With the major theme park season of 2022 being over, it is time for a new list of new dark rides and show rides coming in 2023! After a few unusual years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we already saw a large amount of new rides opening in 2022. Let’s now see what 2023 has in store in terms of new dark rides and show rides! Check out the list below.
America
Canada
Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls, Ontario): Carnival Chaos. Brand new dark ride and the first full-scale installation of the Hyper Ride, a ride concept by Triotech & Gosetto. The ride type includes motion seats, to give a similar experience to motion-based dark ride vehicles. The ride was announced at the IAAPA Expo in 2021 and was originally intended to open in 2022. Opened in July 2023.
Dominican Republic
Katmandu Park Punta Cana (Punta Cana): New Park. Park designed by Falcon’s Creative Group. The park contains three DRdb-listed rides: Legend of the Desirata (a 3D dark ride), Voyage of the Fathom Wanderer (a Flying Theatre) and Challenge of the Mad Mage (an interactive theater). The park opened on 15 March.
United States of America
Adventuredome (Las Vegas, Nevada): SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride. New dark ride, based on the franchise of SpongeBob SquarePants. The ride, designed by Sally Dark Rides, was announced in August 2023. Opening in the winter of 2023-2024.
Cannery Row (Monterey, California): Treasure Hunt: The Ride. Brand new interactive dark ride, developed by Daniels Wood Land in collaboration with Sally Dark Rides. The ride combines physical decors with interactive screens, where visitors are to defend themselves from sea monsters. The ride, with an interactive system by Alterface, was announced at the IAAPA Expo 2021 and was originally expected to open by the end of 2022, but was eventually opened in July 2023.
Disneyland (Anaheim, California): Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Second installation of this trackless darkride. The ride in constructed in Mickey’s Toontown, which will receive an overall upgrade for the 2023 season. The first installation of the dark ride opened in Orlando in 2020. The ride opened on 27 January.
Elev8 Fun Tampa (Tampa, Florida): XD Dark Ride Theater. New FEC including a new interactive theater by Triotech. Opened in March.
Funtown Splashtown USA (Saco, Maine): Haunted Hotel. Interactive dark ride by Sally Dark Rides, in which riders are to clear a hotel from an evil charm. The ride was announced in November 2022 during the IAAPA Expo. Opened on 28 July.
Lagoon (Farmington, Utah): Primordial. Combination of an interactive dark ride and a roller coaster. The ride is similar to Wonder Mountain’s Guardian, which was built by ART Engineering and Triotech. Even though construction began in 2019, progress has long been a mystery, until the ride was officially announced for the 2023 season in November 2022. Opened on 16 September.
Universal Studios Hollywood (Los Angeles, California): Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. Second installation of Super Nintento World including the dark ride about the popular Mario Kart games. The first installation opened in Japan in 2021. The ride in California opened officially on 17 February.
Asia
China
Fantawild Heze (Heze): New Park. Preseumably a new genre of Fantawild parks, but it is yet unknown what theme or rides it will receive. Nevertheless a number of dark rides and show rides might be expected, regarding the other properties by Fantawild Group.
Fantawild Jining (Jining): New Park. Preseumably an installation of Fantawild’s recent ‘Road of Rejuvenation’ parks, of which the first opened last year in Huai’an. The park is likely to receive similar dark rides and show rides as that park.
Fantawild Shangqiu (Shangqiu): New Park. Preseumably a new genre of Fantawild parks, but it is yet unknown what theme or rides it will receive. Nevertheless a number of dark rides and show rides might be expected, regarding the other properties by Fantawild Group.
Fantawild Wonderland (Xuzhou): New Park. The first park of the Fantawild chain bearing the name ‘Fantawild Wonderland’. Rides include multiple of Fantawild’s in-house designed dark rides that appear throughout multiple of their parks. The new park opened on 17 July.
Hong Kong Disneyland (Hong Kong): Frozen Ever After. Dark boat ride themed after the Frozen franchise. The ride is expected to be a near-copy of the ride by the same name in EPCOT. The Frozen Ever After-area, including the ride, is announced to open on 20 November.
Oriental Heritage Yingtan (Yingtan): New Park. New park by the Fantawild Group. Opened on 9 September and contains six dark rides and show ride. See article here.
Shanghai Disneyland (Shanghai): Zootopia: Hot Pursuit. New themed area including dark ride, revolving around the Zootopia film. A scale model for the 10-seater vehicles was revealed at the last D23 Expo. The area opened for previews in September, with an official opening day expected in fall 2023.
