Playland Amusement Park is an amusement park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The amusement park is located at Hastings Park and is operated by the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), an organization that hosts an annual summer fair and exhibition adjacent to Playland. Playland opened at its current location in 1958, although its predecessor, Happyland, operated at Hastings Park from 1929 to 1957. Playland was formally made a division of the PNE in 1993.
Playland operates seasonally, opening from May to September every year. The park also reopens in October for its annual "Fright Nights" Halloween themed events. As of 2024, the park operated 40 attractions, including 4 roller coasters. Additional rides are brought in from West Coast Amusements during the PNE's annual summer fair from mid-August to Labour Day; nearly doubling the number of rides at the park.
History
Predecessor
The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) has hosted a number of amusement rides since it opened in 1910; with an early roller coaster installed in 1915.[4] However, a permanent amusement complex was not built until the 1920s.[4] Built at Hastings Park, several rides were opened by 1926, including a Shoot the Chute ride and a new roller coaster, the Giant Dipper, to replace the one built in 1915.[4]
Although the first rides were opened by 1926, Playland's predecessor, Happyland, did not fully open for its first regular season until 1929.[1] Happyland was operated by several companies while it was open, including the British Columbia Amusement Company;[5] and the Pacific Amusement Company.[6] The park continued to operate until 1957, when amusement park operations were moved to its present location.[7] The original site was demolished after the amusement park's relocation;[7][8] with the site later being used for Pacific Coliseum.[9]
Playland
A rollercoaster at Playland in 1960, two years after Playland was opened to the public
Construction for the modern amusement park occurred from December 1957 to 1958, with the park opening in time for that year's PNE exhibition.[10] Reopened as Playland, the park featured several new attractions including the Wooden Roller Coaster, the country's largest at the time of its opening.[11]
Although it was located adjacent to the PNE's fairgrounds, the amusement park did not formally become a division of the Pacific National Exhibition until January 1993.[8]
In 2001, the park begain operating Halloween-themed events or "Fright Nights" during the month of October.[1] During this time, haunted houses are set up inside the amusement park and employed monsters are roaming the park scaring patrons. Most of the parks regular amusement rides are in operation. The haunted houses have been owned and managed by ScreamWorks Inc., a Calgary-based company.[citation needed] Fright Nights event and its including the haunted houses were managed by the PNE and Playland beginning in 2009.[citation needed]
Past attractions at Playland included the "Nintendo Power Zone", an area where guests could play the latest games for Nintendo and PlayStation video game consoles; and a maze built out of covered chain link fencing. Corkscrew was the last roller coaster removed from the amusement park, closing in 2018.
The Jet Scream II (later renamed Super Big Gulp) at Playland in 1987. The ride was later removed from the park in 1994.
In addition to the permanent rides installed at the amusement park, West Coast Amusements (WCA) also brings in temporary rides to Hastings Park for the PNE's annual fair from mid-late August to early September.[58] WCA operates a travelling carnival circuit whose inventory includes over 100 amusement rides such as Ferris Wheels, Hurricane, Music Express, and Scrambler.[58][59] However, the lineup of rides that the WCA brings to the PNE varies from year-to-year.
Film setting
The amusement park has been used for the filming of several films. The 1999 Canadian teen-drama film Rollercoaster, was shot at the park. The opening scenes of the horror film Final Destination 3 were also shot at the park, utilizing the now-retired Corkscrew roller coaster, seen in the film as "Devil's Flight", and the Hellevator tower as "High Dive". Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days was filmed at Playland for the boardwalk scene, where the Corkscrew and The Revelation ("Cranium Shaker" in the movie) rotating arm ride were shown along with many smaller rides. The Nickelodeon original movie Splitting Adam was also filmed at Playland's water park. The 2010 film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore was also filmed at Playland, highlighting the now-retired Wave Swinger ride.[60] The 1996 film, Fear was shot there in the summer of 1995. In 2016, The Edge of Seventeen starring Hailee Steinfeld filmed a scene with co-star Hayden Szeto featuring the Westcoast Wheel and mini-golf course along with the background scenery in screen.
Notes
^The year 1929 was when Happyland amusement park was fully opened at Hastings Park.[1] Happyland was later demolished and the amusement park was moved to its current location, renamed Playland, in 1958.
^The Pacific National Exhibition is an organization managed by the City of Vancouver.[2]
^From 2010 to 2018, the park averaged 378,000 guests annually, with 300,000 guests visiting during its regular season, and 78,000 visiting during the parks "Fright Nights" in October.[1]
^The coaster is a refurbished Intamin Hydraulic Launch Coaster called Senzafiato that was originally located at Miragica in Italy [16]
^ abThe following is the ride's type as described by the park
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