Next expansion already planned Europa-Park celebrates big anniversary with numerous innovations
Europa-Park is celebrating its 50th anniversary - and is ringing in a jubilee year full of innovations: blue News was on site at the anniversary press conference.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- To mark its 50th anniversary, Europa-Park is opening new attractions, including a gameplay cinema and an anniversary movie.
- The park has experienced enormous growth: from 50 employees to over 5,000 - without any subsidies.
- A further expansion will follow in 2026 with the Monaco themed area, and the first insights are already available this winter.
Europa-Park kicked off its big anniversary year on Thursday with over 300 journalists from 19 countries. 50 years ago - in 1975 - the then still small theme park in Rust, Baden, opened its gates for the first time. Today, it is one of the most visited theme parks in Europe with over six million guests a year.
The figures are impressive: from 15 to 100 attractions, from 250,000 to 6 million visitors, from 50 to over 5,000 employees - and all without a single euro of state subsidies, as owner Roland Mack proudly emphasizes.
Mack cites the founding of the park itself as the biggest challenge in recent decades - and of course 2018, when a fire destroyed large parts of the themed area. The coronavirus period was also stressful: "Instead of millions of smiling faces, the park was empty," says Mack.
Future secured - daughter in management for the first time
The next generation is ready: The Mack family's children are gradually taking on more responsibility and the companies are being divided up, as was announced at Thursday's press conference. Ann-Kathrin Mack joins the management team - the first woman to do so in the family's 250-year history.
The family is also expanding in the film business. Michael Mack is taking over the Mack Rides Film Productions division, which will specialize in B2B content in the future. The park's first movie, "Grand Prix of Europe", will be released in cinemas this year.
A new attraction will also open in the park at the start of the anniversary year: "Grand Prix of Adventure", an interactive gameplay theater in which visitors fire a cannon at targets in a moving cinema. The Europa-Park zeppelin also returns to the skies above Lake Constance.
Things are also continuing on screen: the character "Madame Freudenreich" gets her own KiKa series, and the Mack family history will soon be published as a comic.
Amusing flashbacks
The highly frequented camping area is extensively expanded - with new log cabins, a mini golf course, an extended restaurant and 120 additional rooms. A new outdoor pool is being built in the Rulantica water world and will open in spring.
Another major innovation: in cooperation with the Monte Carlo Circus, the 18th "Monaco" themed area is being created and is due to open in 2026. There will be a first highlight in the coming winter season.
In addition to big figures and visions, amusing retrospectives also made for a good laugh. For example, Roland Mack was once mistaken for his own character in "Pirates in Batavia" or accidentally burst into an occupied hotel room that he wanted to show guests. A stuck Eurotower with an archbishop on board was also memorable - as was Michael Mack's marriage proposal on the blue Fire roller coaster.
Swiss guests particularly loyal
Special praise went to a Swiss couple who have already eaten 48 times in the Michelin-starred restaurant Eatrenalin - at a minimum price of 255 euros per person.
Singer Stefanie Heinzmann put it into words: "Europa-Park is like home. I love being here with my family - and the raclette in the Swiss section is unbeatable."
DJ BoBo, whose new tour premieres at the park in January 2026, was not on site but sent a video message - and announced the construction of a new children's home together with the Mack family.
