Opening Date for Efteling’s “Scary Dance” Has Been Set

© EAP-Magazin (eap) It is now certain: “Danse Macabre” will perform its spooky “dance” with visitors to Holland’s largest theme park for the first time on 31 October 2024... “It will be something very special and new in every respect” – this is the promise of those responsible for and involved in the project, who are currently working flat out on the new Danse Macabre attraction in Efteling. The former “Spookslot” (haunted castle) was opened in 1978 and was one of the absolute favourite attractions for visitors for decades. And “although it was no longer at the cutting edge of technology, our guests still gave it a positive rating of 6.8 out of 10,” says Koen Sanders (Director Product, Marketing & Image), explaining the situation as it was a few years ago when it was considered that the venerable attraction might have to be demolished in favour of a redesign. “At Efteling, we are known for our ability to tell stories and bring them to life. And we firmly believe that modern technology can support this storytelling. And so we decided to once again create an attraction with which we can offer people a truly immersive experience. It goes without saying for Efteling that we will make this experience visible not only in the attraction itself, but also in the entire new ‘Huyverwoud’ themed area,” says Sanders.

© EAP-Magazin Visitors are already prepared for the extraordinarily spooky experience in the area surrounding the actual attraction – the new themed area covers a total of 17,000 square metres. There are two entrances to the waiting area: one for single riders and another for all other guests; visitors with disabilities can also access the area as normal with all other guests. The largest part of the queue is located in the outdoor area. A large part of the tree population has been preserved here, which guarantees natural shading, but also the planting of the entire area is already well advanced so that the atmosphere from the herb garden to the cemetery will be as pleasantly green as possible when it opens in October... Connoisseurs of the former haunted castle can also discover one or two reminiscences of the former attraction here – parts of the old walls or well-known ornaments are hidden in the queue area, but also on the outer and inner parts of the new attraction. Finally, a bridge leads visitors into the Abbey to the last part of the queue before they reach the centrepiece of the attraction, the new motion-based ride from Intamin. It goes without saying that this is not directly recognisable as such, but is part of a magnificent production inside the chapel. What Jeroen Verheij, head designer of Danse Macabre, had thought up, designed and visualised in detailed drawings and models in advance was implemented and staged in a magnificent and unmistakable way by the Efteling team under Tim Nusselein’s construction management. Efteling visitors can expect a memorable visitor experience in the new 20 metre high building when, at the end of October, “the choir stalls” of the chapel will rise from the centre of its mysteriously designed surroundings, rotating to eerily beautiful sounds – experienced through a gigantic sound system – to perform a “little dance” with the six times 18 passengers... You can read all about the new immersive experience at Efteling in one of our upcoming EAP magazine issues. ■