The new season is heralded in Vienna’s Prater: In addition to many anniversaries and renovations in the Wurstelprater, there is a new highlight, a panorama wagon and soon a hotel room wagon on the Ferris wheel. The panorama carriage is actually not one at all, but a glass plate on which passengers, accompanied by a guide, can drive around with an unobstructed view and are only secured with seat belts. More about this in the video:
With a ride on the glass floor, passengers can feel like the designers 125 years ago, they say. The minimalist wagon was christened “Platform 9”. Up to four people can go on a round trip with it. The thrill is not cheap: the trip costs 89 euros per person.
In addition, the conversion of a Ferris wheel wagon into a hotel room was announced. However, specific details have not yet been revealed. In addition, the 125-kilo spoke cables on the Ferris wheel were renewed for the safety of the passengers.
This year’s Prater season has a Goethe quote as its motto: “Here I am human, here I can be” and will officially open on May 19th. There will be a “soft opening” from next Thursday. In addition to Goethe, the Prater advertises with the Thomas Mann epic “Buddenbrooks”.
The whole Prater as a stage
Between the children’s flea market and the winter market, the queer Viennese performance ensemble Nesterval will continue to narrate the Buddenbrooks, it was announced today. The story of the downfall of the merchant family is placed in the present day of the Prater and characters such as the Kaiser or Falco find themselves between sex work and rave excesses. The entire Prater will serve as a stage, with visitors not only being spectators, but also part of the production. Dates and further details will be announced later.
Not only is the Ferris wheel celebrating its 125th anniversary, but also the Luftburg – Kolarik restaurant in the Prater is celebrating its 30th anniversary and the Daytona Beach Halle is 100 years old as the oldest amusement arcade in the Prater. The “Olympia Looping”, the largest mobile roller coaster in the world, is also returning after three years.
Loss of sales in Corona times
In addition to attractions, figures were also presented on Tuesday: In the first year of the corona pandemic, 2020, the Prater recorded a 50 percent drop in sales, which fell to 25 percent in 2021. “Energy prices and security of supply are the new unknowns,” says Alexander Ruthner, authorized signatory at Prater Wien GmbH. The increasing use of photovoltaic systems is intended to counteract the rising prices for electricity.
In order to increase the number of visitors during the week, members of the City of Vienna’s advantage club receive 1+1 free rides at over 40 Prater establishments on Mondays. On “Pratercard Tuesday” there is also a 20 percent discount for Pratercard holders at participating showmen’s campaigns. The Pratercard was developed as a modern version of the Calafati shilling. The prices for the rides have generally not been increased consistently in the past two years, despite losses, it said on request. Some companies would have adjusted them by three to five percent due to inflation, others would leave them “as they are
Source: Nachrichten
