29yrswithaGApass Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 While riding the Big Wheel at night a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking how "classic" the ride is once again and how much fun and energy it just brought to that entire section of the park once the sun went down. I then looked around from our cabin atop the stopped wheel and noticed that with very few exceptions, no other area besides maybe the Boardwalk games glistened in the night. Gone are the days of flashy rides that blinked and seemed to draw you to them like magnets. It made me recall the 1979 Magic Till Midnight commercial that advertised that the park was something different in the nighttime than it was in the daytime, and that there was a reason to stick around, or even better yet head out to the park for a night of fun. I think that is what makes the Glow in the Park Parade and Saturday Night Lights so popular. People long for attractions that they can only experience at night. Those are things worth sticking around for and give the entire park a whole new sense of adventure. I think the park needs more nighttime glamour, and not just in the way of big buck shows or brand new attractions. It needs to "shine a new light" on the attractions it already has - be it with more of the new LED lights or even just using spotlights to illuminate things like Rolling Thunder or the Fort. It is amazing what can be done with lighting- the Big Wheel is an excellent example. I hope the park takes things even further and makes Great Adventure at night an attraction unto itself. Click HERE to view the Magic Till Midnight commercial from 1979. Here are some screen shots from the commercial: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted August 3, 2009 Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 Some of the lighting in the park is poor anymore, I am glad the Big Wheel lighting has been fixed but other parts of the park are lacking. GK is a good example, most of that section is so dark it is a hazzard and it could have much better lighting. Also the pathway from El Toro to the bridge to Medusa has no lighting at all which is really bad for a park like GAdv. But I can still remember how GAdv used to be so much better lit and colorful all those years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted August 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2009 One of my fondest memories of my first visits to the park was riding home in the back seat of my parents car, closing my eyes, and still seeing all the lights from all the rides and buildings. The Big Wheel is such a great step in the right direction! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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