News about El Paso

As Belgian theme parks moved towards reopening in May 2021, Bobbejaanland director Yves Peeters used the Looopings Podcast to look beyond the immediate coronavirus worries. After months of financial pressure and limited capacity, he wanted to talk again about refurbishments, competition and future attractions.\n\nPeeters openly acknowledged that several older parts of Bobbejaanland were not yet at the level he wanted. Kinderland, the water ride Indiana River and the dark ride El Paso were named in that context. The comment mattered because it showed where the park itself saw room for improvement: not only in new investments, but also in refreshing existing favourites.\n\nFor visitors, the significance lay in the prospect that Bobbejaanland wanted to do more than recover from the pandemic. It also wanted to invest in quality again. At the same time, the park faced pressure from Belgian competitors, with major new roller coasters at Plopsaland and Walibi Belgium. The podcast therefore placed Kinderland and El Paso within a broader strategy, in which older attractions had to prove they still belonged in a park looking forward after a difficult period.

In March 2021, Belgian theme parks finally received a path toward reopening, but the easing of restrictions came with a clear boundary. The government mainly allowed outdoor activities. Covered attractions therefore had to remain closed until further notice, while parks continued to discuss the exact rules with the authorities.

For visitors, that created an unusual half-open season. Plopsaland De Panne could not use Mayaland or Het Bos van Plop and was still looking for solutions for covered queues such as the one at Anubis The Ride. At Bobbejaanland, Banana Battle, Indiana River, El Paso, Revolution, The Forbidden Caves and Kinderland stayed closed. Walibi Belgium had to do without attractions including Challenge of Tutankhamon, Popcorn Revenge and Palais du Génie, while Bellewaerde could not open Huracan, Bengal Express or Het Huis Van Houdini.

The relevance was not only the list of closed doors. Indoor attractions are normally valuable in bad weather and for families with young children. During the coronavirus reopening, that sheltered quality became a limitation. For Kinderland and similar attractions, the report explains why availability and visitor flows in 2021 cannot be compared with a normal operating year.

When Bobbejaanland was allowed to welcome guests again in the summer of 2020, the park did not simply return to normal. General manager Yves Peeters explained that several attractions would remain closed or be adapted so the restart could stay manageable and safe.\n\nIndoor and interactive experiences were hit hardest. Kinderland stayed closed, as did the shooting dark ride El Paso, Glijbaan and the 3D simulator The Forbidden Caves. Coasters such as Revolution and Dreamcatcher could operate, but without virtual reality headsets. Bobbejaanland also wanted face masks in larger attractions, especially roller coasters where riders tend to scream.\n\nFor visitors, the reopening therefore meant a park day with clear limits: the gates opened, but some familiar stops were missing. The first operating day became Wednesday 1 July after hoped-for test days were not approved. The report captures the balancing act theme parks faced during the first coronavirus summer, weighing capacity, experience and safety. Bobbejaanland chose a cautious restart, with Kinderland and other indoor attractions feeling the strongest impact of the measures.

In September 2019, Bobbejaanland was at a turning point. With the triple-launch coaster Fury and the themed area Land of Legends, the park had just opened its most visible investment in years. In the Looopings Podcast, commercial director Peggy Verelst even called it the year of truth: the new coaster had to strengthen not only the attraction line-up, but also the image of the Flemish park.

The conversation showed how carefully Bobbejaanland had to choose its spending. Owner Parques Reunidos decided how much money could be invested, so every budget decision mattered. A large share went into decoration and theming, something Verelst said required persuasion at head office. Fury therefore became a calling card for a park that wanted to show more ambition than its reputation sometimes suggested.

At the same time, Bobbejaanland looked ahead to older crowd pullers. Revolution, Kinderland, Indiana River and El Paso Special were mentioned as parts of the park that could eventually use a major refurbishment. For visitors, that mattered because the park did not only need new headline rides, but also care for its existing attractions. That combination determines whether an image improvement is temporary or lasting.

Bobbejaanland reopened in early July 2020 after a three-month delay caused by the coronavirus crisis. The return of guests was very different from a normal start to the season. Visitors first had to have their reservation checked and then scan their ticket or annual pass. In queues, shops, restaurants and toilet areas, green markers at two-metre intervals showed where groups were allowed to wait.

Ride operations changed as well. Rows were left empty in ride vehicles, and face masks were required on the more intense attractions, including Aztek Express, Bob Express, Dreamcatcher, Fury, Naga Bay, Oki Doki, Revolution, Sledge Hammer, Speedy Bob and Typhoon. Indoor queues such as Revolution received extra attention. Several crowd-pulling indoor experiences stayed closed for the time being: Kinderland, El Paso, Glijbaan and The Forbidden Caves. Roller coasters also ran without virtual reality headsets.

For guests, the park day became a sequence of new habits: keeping distance, disinfecting hands, paying by card and accepting that not every attraction was available. Historically, the reopening captured an exceptional moment in which theme parks traded spontaneity and full capacity for controlled visitor flows and highly visible health measures.