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- Seasonal event hailed as great success with new rides and increased area space
- Improvements to Winter Wonderland especially impressive due to precautionary COVID-19 measures
RIYADH: Riyadh Season has announced that Winter Wonderland will conclude its run on March 31 after a successful comeback following two years of pandemic restrictions.
Winter Wonderland has become one of the most anticipated Riyadh Season events, with more than 60,000 entry tickets sold during the first minutes of the ticket portal opening.
Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the board of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), revealed that the season had recorded more than 15 million visits in all of its zones since October last year, with up to 7 million participants heading to Winter Wonderland since opening day.
The theme park is extremely popular with families, offering them various games, rides and fun gifts to keep as memories after a thrilling evening.
The main takeaway of this year’s wonderland was the amount of effort put into recovery back from the pandemic.
Throughout its opening period from Oct. 20, 2021, the park has maintained stringent COVID-19 precautions. The GEA and the National Events Center both created a list of secure rules that prevent the virus from spreading.
Beyond adapting to the pandemic, the park has also gone through some major upgrades, increasing its area space by 40 percent. This created more access for newer rides to be implemented, including the arrival of the world’s longest mobile roller coaster, the “Sky Loop.”
This year, Winter Wonderland has more areas that serve different age groups, including the most crowded area, “Horror Adventures,” with zombies dancing around, frightening and delighting the audience.
Samir Odeh, a 16-year-old student, told Arab News about his enjoyment of the rides. “I love the new rides because they are way more exciting and breathtaking. Some of my favorites are the Wonder Road and Magic Box,” he said.
Haya Al-Sanei, another 16-year-old student, acknowledged the improvement, telling Arab News that “Winter Wonderland had more opportunities built” for locals and foreigners, showcasing their broad range of businesses, rides and platforms for even more excitement.
The wonderland is now coming to a close, but anticipation for its return is already hotting up. The next season will be announced at a later date by the GEA, the organizers of the event said.