An enchanted garden in the desert
Compelling dark ride coming to Six Flags Qiddiya City
Universal’s Epic Universe is getting loads of attention. And for good reason. Set to open in Orlando this May, it is driving fans (myself included) wild with anticipation. But it is not the only world-class, cutting-edge theme park debuting in 2025. Six Flags Qiddiya City, which is taking shape in Saudi Arabia, will open with an eye-popping collection of thrill rides worthy of the Six Flags name. One, Falcon’s Flight, will take the crown as the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. But, with a budget of around US $1 billion, the park will also include lavish themeing and Disney-level attractions. Recently, its developers released info about The Enchanted Greenhouse, an interactive dark ride that looks to be stunning.
The queue will take guests through a Victorian greenhouse. After experiencing a pre-show, they will board six-passenger, trackless, MultiMover vehicles and be issued interactive “dew sprayer” devices. Taking a journey through seven lushly designed scenes, guests will try to uncover dozens of hidden butterflies by spraying embedded targets. Working collaboratively, they will be better able to unlock the prized creatures and boost their scores.
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“With this magical dew sprayer the ride truly comes to life,” says Stéphane Battaille of Alterface, one of the vendors that worked on the attraction. “We smartly blend physical interactives, media content, and projection mapping so the guests can interact with all their surroundings.”
In addition to digital media, The Enchanted Greenhouse will include 16 animatronic figures. According to Qiddiya, guests will encounter 6,200 plants, including 100 custom-designed flowers, throughout the attraction. One of the scenes (see the topmost image) will immerse passengers in a towering garden at night that’s filled with glowing, bioluminescent plants. The rendering gives off Pandora – The World of Avatar vibes. It would seem to be inspired by Na’vi River Journey, the mesmerizing attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The Enchanted Greenhouse will be the highlight of Twilight Gardens, one of Qiddiya’s six lands. It will be perpetually dark inside the attraction. But, like Disney’s Pandora, the entire land will pop at night with twinkling flora. For example, animated butterflies, ladybugs, and flowers that adorn Twilight Express, a family roller coaster, will sparkle after dusk.
Other lands will include the treasure-filled Valley of Fortune, the water-focused Discovery Springs, the retro Grand Exposition and Steam Town, and the self-evident City of Thrills. The latter will be the home of Falcon’s Flight, which, with a top speed of 156 mph, an almost absurd height of 640 feet, and a drop of 525 feet, will shatter records. Qiddiya will feature a total of 28 attractions when it opens next year. Among other notable rides will be the 476-foot-tall Sirocco Tower drop tower, which will also decimate records.
A water park, Aquarabia, is also set to open at Qiddiya City next year. It will include Aquaticar, the world’s first underwater attraction. The massive entertainment district will welcome a second theme park, Dragon Ball, which is under development.
Six Flags Qiddiya City will be the first Six Flags park built from the ground up since Six Flags Over Mid-America (now Six Flags. St. Louis) opened its gates in 1971. While it will bear the Six Flags name, the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation will not own or operate it. Instead, the U.S. company is licensing the name to and consulting with Qiddiya Investment Company, part of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Do you enjoy interactive dark rides? Or do you prefer more passive attractions in which you can better focus on the set elements and the story?