A new Family Entertainment Centre (FEC) has recently opened its doors in Istanbul, Türkiye. Nickelodeon Play! Tersane Istanbul is a brand new indoor theme park with several Nickelodeon-themed rides and attractions. Highlight of the new centre is the interactive dark ride, SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride. The second in Türkiye and the third world-wide.
Nickelodeon Play! is located on the European side of Istanbul, west of the Bosporus. The new FEC features (interactive) playgrounds, several mechanical attractions and the interactive dark ride SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride.
Guests of SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride are invited by Mr. Krabs to come and test their luck at a series of wacky carnival midway games. But it soon turns out that the play material has been switched with the ingredients of the ‘Krabby Patty’. Arch enemy Plankton, hatches a scheme to finally get a hold of the coveted ‘Krabby Patty’ secret formula that is the success to Mr. Krabs’ restaurant the Krusty Krab.
The attraction was designed by Sally Dark Rides and features interactive systems by Alterface. The attraction utilizes a trackless car ride system by ETF Ride Systems.
The FEC in Istanbul is run by the same company as Land of Legends, near Antalya. This theme park in the south of Türkiye opened a Nickelodeon land last year, which includes the previous installation of SpongeBob’s Crazy Carnival Ride. The first installation opened in 2024 at the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, NV – U.S.A.).
“This attraction hits the sweet spot for operators,” states John Wood, President and Chairman of Sally Dark Rides in a press-release. “It’s the ‘Goldilocks’ of dark rides: not too big, not too small, but just right in
footprint, fun factor, and price point. It delivers the storytelling and interactivity guests expect from a major theme park experience in a format that works perfectly indoors.”
Nickelodeon Play! Tersane Istanbul had soft-opened on 28 November 2025 but recently celebrated its official opening.
