NEWS: Hungary's Vidam Park is close to bankruptcy

[larrygator]

It appears Hungary's major amusement is in financial trouble

 

VidamPark close to bankruptcy

 

Budapest's Vidám Park will not open its gates this spring and could go bankrupt in the autumn, the tabloid Blikk reported on Monday. The 60-year-old park is battling a Ft 70 million deficit.

 

Management wants to sell the Ferris Wheel and Top Spin rides and then lease them back in order to solve liquidity problems, but Budapest city council's cultural committee refused to approve the business plan.

 

CEO Tamás K falvi blamed the financial difficulties on a drop in the number of visitors to 370,000 last year from 422,000 in 2008.

 

Poor financial management by the company is also responsible for the near bankruptcy, according to Magyar Hírlap.

Edited September 30, 2012 by larrygator

[robbalvey]

Wow, that's a bummer. Here's a few photos of the park from our Park Index so people can get an idea of what could be lost --

 

One of the last remaining Scenic Railways

 

On noes! A Wacky Worm!

 

It spins.

 

Carousel Display

 

Dark Ride

 

Schwarzkopf!

 

Trains from the woodie.

[larrygator]

I'll take more pictures in July, provided the park opens this summer. I know amusement parks are not a huge lifestyle choice in Hungary (based on one major park) but a yearly attendance of only 370,000 in a city the size of Budapest is sad.

[thrillgeek]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this park. From the pics it looks a pretty unique park. I hate to see any park especially as old as this one fall victim to bankruptcy.

[Moose]

I should find my pictures from when I stumbled upon the park while visiting Budapest a few years ago.

 

The loss of that coaster and carosel is a real shame.

[Airtime&Gravity]

I remember stumbling across this park on RCDB last year, and it is sad that its attendance is so low when in a city the size of Budapest. The park looks like a nice traditional park, and the carousal is beautiful. Sadly, with the exception of the spinning wild mouse, I don't see the rides being saved, which is sad since they look really good.

 

Also, according to RCDB, the Schwarzkopf has already been removed.

[ginzo]

This is a bummer. Budapest has been on my radar screen for places to visit for a while now. The closing of the park won't change this for me, but it would definitely be sad to miss the park entirely. Central/Eastern Europe has so few parks to begin with. It's a shame to see them lose what little they have.

 

If this does reopen, maybe I should change my UK pre-trip to be a run from Budapest to Vienna to Prague.

[Xenox]

This would be a real shame to lose to financial folly. I visited there a few times when I lived in Budapest, but to be honest it was never really the first choice of recreational activity to do in the city. I think even the local ice-skating ring close to the park received much more attendance than Vidampark.

 

The Looping Star there is the ride I remember best; ah, good times.

[cfc]

One of my former coworkers actually visited this park during a consulting trip to Budapest. The side-friction woodie scared the crap out of him (first time he'd ever ridden one).

[Noxegon]

Both the Schwarzkopf and Big Apple coasters were removed last year.

[larrygator]

^Are you positive they didn't remove the Powered Coaster last year and leave the Big Apple? Only asking because the Big Apple still appears on rcdb on you travel so much you were probably at the park recently.

[Dragon Khan]

a bit off topic but related to one of the pics though: funny to see a Schwarzkopf Looping Star with a 6 car train ! they usually run 7 car trains (at least the different models i have ridden). Does it lead to a less intense ride ? I'm asking because it seems Olympia Looping often operates shorter trains and was a bit of a disappointment for me. I heard that when operated with 7 car trains, this ride REALLY delivers.

[Moose]

I am not sure if it was more or less forceful. When I rode it I was in a dazed with the fact that they dispatched the train not only with my restraint open, but also before I was fully seated.

[Ryancrash]

Such sad news! Looks like a delightful park - and there are so few scenic railways left in existence that it would be a real shame to lose another one. (After riding the gems in Scandinavia, I'm dying to ride the others as well!) I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. I would really love to visit Vidámpark in the next couple years - sure hope it's around that long.

[themeparkman25]

Deleted by author

Edited January 20, 2011 by themeparkman25

[monsterfan99]

^Bankruptcy laws in the US go extremely easy on people. If a US company goes bankrupt, someone can buy the park without taking on debt. However, in other countries if a company goes bankrupt, the new company must take the debt with it.

[larrygator]

Vidam Park will close in November.

 

Some of the historic rides will remain as part of the zoo. Besides the side friction coaster, I think it is a given that the Carousel will also remain.

 

http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=9878

 

Sad end for Budapest's amusement park

 

Vidám Park to be permanently closed in November, city announces.

 

The Budapest Vidám Park will be permanently closed on November 6, deputy mayor Gábor Bagdy told HírTV on Wednesday.

 

The facility in the City Park is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs nearly Ft 1 billion for an overhaul, he added.

 

City leaders firmly intend for Budapest to have an amusement park but would prefer to open a more modern and bigger park in co-operation with private investors, Bagdy said.

 

The adjacent zoo will expand into the present area of the amusement park.

 

Rides deemed historically significant, such as the roller coaster, built in 1922, will continue to function, but will be within the area of the zoo.

[cal1br3tto]

Some of the historic rides will remain as part of the zoo. Besides the side friction coaster, I think it is a given that the Carousel will also remain.

Thank goodness! While it doesn't quite sound amazing, I've been interested in the coaster for a while, so I freaked out when I saw the new thread subtitle. Hopefully the historic rides will continue a long life in this new arrangement.

[texcoaster]

For a side-friction coaster, that one isn't bad at all. I was on a tour bus group from Vienna and there was a two-hour stop for shopping as part of the tour. Of course, the minute the bus stopped at the shopping area, I hailed a cab and raced over to Vidampark. They don't use Euros there, so I had to come up with some cash (they didn't take credit, either) from an ATM, wasting valuable time. I was able to ride the Schwarzkopf once, then headed for the woodie. It's a beautiful structure with great old trains and the brakeman rides in the middle of the train. After two quick rides, it was time to race back to the tour bus, which had warned us that they had NO PROBLEM leaving our asses in Hungary if we were late getting back. Naturally, the shopping area and the park were quite far apart, but we made it back with five minutes to spare.

 

Really wish I'd been able to spend some time at the park. What I did see was pretty nice, considering.

[simon8899]

Was thinking about adding it to my Vienna trip last week but since the Looping Star was gone decided against it.

 

On getting from Vienna to Budapest I'd prefer the ÖBB Railjet trains going there multiple times each day instead of a bus.

[Moose]

I'm sad to see the park go but at least some of the rides will be saved and added to what item bet being a pretty now zoo.

[jedimaster1227]

At least the side-friction coaster is going to be kept. Other parks of the past in these kind of situations haven't been so lucky to keep their historic coasters, so that is a spot of better luck.

[MrSum1_55]

I am very glad the senic railway will not be lost. That would be very sad to lose another coaster this old. I would hate to have to go through a SavE tEh Hullámvasút type thing.

[Gilly]

Apparantly the park is still open

 

http://www.vidampark.hu/2009/eng/