold PepsiCo beverage products, all in one place. Limited-edition Pepsi Pop Star cans will also be on display. 

“For decades, music has been an integral part of Pepsi that our fans know and love from the Super Bowl Halftime Show to star-powered brand partnerships. With Pepsi Pop Star, we’re passing the star power to them by giving park guests the chance to be their unapologetic selves center stage,” said Rachel Prowler, Sr. Manager of Marketing, PBNA North Division. “Hersheypark has always been a great partner to us and we were excited to collaborate on this unique fan experience.”

The physical destination, created by the Pepsi design team alongside design and experience agency Jam3, brings to life the Pepsi brand’s deep music heritage underpinned by the most watched and talked about musical performance of the year – the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. From Beyonce to Cardi B, The Weeknd to J. Lo and Shakira, Pepsi has worked with some of the biggest musical acts in the world.

Pepsi Pop Star is the first ever immersive amusement park experience from the cola brand coming to Hersheypark, recently honored as a top 10 amusement park in the U.S. by the 2021 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice awards. 

“For more than 115 years, Hersheypark has created a ‘Hersheypark Happy’ experience for visitors with more than 70 rides, a water park, and zoo,” said Vikki Hultquist, General Manager of Hersheypark. “The addition of Pepsi Pop Star allows us to continue to innovate our entertainment offerings by providing guests of all ages with a unique musical experience during their summer visit.”

JACKSON, N.J. ─ Six Flags Great Adventure, the World’s Ultimate Thrill Park, today announced that its iconic fall festival, Fright Fest, will return in 2021 with new scares. 

Fright Fest will feature family-friendly “Thrills by Day” and terrifying “Fright by Night.” Admission will include six elaborately-decorated areas, attractions for kids including the popular Trick-or-Treat Trail, nine live shows including its signature “Dead Man’s Party,” and the world’s greatest thrill rides in the dark. With its location along a mist-covered lake, the all-new Jersey Devil Coaster will deliver five intense elements in the eerie, nighttime fog. Plus, nine haunted mazes will provide the most extreme scares for an additional fee. The park will release details of its full Fright Fest program in the coming weeks.

“We’re thrilled to bring back one of the most anticipated Halloween events of the season. Fright Fest has been a fall ‘must-do’ since the early 1990s,” said Chris Allen, Six Flags Great Adventure operations director. “In 2021, Fright Fest will incorporate all of the thrill rides, extreme scares, and fantastic shows that guests love, plus innovative twists that we introduced in Hallowfest last season. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Due to the pandemic, the theme park introduced Hallowfest in 2020, which featured family-friendly activities and socially-distant scaring. The event was extremely successful, but Fright Fest fans have been eager for the return of its exciting show lineup and full complement of haunted mazes. 

Fright Fest will stretch for eight weeks, kicking off Sept. 10 and running weekends and select weekdays through Oct. 31. Six Flags is currently hiring scare actors. In-person scare actor/zombie auditions will take place August 6 and 20 at 6 pm, and August 28 at 2 pm in Six Flags Great Adventure’s Employment Center. Group auditions are perfect for those with no previous experience in scaring, and include fun exercise before the casting team. Applicants are encouraged to showcase their quirky, strange, funny, and creepy qualities. All participants must be at least 16 years old. Applicants will enter through the employee entrance at 1 Six Flags Blvd., Jackson, NJ.

Candidates should apply online before attending an audition at www.sixflagsjobs.com or text SCARE to 220MONSTER. Seasonal team members who work through October 31, 2021, can earn up to an additional $500-$1,000 or more with a 10% bonus for wages earned from July through September and a 15% bonus for wages earned in October.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Six rides, six themed playscapes, a water play area and even more oinktastic experiences have been revealed for the World’s First Peppa Pig Theme Park. These all-new attractions will create an unforgettable day of adventure at the new standalone theme park, opening in 2022, just steps away from LEGOLAND Florida Resort.

Designed to be the ultimate day for little ones, the new theme park combines interactive rides and themed play grounds with character shows and an indoor cinema for quieter moments. Every corner of the charming new park is crafted with preschoolers in mind, from their first roller coaster rides with their parents and free fair games for the whole family, to an all-terrain course where they will pedal tricycles through a sensory-rich trail and a colorful splash pad that celebrates “muddy puddles” jumping fun! Through every experience, families will snort, giggle and create their family’s first theme park memories together with Peppa and her friends.

FUN RIDES
Families will ride, soar and set sail together in six new rides. No child swap is needed at this park, as families can experience almost every ride together!   

Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster – Take a ride with Daddy Pig in his recognizable red car and go on an unexpected adventure when Mr. Bull’s “digging up the road” sends you on a curvy exploration of Daddy Pig’s new short cut! This family-friendly thrill ride is the perfect first roller coaster for brave “little piggies”! 

Peppa Pig’s Balloon Ride – You won the Fun Fair raffle! Now ride to the sky with Peppa Pig and your family in Miss Rabbit’s hot air balloon as your prize! Enjoy the view from the very top, it’s brilliant!

Grandad Dog’s Pirate Boat Ride – Anchors away! Sail with Grandad Dog on this family boat ride to find his hidden treasure.

Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Adventure – Take a ride on a friendly dinosaur and discover prehistoric surprises around every corner of Grampy Rabbit’s Dinosaur Park! Parents can ride along with their little explorers on this epic dino quest! 

