HectorLucas
TS Member
Hi all.
I arrived yesterday from a little trip through Helsinki and Estonia and spent one of the best days I have ever had in an amusement park at Linnanmaki. It's amazing how sometimes certain circumstances makes you to spend an incredible day at a random park or a horrific day at a top park (like the one I spent at Efteling, but that's another topic)
I will start by saying that during the month of September the Iikweek event was held. I don't know the translation in Finnish but it was a horror event, I guess it was your typical Halloween even though it was celebrated during September, not during October, month in which the park is closed, I suppose that due to the extreme climatic conditions in Finland they have to advance it.
I'll continue saying that I'm not particularly a fan of visiting parks during events, call me weird. This is because I think that the "pure" essence of the park itself is lost since everything is a bit adulterated due to the event and you don't get an idea of what the park is really like when it is neutral. However, I also think that this is one of the facts that made the day memorable.
The park during this event has a strange schedule, from 4 in the afternoon to 11 at night. I suppose that's take advantage of the hours of darkness for the event. I have to say that the park was not geared up with horror theming (horror nor any other theming, I must say, it is a very classic and "pure" amusement park with a festive-circus style like the ones at Tibidabo, Grona Lund and so on) But during all those hours the park was FULL of actors and various Scare-Zones. There were "Gangs" of clowns, demons, spectral ladies, witches, aliens, zombies and so on... and the actors were VERY good. They interacted with visitors always in an original way. They even queued and went on the rides with other visitors
Something I personally never seen before. They had quite a few tricks and they were really involved in their role. They always put a smile on my face (or to other visitors even tears, which I saw in some finnish teenage girls who were terrified). Special mention to the lines at Linnunrata (An enclosed coaster trying to copy the vibe of Space Mountain) Where in the lines (A covered dark passage) there were creatures that looked straight taken from the Alien or Predator movies and it gave a real creepy vibe like if it was a horror maze.
The second reason why I spent a great day there was that there were pretty much no queues. With September being a "slow" season month and being located in a city, Helsinki, not particularly overcrowded, the perfect day to visit a park happened. On some occasions there were squares where I saw more actors than clients. So you can imagine how it was, arriving at the attraction and getting on.
Speaking a bit of the attractions: Despite being a small park, it had several roller coasters. Eight no more, no less (The same as Port Aventura) Some of the average ones (Taliruki, a kind of Wild Mouse built by Mack or Linnunrata, the aforementioned enclosed coaster in which I liked the queues during the Iikweek event more than the coaster itself) and some other first class ones (Taiga, nothing else to say, or Ukko, the northern Abismo, always an intimidating coaster) Few other filler rides, like a Mach powered coaster that really took me by surprise, I always despised powered coasters but this one being located on a hill was quite high and gave a bit of a fear of heights through those helixes)
There was also Vurostrata, a classic woodie that has a driver at the back (one of the few left in the world) Kirnu, a Zacspin just like Terra Mitica's Inferno, which is good, uncomfortable but intimidating... Or Salama, a spinning coaster from Maurer-Sohne, which are one of my favorite coaster models and I consider them somewhat underrated... I always loved the chaotic feeling they give.
Apart from coasters, it had a few classic flat rides such as chains, bumper cars, a lookout tower, a Ferris wheel, cups, a witch train, an octopus, a Viking ship, a free fall and a controlled one (spaceshot) and several horror mazes from the Iikweek event... It really is a classic amusement park, but the fact of arriving and riding and the liveliness that the actors gave made my day something special.
The jewel in the crown, Taiga, the Intamin multilaunch, little to tell... two accelerations, several moments of air-time... It was not the most intense coaster I've ever ridden by any means but it really feels like a "perfect" coaster. With the perfect duration and the perfect intensity.
Lastly, I've to mention (again) the atmosphere that it's achieved once night falls, with the park being beautiful itself with its lighting, the actors and various fog machines with colour lights and so on... They really achieved a unique atmosphere. A day to remember.
Linnanmaki, the amusement park of Finland.
