The first look at The Enchanted Greenhouse dark ride ready to be constructed at Six Flags Qiddiya has been unveiled this week as the first image was released in a recent press release.
Jora Vision, ETF Ride Systems and Alterface are all working together on the interactive dark ride heading to Saudi Arabia which will set the standard for interactive and well-themed indoor attractions.
Six Flags Qiddiya is stepping out from the rest of the Six Flags brand by focusing on more immersive theming than their US counterparts. This theme park will be constructed in the middle of the desert approximately 50km southwest of Riyadh.
Many of the attractions announced at this exciting new park breaks a new record from the tallest shot/freefall tower in the world to the tallest, longest and fastest rollercoaster in the world.
The Enchanted Greenhouse will be located inside an area of the park called Twilight Gardens (one of the park’s six themed areas) as guests are invited to unravel the mystery of a long-lost greenhouse.
The ride will consist of multiple animatronics and screens including a never-before-seen effect in an interactive dark ride as riders will navigate the ride on a trackless dark ride system.
1300 square metres in size the dark ride is quite compact but the ride time has been estimated at around five minutes with an extensive pre-show. The EFT ride system is the same as the vehicles used in Symbolica at Efteling theme park and there are 12 vehicles planned with a custom-made body.
Guests will have to cooperate to discover the biosphere around them where working together will change the environment, colours and behaviours of the creatures around them.
Plenty of visual tricks are up the sleeves of the creators of this exciting dark ride at Six Flags Qiddiya. Dark rides and Six Flags are a very rare occurrence so having not one but two (more details on the second ride are coming soon) built at one Six Flags location alone is exciting.
Six Flags Qiddiya is going to break the mould of what a normal Six Flags park is like. It’s the first Six Flags Park designed and built from the ground up outside of North America and it’s a very exciting time and this ride looks rather special indeed.
Update – on September 24th the first model mock-up of The Enchanted Greenhouse trains was unveiled. Check out the video below:
Six Flags Qiddiya City reveals the ride vehicle for “The Enchanted Greenhouse” in collaboration with ETF and Jora Vision. #SixFlags #JoraVision #ETF #IAAPA pic.twitter.com/tBOpp89GiC
— DaanAchtbaan (@Daan59798125) September 24, 2024
Neil Dwyer – VP of Operations of Six Flags Qiddiya City opened the presentation by emphasizing the park’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of entertainment. Six Flags Qiddiya City is poised to become a global entertainment destination and the first Six Flags park designed and built from the ground up outside North America since 1971.
This ride’s interactivity fits perfectly within the singular vision of Qiddiya City. This new global destination is built from scratch on the foundations of play. Located 40 minutes away from Riyadh, the vibrant city brings entertainment, sports and culture together in a way never seen before.
Although most of the seven scenes and the ride’s story are still classified, new visuals of the ride showed a glimpse of what we can expect: an elaborately themed queue, reminiscent of a Victorian greenhouse with Moorish influences.
The ride will also have an extensive pre-show in addition to a variety of breathtaking scenes such as a nighttime bioluminescent garden featuring towering, otherworldly plants with broad purple leaves that create a sense of being dwarfed by the enchanted flora.
Instead of only aiming for a high score, guests will be encouraged to explore and discover the wonders of this enchanted world.
Cutting-edge Interactivity
The system has been developed to be deeply engaging to riders as they use specifically designed magical dew sprayers to reveal hidden creatures, transform plants, and unlock surprising effects throughout their journey.
This offers a unique “hide and seek” style of interactivity that encourages exploration and collaboration. The nature of the interactivity promotes a sense of wonder and discovery, perfectly aligned with the ride’s themes of enchantment and transformation where no two rides will be entirely the same.
Alterface presented the interactive dew sprayer that guests will use during the ride. This ornate tool features a golden body with a detailed ‘orb’ on the base and indeed looks more like a sprayer than a traditional gun often found in interactive dark rides.
Physical interactives, media content and projection mapping will be hidden until revealed by the magical sprayer as they come to life. Guests will work together to unlock and transform the environment around them.
There are a total of 7 scenes to explore within The Enchanted Greenhouse with a track of 160m and twelve 6-seater vehicles the ride is no small one. The two-way communication system in the vehicle allows for all the interactives to be activated with a press of the trigger as it communicates directly with the show control.
The Enchanted Greenhouse Facts
Here are a few facts about the ride that you may not know about!
- 1350 metres squared in size
- 7 dark ride scenes
- 130 hidden butterflies
- 12 vehicles
- 6 seats per vehicle
- 21 physical targets
- 23 detectors
- 16 interactive animatronics
- 40ft of theming (22 containers)
- 6200 lifelike plants
- 100 custom hand-made flowers
- 19 projectors
- 210m decorated queue
- 21 mins of custom music
- 130 speakers