Mr. Bull’s High Striker – Once the hammer hits the bell on Mr. Bull’s High Striker, your family will bounce up to the sky. Hold on tight and be prepared for a surprise because, after all, what goes up, must come down! 

Peppa’s Pedal Bike Tour and George’s Tricycle Trail – Little ones will pedal their way through a camping adventure in the woods, through the icy mountains to see the sights, smells and sounds of the great outdoors! Smaller cyclists can enjoy George’s shorter pedal path adventure on tricycles built just for them!

PLAY SPACES +  ADDITIONAL ATTRACTIONS
Splash, climb and crawl! The fun keeps coming with water play, games and just-my-size playscapes. 

Muddy Puddles Splash Pad – Have an oinktastic time with Peppa and George doing their favorite thing: jumping up and down in “muddy puddles!” This lively play area has spouting fountains, slides and other watery surprises to keep the play experiences super fun and splashy! 

Fun Fair – Meet Peppa and her friends for a fairground adventure full of free games for the whole family, rides that take you up into the sky and lots of other fun things to try!

George’s Fort – What’s making that croaking noise? Find out for Granny Pig by finding your way through the maze and exploring George’s Fort!

Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse – Discover what Grandpa Pig is growing – could it be something red and squishy? Or green and round? Slide around his greenhouse and find out! 

Peppa Pig’s Treehouse – Climb into the Treehouse and join Peppa for “high tea” in her not-so-high treehouse, then slide down to the bottom for even more fun!

Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground – Get active and find all of the ways to play around the rabbit burrows, as you jump, crawl or hop over to explore Rebecca Rabbit’s Playground.

Madame Gazelle’s Nature Trail – Discover what has left mysterious footprints on the ground as you explore the nature trail with Madame Gazelle!

Mr. Potato’s Showtime Arena – Join Peppa and her family under the canopy at Mr. Potato’s stage with live shows packed full of songs, games, snorts, and giggles throughout the day!

The Cinema – Take a break from the sunny fun by watching some of your favorite episodes of Peppa Pig on the big screen in our indoor cinema!

Of course, we have even more surprises to share as we get closer to opening the ultimate theme park for “little ones.” Stay tuned for more details on the all-new shopping, dining, enhanced accessibility and other family-first experiences. 

EXPLORE THE RIDES AND SNAP A SELFIE ON DADDY PIG’S ROLLER COASTER!
Jump into a kid-friendly digital exploration of Peppa Pig Theme Park to explore these exciting new attractions with your little one! A new augmented reality (AR) activity is now available on the Peppa Pig Theme Park Instagram and Facebook pages that brings this adorable 2-D world right into your hands for a safe, at-home experience to help you start planning your preschooler’s ultimate vacation! Click the diamond stars icon on either of the Peppa Pig Theme Park social media pages and use your forward-facing camera to watch the park fill your screen. Move your phone left to right for a panoramic exploration of this new park! Tap the attractions to read more about them. Then flip your camera around to “selfie mode” to snap a picture of you and your “little piggy” aboard Daddy Pig’s Roller Coaster! An easy-to-follow, how-to guide for this fun interaction is available at peppapigthemepark.com/florida/things-to-do/augmented-reality-experience/. Don’t forget to tag your selfie with #PeppaPigThemePark

LAS VEGAS — Experience Designer Chris Wink introduces an original music video for the song “Loving Tone” by up-and-coming singer-songwriter Lucy Weld. The vibrantly colorful video was filmed inside “Wink World: Portals Into the Infinite,” which Wink describes as “a hybrid between a psychedelic art house and a carnival fun house” located inside Las Vegas’ new immersive art and entertainment district, AREA15.

The soulful, melodic song was written by Weld and produced by Wink along with Chris Dyas, who served as Wink’s musical collaborator for many years at Blue Man Group. “Loving Tone” is featured in the last of six infinity-mirror rooms at “Wink World,” where Weld’s rich, ethereal vocal performance pairs perfectly with Wink World’s dreamy, yet vibrant, visual landscape. 

According to Wink, “I wanted the experience at Wink World to have a soft landing, almost the opposite of the emotional arcs of Blue Man Group shows, which always end with a big bang. Instead, I wanted Wink World to feel more like it ends with a gentle hug. When I heard the demo for ‘Loving Tone,’ I knew that Lucy had written a special song and it would the perfect soundtrack for the final room at Wink World. Because so many of our guests have asked about the song, we decided to make a music video so it could reach a wider audience.” 

Weld composed the song at the beginning of the pandemic and says, “I wrote ‘Loving Tone’ as a reminder to be intentional, especially in relationships. My hope is that this song will help people transmute fear into a positive meditation that leads to gratitude and self-love.” 

Wink hired Dustin Robison from Quantum Arc Media to direct the video, which was filmed entirely inside Wink World at AREA15. As the video begins, the viewer sees Weld, dressed all in white, walking into a scene that quickly breaks down into an undulating, kaleidoscopic pattern. When the viewer sees her next, Weld’s attire has transformed into bright neon colors, while psychedelic painter Alex Aliume adorns her face with swirls of multicolor fluorescent paint. In the next scene, Weld stands inside the sixth Wink World exhibit room surrounded by swirling psychedelic patterns that stretch far off into the distance.  Lyrics to “Loving Tone” include: 

And if your home is the road, 
Just know that blessings will unfold.
The sun still rises,
The moon stays shining. 
You will be fine. 
You are divine.
Take the loving tone
It will lead you back home