Walibi Rhône-Alpes
Amusement park in France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walibi Rhône-Alpes is a French theme park located in the commune of Les Avenières, in the Isère department. It is the largest theme park in the Rhône-Alpes region, containing more than 33 rides and covering an area of 35 hectares. It is a sister park to Walibi Belgium, which was created in 1975 by Eddy Meeùs, a Belgian businessman. The name "Walibi" comes from the three municipalities in which the Walibi Belgium park is located: Wavre, Limal and Bierges.
Previously known as Avenir Land (1979–1988) | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Walibi Rhône-Alpes | |
| Location | Les Avenières, Rhône-Alpes, France |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°37′17″N 5°34′13″E |
| Opened | 1979 |
| Owner | Compagnie des Alpes |
| Operating season | April–October |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 27 |
| Roller coasters | 6 |
| Website | |
The park had an income of 8.8 million euros in 2005, and it greets over 400,000 visitors yearly.
As of 2006, the park is owned and operated by Compagnie des Alpes, which also owns many theme parks and ski resorts across Europe.
History
The park opened in 1979 under the name Avenir Land. The Walibi group acquired the park in 1989 and renamed it Walibi Rhône-Alpes.
In 1986, Walibi introduced water rides with the creation of a water park called Aqualibi. It would be given a makeover in 2006, becoming L'Île aux Pirates (French for Pirates' Island), and featuring a Caribbean theme.
Sale to Six Flags
In 1998, the park changed hands once again when it was bought by Six Flags as part of the American company's international expansion.
Sale to Star Parks
However, six years later, in 2004, Six Flags sold most of its European parks (including Walibi Rhône-Alpes) to Star Parks. The exception was Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid, which was sold back to Time Warner and renamed Warner Bros. Park and later Parque Warner Madrid in 2006. The Walibi parks were transferred to Compagnie des Alpes the following year and have belonged to the French company ever since.
On June 20, 2009, six park employees lost their lives in a helicopter crash. Due to this incident, the park was closed to the public from June 21, 2009 to June 26, 2009.[1]
Like its sister parks in Belgium and Holland, the park began to go down a more themed route in the 2010s. Despite being a smaller park, the park still received regular investments, including two roller coasters, Timber (anchoring a farm-themed area) and Mystic (anchoring a horror retheme of the front right of the park). The water park closed with the park after the 2019 season and was replaced by the themed area Exotic Land for the 2022 season.[2]
Rides and attractions
Present attractions
Roller coasters
| Name | Photo | Opened | Type | Manufacturer | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generator |  |
1988 | Boomerang | Vekoma | Explorer Adventure |
| Coccinelle | .JPG) |
1992 | Tivoli Large | Zierer | Exotic Island |
| WoodStock Express | .JPG) |
2002 | Wild mouse | Zamperla | Explorer Adventure |
| Timber! |  |
2016 | Wooden roller coaster | The Gravity Group | Explorer Adventure |
| Mystic |  |
2019 | Infinity Coaster | Gerstlauer | Festival City |
| Mahuka | 2024 | Single-rail launched roller coaster | Intamin | Exotic Island |
Water rides
| Name | Photo | Opened | Type | Manufacturer | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold River | 1989 | River rapids ride | Intamin | Explorer Adventure | |
| Tam Tam Adventure |  |
1992 | Tow boat ride | Soquet | Exotic Island |
| Surf Music | 2000 | Water slides | Van Egdom | Explorer Adventure | |
| Bambooz River |  |
2012 | Log flume | Interlink / Soquet | Exotic Island |
| Concert'O | 2013 | Junior Log Flume | Interlink | Explorer Adventure | |
| Tiki Academy | 2022 | Watermania | Zamperla | Exotic Island |
Thrill rides
| Name | Photo | Opened | Type | Manufacturer | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Galion | 1989 | Pirate ship | HUSS Rides | Explorer Adventure | |
| Le Totem |  |
1998 | Drop tower | S&S Worldwide | Festival City |
| Hurricane | 2018 | Star Flyer | Zamperla | Festival City | |
| AirBoat |  |
2020 | NebulaZ | Zamperla | Festival City |
Family attractions
| Name | Photo | Opened | Type | Manufacturer | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrousel |  |
2014 | Merry-go-round | Concept 1900 | Festival City |
| Dock'N Roll |  |
2018 | Rockin' Tug | Zamperla | Festival City |
| Festival Station |  |
1979 | Miniature railway | Soquet | Festival City |
| L’Expédition Perdue | 2026 | Parcourse | Kinderland | Exotic Island | |
| Le Passage Oublié | 2026 | Maze | Walibi Rhône-Alpes | Exotic Island | |
| Le Petit Vapeur | 2008 | Mini drop tower | Zamperla | Festival City | |
| Les P'tits Chaudrons | 2019 | Teacups | Technical Park | Festival City | |
| Melody Road | 1988 or earlier | Vintage car ride | Soquet | Festival City | |
| MonORail |  |
2017 | Monorail | Soquet | Explorer Adventure |
| On Air | 2015 | Magic Bikes | Zamperla | Exotic Island | |
| RépaR’TaKar | 2026 | Jump Around | Zamperla | Exotic Island | |
| Volt-O-Vent | 2016 | Barnyard | Zamperla | Explorer Adventure |
Kids rides
| Name | Opened | Type | Manufacturer | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balloon Race | 2018 | Samba Balloon | Zamperla | Festival City |
| La Chevauchée | 1980s | Electric horse riding track | Soquet | Explorer Adventure |
| Playground Exotic Island 3–6 years | Unknown | Playground | Unknown | Exotic Island |
| Playground Exotic Island 7–12 years | Unknown | Playground | Unknown | Exotic Island |
| Playground Explorer Adventure | Unknown | Playground | Unknown | Explorer Adventure |
| Playground Festival City | Unknown | Playground | Unknown | Festival City |
| W.A.B. Band Tour | 1990 | Train ride | Unknown | Explorer Adventure |
Past rides
| Name | Opened | Closed | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel | 1992 | 2014 | Merry-go-round | Savage | Moved from Zygofolis. Replaced by the newer Carrousel. Relocated to Family Park in Monts, Centre-Val de Loire. |
| Cinéma 4D | 2011 | 20?? | 4D cinema | Unknown | |
| Grand Huit | 1985 | 1992 | Steel roller coaster | Pinfari | |
| Grand Soleil | 1979 | 2015 | Ferris wheel | Unknown | |
| La Bamba | 1979 | 2018 | Calypso | Mack Rides | Replaced by Mystic. |
| On Air | 1985 or earlier | 2014 | Red Baron | Unknown | Relocated to Parc des Combes as Aeroplane. |
| Pieuvre des Caraïbes | 1992 | 2003 | Octopus | Schwarzkopf | Moved from Zygofolis. Relocated to La Récré des 3 Curés as Pieuvre. |
| Qwads | 1990 | 2018 | Mini quad ride | Joytech | Formerly known as Mini Rallye. |
| Rivière Canadienne | 1979 | 2005 | Log flume | Reverchon Industries | |
| Stock Cars | 1992 | 2019 | Bumper cars | Reverchon Industries | Moved from Zygofolis. Replaced by AirBoat. |
| Tomahawk | 2005 | 2013 | Inverter | Chance Rides | Moved from Walibi Holland. |
| Turbolift | 1985 | 1993 | Tri-Star | HUSS Rides | Moved from Walibi Belgium. Relocated to Walibi Holland. |