17 Sep 2018
Interview: Roland Mack eyes future developments as Europa Park reinvents EuroSat coaster in Moulin Rouge partnership
BY Tom Anstey
Europa Park founder Roland Mack is looking to the future following the launch of the park's latest project – the redeveloped EuroSat CanCan coaster.
Eurosat – a ride originally built in 1989 inside the park's iconic sphere – has been completely reimagined, with a modern new design and theming based on the iconic Moulin Rouge cabaret show in Paris.
Following the conclusion of the 2017 summer season, the French-themed area of Europa park has undergone an extensive renovation, primarily focused on EuroSat ride.
The ride's track, along with other technical aspects and the ride's theming have been completely rebuilt over 10 months. Created by Mack Rides, the track layout remains very similar to its original design as a tribute to its original creator – Franz Mack. The most significant addition is a second station on the same track, turning one ride into two through use of virtual reality.
"EuroSat now offers a much smoother ride with a softer track and new trains," said Roland Mack, speaking to Attractions Management at the ride's official launch.
"The second station sits on the other side of the building to CanCan. To do this we've connected the two using some special engineering, creating a switch point on the ride so both coasters can run at the same time."
Created by MackMedia, the EuroSat Coastiality VR experience starts in the queue line – a world first for any ride, with the new format dubbed 'roam and ride'.
"We use special cameras, reacting to motion detectors on your VR headset," said Mack. "You put them on in the queue line and can move around in the world we've created. You can also see the other people queueing, so you can move around without walking into them. What's unique is you can also board the ride in VR. It's the first time ever that something has ever been done in this manner."
The track for Coastiality is slightly longer than the 922m (3,024ft) CanCan coaster, extending an additional 50m (164ft) to accommodate the second station. The Coastiality experience lasts around 8 minutes, with the capacity to bring through 210 people an hour. CanCan by comparison lasts three-and-a-half minutes, with the ability to serve 1,050 people each hour. The ride for both versions reaches speeds of up to 60kmph (37.3mph).
Family ties
The launch marks the start of a partnership between two family-run businesses. The Mack family – who own Europa park and Mack Rides – have teamed with the Clérico family, which has owned and operated Moulin Rouge since 1955. Jacki Clérico, who died in 2013, has been credited for reviving the popularity of the Moulin Rouge over the course of the last fifty-plus years, with his son Jean-Jacques Clérico now managing the iconic brand.
"We are two families with the same purpose – to entertain people," said Mack.
"Moulin Rouge offer shows, as do we, but we also have our rides. A family working in show business with world-class entertainment working together with a theme park is great for our industry."
The partnership marks the first time Moulin Rouge has ever partnered with a theme park operation. When the company was first founded in 1889, its then owners, Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, had planned to build a small amusement park around the Moulin Rouge attraction.
"They didn't succeed with their amusement park dream," said Mack. "But here we are 100 years and three generations later and that dream has now been realised at Europa Park.
"We're going to talk further with Moulin Rouge about future developments. I'm pretty sure this is only the start for our partnership."
Forward thinking
Following the dual ride's successful launch, Mack is looking at what's next for Europa Park, with several major projects underway, including its new waterpark and the rebuilding of a section of the park following a major fire earlier in the year.
We're currently building our new waterpark Rulantica, which has been in the pipeline for a number of years," he said.
"The hotel and waterpark are both coming along nicely and we hope to have those open in 2019.
"At the same time we're rebuilding our Norwegian village, the Dutch village and our wonderful Batavia ride following the fire.
"There's a lot going on in Europa Park. There's not another family-owned park in the world doing as much as we are right now. It's incredible."
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