Japan
Hamanako Pal Pal (Hamamatsu): Popcorn Panic. Interactive theater by Alterface and SHUQEE. Follows the popcorn franchise, which was developed by Alterface and introdued in Walibi Belgium in 2019. Opened in summer.
South Korea
Lotte World (Seoul): Battlegrounds World Agent. Interactive experience based on the PUBG: Battlegrounds video game. In four sequences, guests get transported to a battlefield and need to fight two shoting battles. Created by Lotte World in collaboration with Triotech. Opened on 5 May.
U.A.E.
Ferrari World (Abu Dhabi): Mission Ferrari. SFX-coaster, combining a dark ride and a rollercoaster, built by Dynamic Attractions. The ride was announced for 2019, but has been much delayed. Mission Ferrari officially opened on 12 January.
SeaWorld Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi): Hypersphere 360. New theme park including the first installation of the Dome Ride Theatre, a simulator ride by Intamin and Attraktion! Park including the simulator opened by the end of May.
Vietnam
VinWonders Nha Trang (Nha Trang): Flying Theater. The first installation of the Airific flying theatre by Mack Rides. A poster announcing the ride were spotted in the park in February 2023. The ride opened on 1 June.
Europe
Belgium
Bobbejaanland (Lichtaart): Terra Magma. Retheme of the Indiana River indoor flume ride. The new theme revolves around a volcano, and the entire area around the ride will be rethemed as ‘Mystery Volcano’. The new design is made by KCC Entertainment Design. Opened on 14 May.
Plopsaland de Panne (De Panne): Op Reis met Bumba. New indoor theme zone revolving around Bumba, a figure from a children’s animation series. Includes a brand new dark ride in the same theme. Construction started in January 2022. The ride opened on 21 July, read our report here.
Germany
HarzWaldHaus (Bad Harzburg): Unknown. New show ride and the first installation of the Circulum360 ride by Attraktion! Opens in a tourism centre in Bad Harzburg and tells the history of the city.
France
Le Pal (Dompierre-sur-Bresbe): Champi’Folies. First installation of the Smash & Reload concept, launched by Boldmove Nation in 2021. The installation in Le Pal was announced in spring 2022 and will receive a Too Mush-theme. The ride system is built by Gosetto. The ride opened during April, read our special here.
Malta
Mercury Towers (San Giljan): Unknown. Flying theatre located inside the new Mercury Tower skyscraper. The 60-minute experience revolves around the history of Malta. The ride system is developed by Simtec Systems, with the experience design by Sarner. The ride was announced in September 2023 and set to open later this year.
Netherlands
Attractie- en Vakantiepark Slagharen (Slagharen): Red Bandits Adventure. Retheme of the former Wild West Adventure dark ride, which closed in November 2022. The new ride, designed by Leisure Expert Group, will keep the ride system, though with a new theme featuring the Red Bandits, part of the park entertainment line-up. The ride opened on 22 April, read our special here.
Spain
PortAventura Park (Salou): Uncharted: El Enigma de Penitence. New semi-dark ride rollercoaster themed after the Uncharted game and film franchise, announced in November 2022. The ride system is a Multi-Dimension Coaster by Intamin, and the ride is designed together with Sally Dark Rides. Opened on 17 June, read our report here.
Switzerland
Conny-Land (Lipperswil): Crazy Professor. This unique ‘vertical dark ride’ is a co-production of Conny-Land and Ride Engineers Switzerland (RES). The ride, announced in November 2021, consists of an indoor free fall tower that features storytelling on a large projection screen, rising as tall as the ride itself. The ride opened on 31 March. Check out our report including interview here.
United Kingdom
Alton Towers (Alton): The Curse at Alton Manor. Retheme / updated version of the former Duel ride. The park confirmed that the retheme will refer back to the Haunted House, the original version of Duel. The name of the ride was announced in January. The ride opened on 18 March, read our special here.
Clacton Pier (Clacton-on-Sea): Jurassic Pier 4D Encounter. New experience combining a walkthrough and a 4D Cinema, themed around dinosaurs. Was announced in October 2022. Opened on 27 May.
Oakwood Theme Park (Narberth): Unknown. Presented as a new dark ride, though the ride is expected to be a retheme of Spooky 3D. Announced in February 2023.
Thorpe Park (Staines): Ghost Train. Retheme of former Derren Brown’s Ghost Train. The ride will no longer revolve around Derren Brown and will not use VR-headsets. The retheme was announced in February 2023. The ride opened on 26 May.
