Kynren Announces Historical Show Theme Park for England

(eap) The British tourist attraction Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, which is a live outdoor show with a historical connection in the town of Bishop Auckland (County Durham), is planning to open its own show theme park in summer 2026. The park will be called Kynren – The Storied Lands and will initially offer five daytime shows based around British history, myths and legends.

Kynren, in turn, is backed by philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer’s charity organization 11Arches, which focuses on education and, together with its sister organization The Auckland Project, on promoting tourism in Bishop Auckland in order to create jobs and thus a prosperous economy. Several million British pounds are now to be invested in the development of the historical show theme park, which is intended to transport the future audience back to the Stone Age and the first settlers. Among other things, a Viking show, a bird show and a performance on the folkloric “Lambton Worm myth” are planned. Guests will also be able to immerse themselves in Victorian England and its gaslit streets, discovering its sights and stories. 

Councillor Amanda Hopgood welcomes the development, which is only subject to final planning approval: “It is nine years since 11Arches amazed us with Kynren, which receives the 5 star TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award year after year. Durham County Council is a proud partner in the remarkable development of Bishop Auckland, and we’re delighted with the development of this new day park adventure: Kynren – The Storied Lands. As Durham Country establishes itself as one of the great UK visitor destinations, this extravaganza will sit at the heart of the County’s offering.”

Anna Warnecke, CEO at Kynren, says, “This is a game-changer for us and for the UK visitor experience market. For the past decade, we have poured passion and expertise into delivering Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, and now we are bringing that same level of scale, innovation, and magic into this new daytime attraction. You won’t just witness history – you’ll live it, feel it, and be moved by it.”

When the show theme park opens as planned in summer 2026, the current Saturday evening show with its 1,000-strong cast and crew of volunteers will continue to be staged. Meanwhile, further south in the country, around 1.5 hours’ drive northwest of London, the French show theme park group Puy du Fou is pursuing plans to create a theme park based on the existing park operations in the Vendée and Spain’s Toledo also in Oxfordshire (c.f. EAP news 12 July 2024). ■