Merry-go-Round

On 24 December 2024, the carousel marathon at Plopsaland De Panne reached its conclusion. Nick Jespers left the carousel after fifty hours and 6,380 laps. The action was about more than endurance alone. Together with a seniors' party, a children's party, an SMS campaign and cookie sales by Plopsa staff, the initiative first raised 11,250 euros before the final total was increased to 12,000 euros. The money went to De Warmste Week, which that year focused on fighting loneliness. Jespers endured two cold nights while colleagues kept him company inside the attraction. The warm response turned the nostalgic merry-go-round into the setting for a striking year-end charity story. In the Merry-go-Round's history, this is an unusual chapter: the ride was not in the news for technology or capacity, but because it became the physical centre of a long, public fundraising effort.

Once Nick Jespers' challenge was underway, the carousel became more than a spinning family ride in the Samson & Marie area. On 21 December 2024 Looopings reported that anyone could watch the marathon live on Facebook and YouTube. Jespers was spending fifty hours in the attraction, supported by colleagues who joined him in the merry-go-round and by park visitors who could cheer him on. Banners around the ride carried the campaign message about carousel rides against loneliness. A countdown clock was visible, and viewers could donate through a QR code. The effort ran from Friday 17:00 until Sunday 19:00 and was expected to produce hundreds of rides. For fans and guests, the moment showed how a modest nostalgic ride could briefly become a media stage. The experience remained familiar, but the livestream and donation drive gave the carousel a strong social role.

Just before the 2024 Christmas holiday, the carousel at Plopsaland De Panne became the stage for an unusual fundraising challenge. Nick Jespers, Plopsa's quality control manager and a theme-park fan, announced that from Friday 20 December he would remain seated in the merry-go-round for fifty hours. The aim was to raise money for De Warmste Week, the VRT charity campaign that focused that year on fighting loneliness. The challenge also had personal history. In 2007 Jespers had already spent 48 hours on the same carousel and raised 2,000 euros for Music For Life. Seventeen years later he wanted to break that record and collect more. For the attraction, the plan turned a classic family ride into a temporary stage for endurance, colleague support and charity. Visitors could see a familiar carousel become the centre of a park-wide social initiative.