Are you ready kids?
Major park investments in Brazil will include a new SpongeBob land and coaster
That SpongeBob SquarePants guy really gets around. He may live in a pineapple under the sea, but the absorbing fellow can also be found at a bunch of parks, including the upcoming Universal Kids Resort in Texas, Sea World in Australia, and the Nickelodeon Universe indoor parks in Minnesota and New Jersey. Now, SpongeBob (or “BobEsponja” as he is known in Portuguese), will find a new home at Beto Carrero World in Brazil. The theme park has announced that a new land and roller coaster themed to the goofy, yellow sea creature will be coming, possibly in 2028.
There are scant details about what is planned. But the SpongeBob expansion will be part of a major investment by Beto Carrero World, which is Brazil’s largest theme park. In a recent interview, Alex Murad, the park’s president, said that Beto Carrero World would be shelling out $2 billion reais ($385 million US) throughout the property over the next four years and that the coaster would be “the most expensive in the Southern Hemisphere, costing twice as much as any other existing today.” So SpongeBob won’t be helming a modest kiddie ride.
According to rcdb.com, Intamin will manufacture the coaster, and it will have a price tag of $450 million reais (a cool $86.6 million US). That will likely make it a highly themed attraction. Indeed, rcdb.com says that it will include an indoor section, which will probably feature some show scenes, perhaps with animatronic characters. The site also reports that the ride will span 4,593 feet and feature multiple launches, rapid track switches, and 18 airtime moments.
SpongeBob and his pals already meet and greet guests at Beto Carrero World. Other IPs represented at the park include Hot Wheels and DreamWorks franchises such as Madagascar, Shrek, and Kung Fu Panda. 2.9 million guests visited Beto Carrero World in 2025. Murad says that the hop is that the investment and expansion will double attendance by the end of the decade. In addition to the SpongeBob land, the park will be adding a land geared to young children based on YouTube sensation, Galinha Pintadinha (Lottie Dottie Chicken to English-speaking fans), and three new hotel towers with 600 rooms. According to Murad, the accommodations will help establish Beto Carrero World as a theme park destination resort.
A sweet park is on the way to Sao Paulo
Brazil will welcome another theme park destination resort when Cacau Park, which is scheduled to debut in late 2027, opens its gates. Taking a page from Hersheypark, the Cacau Show candy company, is developing the park. With a budget of $2 billion reais ($380 million US), Cacau Park will have 70 attractions, including three roller coasters. One of them, which Vekoma is building, is being billed as the tallest and fastest coaster in Latin America. It will climb about 180 feet and hit a top speed of around 75 mph. The as-yet unnamed coaster will include a launch and four inversions. Mistral, a suspended family coaster, will also be part of the lineup as will a second family coaster; Vekoma will be providing both of those as well.
When it opens, the Cacau Park resort will include two themed hotels and City Walk (hmm, that name rings a bell), a dining and shopping complex that will put the spotlight on chocolate and other Cacau Show goodies.
Brazilians can’t seem to get enough of theme parks. Before an economic downturn in Brazil and COVID curbed travel, the country was the number one source of overseas visitors to Florida’s theme parks. The homegrown theme park resorts would seem to be an attempt to capture the market and keep folks and their discretionary vacation reais in Brazil.
Is SpongeBob worthy of an E-Ticket coaster attraction? Is the world ready for another chocolate-themed park?