Daily BrewCanada’s Wonderland marks anniversary as theme parks struggle with distractions
Can the neon lights of a theme park still compete in a world of never-ending digital distraction?
Canada's Wonderland, which opened north of Toronto in 1981, has touted two new attractions for its 30th birthday season, which begins Saturday: a gravity-defying thrill ride called the WindSeeker and, later this summer, a nightly light show called "Starlight Spectacular."
While the first major theme park in the country was a huge draw when it opened, its momentum has varied in the decades since, as it changed ownership from Taft Broadcasting to Paramount Pictures and to the Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.
Wonderland was never owned by Canadians, but as the Hanna-Barbera cartoon mascots were overshadowed by a roller coaster based on "Top Gun," its regional distinction was diminished. Cedar Fair owns 10 similar parks across the U.S.
Concerts by touring acts at the Kingswood Music Theatre helped broaden the appeal of Wonderland beyond the rides. But now, Wonderland has opted for a permanent retro-rock spectacle called "Start Me Up," and familiar shows for kids like "Charlie Brown's Pirate Adventure."
A more uniquely local outdoor amusement experience has been marketed in downtown Toronto at Ontario Place. A new 4,000-capacity concert venue, Echo Beach, has been designed to pick up where Wonderland left off.
Yet, the 40-year-old provincially managed park has also struggled to define its purpose and will announce long-awaited redevelopment plans later this summer. For the time being, anyhow, admission to Ontario Place will be free.
Roller coasters and other thrill rides will likely remain the domain of the 132-year-old Canadian National Exhibition for as long as its midway takes over the neighbouring waterfront in the weeks before Labour Day.
Chances are the country has seen the last of the shriek-inducing permanent theme park developments, though.
Calaway Park in Calgary opened in 1982, a year after Canada's Wonderland, with a similar marketing focus based on "The Flintstones." La Ronde in Montreal, a by-product of Expo 67, was sold a decade ago to U.S. theme park chain Six Flags.
Meanwhile, Upper Clements Park, which brought a wooden roller coaster and flume ride to Nova Scotia in 1989, is under redevelopment for 2012. The new approach will emphasize BMX-style bike courses, horseback riding trails, camping and paintball, along with its already-popular ziplines.
Motivation for Canadians young and old to leave the comfort of their screens will likely require more than taking a seat in a gravity-defying machine.
