IAAPA Expo Europe 2025 opened with a chill vibe this morning, as guests arrived to the Opening Session to the sounds of live Spanish guitar music. Things promptly heated up with flamenco dancers, IAAPA dignitaries and the annual video of new projects in Europe, followed by copious amounts of confetti.
With the trade show floor officially opened, the rounds of press conferences started.
Vekoma
A duo of new family boomerang coasters are set to open in July 2026 at two Karls Erlebnis-Dorf parks. The first is headed for Karls Erlebnis-Dorf Döbeln in Central Saxony and the second will debut at a soon-to-be announced location. Each Vekoma coaster will be 230 meters long, 26 meters high and top out at 60kph. Guests will board at a giant strawberry kiosk and board a train themed as a carton of strawberries. As the loading station is at a high level, the rides will be some of the tallest family boomerangs anywhere.
Mack Rides
Plopsaland in Belgium will be home to Mack Rides’ fourth high-capacity flying theater, and their first in Europe. Scheduled to open in 2027, the ride features a rotating wall of seats allowing one set to be loading/unloading while the other side experiences the attraction.
Themics Phillipines
The cute canine characters Woezel & Pip are being brought to life by Themics Philippines for the new Avonturenpark de Tovertuin, opening in March 2026 in the Netherlands. The company is creating 270 figures and 25 animatronics for the park. Petro Art Production is handling rock work, a waterfall and steel structure/concrete for the Tante Parenboom (Aunt Peartree) area of the park. Woezel & Pip are much beloved Dutch characters from Van Hoorne Studios who live and play in a magical garden. Avonturenpark de Tovertuin will include the family theme park and resort when it opens.
DOF Robotics
Known primarily for their ride simulators, DOF Robotics is debuting the new Phantom City story-driven car riding adventure. The company also announced three new content titles coming soon: The Smurfs: Gargamel’s Tower, Dog Fight and Guardian Challenge. Finally, DOF Robotics unveiled the company’s first arcade product, Angry Birds Fury Road.
WhiteWater
Many new projects in the EMEA region were highlighted, but the biggest spotlight shone on the company’s work on the surf side of the business. With FlowRider, FlowSurf and EndlessSurf products, “Surf is taking over,” said WhiteWater Chief Marketing Officer Una de Boer. Highlights include a FlowRider triple for Grand Hyatt Dubai and an EndlessSurf partnership with The Wave London that will allow for up to 80 surfers at one time.
Brogent
Hot on the heels of their successes with Niagara Takes Flight and their first LED dome flying theater at Huis Ten Bosch in Japan, Brogent announced their new V-Ride Explorer PLus concept. The motion simulator offers a 4-DOF platform with 360-degree rotation and a 360-degree panoramic screen. With 12 seats per car and 5 or 10 car layouts, capacity can easily match demand.
BoldMove
BoldMove announced two new attractions. The first, for Hunderfossen park in Norway, will include a trackless dark ride in a figure-8 configuration, with an immersive tunnel middle section the cars traverse twice that provides a different experience for each pass through. A popular IP for the ride will be revealed at a later date. In 2028 they will open the first Spinfinity Splash coaster at a park in France. The spinning coaster will interact with 13 water features along the route that practically guarantees guests will get wet.
ROLLER
POS and ticketing system provider ROLLER announced they had acquired the U.K. firm Book Now to expand their suite of products and regional reach.
This post will be updated with additional news items throughout the week.
