NEW VISIONS FOR WATER PARKS & SPLASHPADS
Philip Drake - December 2024
Images courtesy of Wetside Water Park and Rayer
The Future of Water Play
The Choice To Get Wet.
In my view, water is just about the best catalyst to create family fun.
In a theme park a visitor wants to be entertained and thrilled, but it is mostly a passive experience - you expect to have the experience presented to you.
Water play is different. As soon as you change to swimming clothes you have made the decision to be an active participant . You have made a choice to get wet, and committed to being immersed in the experience.
Water is a physical and sensory experience. So when visitors make that commitment, we need to give them active, immersive opportunities.
Images by freepik, Atomiq, Kholood Eid
The Next Big Thing?
We are always looking for ways to create exceptional and unique experiences.
Sometimes it’s about finding the next big thing - the next new invention, the biggest, tallest or longest...new thing. Sometimes it’s about recreating a classic, tried and tested experience - but so exceptionally well it outshines all the others.
But best of all is a combination of both of these.
The biggest thing will probably not be the “biggest” forever, but if you make the overall experience amazing, that doesn’t matter. Visitors might come once because it’s new, but they will only come back again and again because of the quality of experience.
Future Visions Research - the Future of Themed Experiences
No one can predict the future, but when we look at the future of themed experiences we see
some patterns emerging, and we can apply these equally to Water Parks and Splash Pads.
Our Future Visions research gives us some clear insights. Here is a small snapshot:
(for the full text see our report : Ridiculous to Reality)
Climate Change and Controlled Environments:
Historically, most large theme parks and attractions were built to take advantage of sunny climates and
long peak summer season. This focus is already changing to indoor experiences and controlled environments, due to:
Increasing evidence that too much sun is bad.
With changes in global climate, we see more extreme weather, temperatures and climate events.
Customers are simply demanding a more controlled and consistent experience.
A more controlled environment gives added options for longer operational hours.
Combining Existing Adjacent Ideas & Technologies:
We look out for seemingly wild things from diverse industries or processes that can be combined in the near future to make a new experience?
Marginal Technologies:
Look at those signals which might show parts of the future are already here. These might be small interesting things on the margins of the mainstream.
Multi-modal Experiences:
Multi-modal essentially refers to being able to fuse previously separated experiences into one. This may be combining physical and tech elements, or combining multiple modes of movement into one adventure.
Post Pandemic Normal
While we will eventually get back to a relative “normal”, it will be somewhat modified. The design of future attractions will have subtle changes to keep guests further apart as a permanent design or as a flexible changing state, with greater control of spaces built in.
Self Curated and A.I. Driven Experiences:
Even though a visit to a theme park already involves some self-curated journey, future visitors will demand much, much more control over their experience, and technologies will be needed to facilitate this.
Nature and Augmented Nature
Alongside the advances in technology and ever-busier online lives is a trend towards more experiences immersed in nature. This has grown since the pandemic and will continue to accelerated, maturing from a trending “wellness” based platform. While getting out to national parks and wild places may be the first choice, this is not always possible, so constructed and curated parks become more important. (Gorbis. 2019)
However, we will look for more control, convenience and flexibility. Expanding from this, (and yes, ironically) technology will be used for enhanced or augmented nature experiences. It may involve a seamless integration of real and artificial plants, props and sets, animatronics, visual and physical effects, haptics and biosensors.
Images by House of Dancing Water, Alex von Kleydorff, Atlantis Aquaventure
The Future of Water Play.
It may be impossible to predict the future, but here are our Top 10 picks of the watery places we will want to see happen:
1. Mostly indoor or under shade:
Controlled environments provide protection from too much sun and colder weather, provide a more consistent experience and allow flexible hours of operation day or night, all year round.
2. Complete immersion into themed based environments:
Rather than a collection of slides and rides, water play will wholeheartedly take on full immersion into an imaginative environment. It might be based on a fictional story, prehistoric or futuristic environments. It might be focused on horses or marine animals or fantasy creatures. Whatever the theme, it will involve entering a complete watery world from beginning to end.
3. Story-based interactive journey experiences:
Imaging setting off with the children on grand adventure, looking for clues and solving a mystery. Now add water: streams, waterfalls, geysers, jets, rapids and a flash flood. Maybe add a watery obstacle course, with a wobbling bridge, zip lines, wet rock climbing and a gravity drop. Perhaps there are secret tunnels and black light clues. Can we all find the treasure? It’s a wet adventure for all the family.
4. Active Rivers:
The typical lazy river is...well, lazy! We want to float down a river that is full of activities, obstacles and interactives. We want to be chased by pirates or crocodiles, shoot water jets at aliens (or our friends and family), pass through a growling hurricane and conquer the rapids. Just how much fun can be packed into a river?
5. Real and Virtual:
The problem with Virtual Reality is that it is too....virtual! We want to see wet VR, physical effects and gaming combined so we can battle that monster or defeat the aliens, and feel the splash as they fall in front of us.
6. Wet Rides:
We love Dark Rides and Roller Coasters. They could be nearly perfect if only they had more water. The challenge here is taking the best dry rides and making them wet rides.
7. Wet Shows:
We love Entertainment and Shows. We just haven’t seen enough interactive “wet” shows. We think it would be more fun if the performers and the audience all got a little more immersed.
8. Nearly Nature:
Wave pools, active rivers, surf simulators and splash zones are fun and safe versions of natural elements. Now we want to add in the sand, plants and rocks, a little rain and a warm breeze in the afternoon. We want our natural water play elements to come with a complete set of “natural” environments.
9. An Ever Changing World:
Hi-res media screens, lighting, audio, robotics and interchangeable parts can all be used to make sure our favorite water park is a little different almost every time we go. And not just the park environment but individual rides, slides, attractions and experiences.
10. All of the Above:
The best water based park we can think of would combine all of the above. Perhaps in the form of a small Splash Pad for families, or a full scale Water Park for big thrills - but we think its time to get more serious about the future of watery fun.
Images by WhiteWater West, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, The Tropical Islands
And So – What’s Next?
As societal changes occur, new trends grow and link together to form ideas no one could have previously predicted. In truth we are probably going to seeing a hybrid of all these things, and more.
“Next Big Things” come from an idea that lives in the right time and place AND from someone willing to run with it and make it happen.
“Next Big Things” consider what they have to work with and imagine how to amplify and shape it to a bigger vision.
Many will disagree with ideas on what the future holds, and that’s OK, nothing about the future is certain anyway.
I really don’t believe anyone can actually predict the future, but we have agency in making our futures happen. Whatever we can imagine, we can move towards it.
References: Gorbis, M. (2019). Five principles for thinking like a futurist. Educause Review.