(If you read something that doesn't make sense I apologize for my english as it's not my primary language)
I arrived yesterday from a little trip through Helsinki and Estonia and spent one of the best days I have ever had in an amusement park at Linnanmaki. It's amazing how sometimes certain circumstances makes you to spend an incredible day at a random park or a horrific day at a top park (like the one I spent at Efteling, but that's another topic)
I will start by saying that during the month of September the Iikweek event was held. I don't know the translation in Finnish but it was a horror event, I guess it was your typical Halloween even though it was celebrated during September, not during October, month in which the park is closed, I suppose that due to the extreme climatic conditions in Finland they have to advance it.
I'll continue saying that I'm not particularly a fan of visiting parks during events, call me weird. This is because I think that the "pure" essence of the park itself is lost since everything is a bit adulterated due to the event and you don't get an idea of what the park is really like when it is neutral. However, I also think that this is one of the facts that made the day memorable.
The park during this event has a strange schedule, from 4 in the afternoon to 11 at night. I suppose that's take advantage of the hours of darkness for the event. I have to say that the park was not geared up with horror theming (horror nor any other theming, I must say, it is a very classic and "pure" amusement park with a festive-circus style like the ones at Tibidabo, Grona Lund and so on) But during all those hours the park was FULL of actors and various Scare-Zones. There were "Gangs" of clowns, demons, spectral ladies, witches, aliens, zombies and so on... and the actors were VERY good. They interacted with visitors always in an original way. They even queued and went on the rides with other visitors
Something I personally never seen before. They had quite a few tricks and they were really involved in their role. They always put a smile on my face (or to other visitors even tears, which I saw in some finnish teenage girls who were terrified). Special mention to the lines at Linnunrata (An enclosed coaster trying to copy the vibe of Space Mountain) Where in the lines (A covered dark passage) there were creatures that looked straight taken from the Alien or Predator movies and it gave a real creepy vibe like if it was a horror maze.The second reason why I spent a great day there was that there were pretty much no queues. With September being a "slow" season month and being located in a city, Helsinki, not particularly overcrowded, the perfect day to visit a park happened. On some occasions there were squares where I saw more actors than clients. So you can imagine how it was, arriving at the attraction and getting on.
Speaking a bit of the attractions: Despite being a small park, it had several roller coasters. Eight no more, no less (The same as Port Aventura) Some of the average ones (Taliruki, a kind of Wild Mouse built by Mack or Linnunrata, the aforementioned enclosed coaster in which I liked the queues during the Iikweek event more than the coaster itself) and some other first class ones (Taiga, nothing else to say, or Ukko, the northern Abismo, always an intimidating coaster) Few other filler rides, like a Mach powered coaster that really took me by surprise, I always despised powered coasters but this one being located on a hill was quite high and gave a bit of a fear of heights through those helixes)
There was also Vurostrata, a classic woodie that has a driver at the back (one of the few left in the world) Kirnu, a Zacspin just like Terra Mitica's Inferno, which is good, uncomfortable but intimidating... Or Salama, a spinning coaster from Maurer-Sohne, which are one of my favorite coaster models and I consider them somewhat underrated... I always loved the chaotic feeling they give.
Apart from coasters, it had a few classic flat rides such as chains, bumper cars, a lookout tower, a Ferris wheel, cups, a witch train, an octopus, a Viking ship, a free fall and a controlled one (spaceshot) and several horror mazes from the Iikweek event... It really is a classic amusement park, but the fact of arriving and riding and the liveliness that the actors gave made my day something special.
The jewel in the crown, Taiga, the Intamin multilaunch, little to tell... two accelerations, several moments of air-time... It was not the most intense coaster I've ever ridden by any means but it really feels like a "perfect" coaster. With the perfect duration and the perfect intensity.
Lastly, I've to mention (again) the atmosphere that it's achieved once night falls, with the park being beautiful itself with its lighting, the actors and various fog machines with colour lights and so on... They really achieved a unique atmosphere. A day to remember.
Linnanmaki, the amusement park of Finland.
(If you read something that doesn't make sense I apologize for my english as it's not my primary language
)
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