A few weeks ago, Efteling debuted a new incarnation of Aquanura, featuring Dutch singer Guus Meeuwis. I have to be honest, I’d never heard of him before now. The show however, has definitely grown on me. The Carnaval Festival segment in particular is very catchy and gets into your head. This show also features Symbolica which was really nice to hear.
Dutch DJ Tiësto performed a set at Efteling the other night, with the help of Aquanura. There was some Efteling music mixed into the set, naturally! Check it out:
In our last post we talked about the updates that are happening in Fata Morgana right now. It’s due to open again at the start of October, but that’s only the beginning of the construction going on in the park. The bulk of the work is of course the installation of the new dive coaster near to the Flying Dutchman. Recently, they have chopped a corner off the Gondoletta lake so that they can move the path over that currently exists there, allowing more space for the coaster. There isn’t a whole lot to look at yet ride-wise, but construction is definitely underway! Here’s a video taken by Eftelwesley yesterday:
In addition to a new coaster, Bosrijk is currently in the process of receiving 18€ million worth of new accommodation. The sign outside reads:
‘We’re continuing to build on dreams…Expansion of Efteling Village Bosrijk’.
Concept art for the new accommodation.
Construction is set to finish in mid-2015. Click here to see how it’s coming along.
Also getting some TLC is the house of the five senses. Mainly the roof. That thatched roof must look it’s best since it’s the bold and beautiful entrance to the park! Efteling are currently fixing some bald patches (that happens when you get older, even to thatched roofs) and most likely removing a lot of moss that has being growing there for a while. It is mainly the Efteldingen store that is covered over at the moment.
Next up: Villa Volta. As pointed out last year by looopings.nl, Villa Volta’s exterior had seen better days. Basically, crumbling and cracking in the walls etc was making it look like less of a magnificent mansion and more like a haunted house. Well at the moment, the maintenance walls are up! We can only hope that they will take down these horrible signs while they’re there…
Last but not least…well, we actually don’t feel too excited about this last one in honesty. It seems as though there’s an Aquanura 3 on the way to Efteling. Yes, 3…already. Some WET employees (the guys who created the show) have landed in Efteling and have been testing some new sequences out at the Vonderplas. It seems very early for phase 3 of the show considering that part 2 only started earlier this year (with preview shows at the end of last year). Also, most of the music from the park has already been used in the first two shows, so that does leave the question: which music will they use next?
It has been pointed out that this could be a show specifically for Winter Efteling, but that’s pure speculation. It’s a mystery for now, so we’ll wait and see!
The Pagoda is also listed as reopening at the end of October.
It was said when the new CEO of Efteling, Fons Jurgens came along, that he would be concentrating more on maintenance of what was in the park rather than adding new things. Well there’s a bit of both going on at the moment and that’s great!
We’re still hoping for a Spookslot overhaul too, and it is closed for 5 days in November, but that’s only time for a mere dust! 😉
Updates have been a little slow lately, apologies!
Of course, life in Efteling goes on, and the Negen Pleinen Festijn is in now in full swing. As mentioned in a previous update, much of the entertainment is the same as last year, with a couple of new additions. Here are all the colourful characters getting ready for a night of entertainment:
And here’s one of the new shows which you can enjoy outside of the Droomvlucht at Ton van de Ven Plein:
In other news, Breda will be playing host to Redhead Day 2014 from Friday 5th-Sunday 7th September (more like Redhead weekend!). To announce the event’s theme which is ‘Wonderland’, 50 redheads from across the Netherlands met at Efteling to compete against each other on Joris en de Draak. Which resulted in this interesting photo:
That’s a lot of redheads! And thanks to Megan Mawer for the info on this interesting event 🙂
And last of all, Aquanura in the morning?!
Yes, Efteling are promoting their evening shows of Aquanura by putting on a small show throughout the morning until about 12 noon. It has its own melody, and at the end the audience are told about Aquanura and when they can see it. Quite a nice way to wake the park up on a morning!
A couple of days ago Efteling posted a teaser trailer for Aquanura: Second Efteling Symphony. It only features one song, (Joris en de Draak) but it is a teaser trailer after all 😉
Remember, if you can’t wait until next year to see Aquanura part 2, now is your chance to see it! It will run until November 15th, and after that, you’ll have to wait until 2014.
Efteling have declared October 14th until November 15th the weeks of the Sandman! This includes guests being able to meet Klaas Vaak and walk with him from the Brink (Pardoes Promenade) to the lake outside Fata Morgana to watch Aquanura 2.0. Remember that after these weeks, Aquanura 2.0 can only be viewed next year. The Sandman Musical also continues to play in the Efteling Theater until March 9th.
After these weeks are over, Winter Efteling is almost upon us once again! From November 18th, Efteling is transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with an ice rink and many other festive changes to the park. Winter Efteling runs until February 2nd 2014. This is the perfect season to see Aquanura in the dark!
At 3pm on Sunday October 6th, Efteling are holding a colour dance on the Brink (end of Pardoes Promenade). So if you are going to be in Efteling on Sunday, you can go along and have a dance and get covered in colours, or alternatively, you can watch from afar and stay clean. 😉 Pick up your free t-shirt at the Brink.
Not sure what we mean by ‘colour dance’? See video below!
Also, from October 14th, you can see Aquanura 2! It is only running until November 15th, during what Efteling are calling the ‘Sandman Weeks’. ‘Second Symphony Efteling’, (or Aquanura 2 as we’ve been calling it) will start showing properly next year; think of these few weeks as a preview. Times are below.
Ths music that features in the second version of Aquanura is: By the Sleepy Lagoon (Frog King), Fata Morgana (Harem), Gondoletta , Monsieur Cannibale, The Flying Dutchman, Dream Flight (different from Aquanura version 1), The Red Shoes, George and the Dragon and The Flying Dutchman again.
We love the new music in this one, even though we are still in love with the last one! George and the Dragon is a particularly awesome piece of music that we were dying to see go into Aquanura. The ending of this one seems a little less dramatic somehow than the first show which ended with Spookslot, but The Flying Dutchman music is still wonderful.
Maybe they can alternate between shows, so that we don’t totally lose the first one?
This show is set to premiere next year. If you don’t want spoilers, don’t watch!