Efteling


Efteling is fantasy-themed theme park in Kaatsheuvel, a town in the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient European myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore.
The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a nature park with a playground and a Fairytale Forest into a full-sized theme park. It now caters to both children and adults with its cultural, romantic, and nostalgic themes, in addition to its wide array of amusement rides including six roller coasters and five dark rides.
It is the largest theme park in the Netherlands and one of the oldest theme parks in the world. It is twice as large as the original Disneyland park in the United States and predates it by three years. Annually, the park has more than 5 million visitors. In 2020, due to differences in pandemic policy, it was the most visited theme park in Europe, ahead of Disneyland Park. In 2019 and 2022, it was the third most visited theme park in Europe, after Disneyland Park, Paris, and Europa-Park, Germany.

History

Efteling is one of the oldest theme parks still in existence. Its roots go when the R. K. Sport en Wandelpark was inaugurated.
In 1950, Efteling Nature Park Foundation was founded by the mayor of Loon op Zand, R.J. van der Heijden, filmmaker Peter Reijnders, and designer artist Anton Pieck. The foundation was named after a 16th-century farm named Ersteling. Efteling officially opened on May 31, 1952, when the Fairy Tale Forest, designed by the famous Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck, was opened to the public. Initially, the Fairy Tale Forest was home to some 10 different fairy tales, all of them brought to life using original drawings by Pieck alongside mechanics, lighting and sound effects designed by the Dutch filmmaker Peter Reijnders. The life-sized dioramas, displayed together in an atmospheric forest, were a tremendous success. Efteling welcomed 240,000 visitors in 1952 alone.
Since 1978, the park has been expanded and grown to become one of the most popular theme parks in the world. In the same year, English singer Kate Bush performed in the park in De Efteling Special, which was broadcast on 11 May 1978. In early 1978, the amusement park's Haunted Castle was completed and the opening was scheduled on 10 May that year. Bush, who just had a big hit in the Netherlands with "Wuthering Heights", made her debut on Dutch television in the special. Her popularity was used to draw the attention to the Haunted Castle.
In 2010, Efteling announced plans to remain open year-round. From November through about February, the 'Winter Efteling' theme remains in place.
Gisela Williams, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, wrote a review of the park in early 2014. Williams praised Efteling but criticized the teacups-style ride Monsieur Cannibale due to ethnic stereotypes. Her review was later mentioned in De Telegraaf, a daily newspaper in the Netherlands, and drew several angry comments from its readership. Williams also received her first death threat for her comments about the controversial attraction. In recent years, activists have repeatedly requested the Efteling to remove or re-theme the attraction. In September 2021, the park closed the ride for an extensive renovation including a re-theme.
The park received its 123,456,789th guest on June 19, 2015. The Efteling opened the trackless darkride Symbolica in 2017. With a price tag of 35 million euros, it is the most expensive investment in Efteling history. Beside the theme park, the Efteling operates three hotels, a theatre, and two holiday villages. The Efteling inaugurated its 30th fairytale in 2019.
In December 2020, the park was forced to close in compliance with the new COVID-19 restrictions introduced by prime minister Mark Rutte and the third Rutte cabinet.

Design

The success of Efteling has been attributed largely to its ride designs, architecture and atmosphere. When Anton Pieck was asked to design the initial fairy tales for the Efteling, he made sure the park would live up to his personal high standards. There would be no use of cheap building materials, plastic, or concrete. Pieck's illustration style, somewhat grim and dark, but also romantic and nostalgic, was the thematic base on which nearly all future expansions were built.
Pieck worked for Efteling until the mid-1970s, when his position as chief designer was passed on to the younger Ton van de Ven. Van de Ven had already been working for Efteling for several years and Pieck was very pleased with his work. The Haunted Castle, which opened in 1978 as the park's first new large attraction, was Efteling's first to be designed entirely by Van de Ven.
Van de Ven continued his work until 2002, when he retired. A new team of imagineers works on new Efteling attractions, still in a style suitable to the Efteling.

Divisions

The Efteling Theme Park Resort now comprises several divisions: the theme park, the four-star Efteling Wonder Hotel, Efteling Theatre, and the accommodation parks: Efteling Bosrijk & Het Loonsche Land. The theatre, which was once used for park shows, is one of the five biggest theatres in the Netherlands and can house big theatre productions, which will not be included in park admissions.
Besides using it as a home base for shows/musicals created by the Efteling itself it also lends itself out for other big productions, events, and business events. The hotel was operated by Golden Tulip for several years, but Efteling decided in 2004 to manage it independently. The divisions are each contained in commercial corporations, but all shares are still held by the nonprofit Efteling Nature Park Foundation.

The park

The theme park covers. This area has changed only marginally over the course of its history. The Efteling Theme Park Resort also offers the Efteling hotel, the Efteling hotel Loonsche Land, a theatre, a golf course, Villa Pardoes, and two holiday villages on. The park's foundation owns a total of also including young forest, nature reserve, some grassland, fields and roads.
The park is divided into five themed areas or 'realms'. Originally, the park was divided into four areas called North, West, East, and South, with most of the park's historical rides and attractions, such as the Fairy Tale Forest, located in West. When the park reorganized its infrastructure in the late 1990s, adding the Pardoes Promenade and a central hub called Efteling Brink, it also changed the areas' names. North was changed to Reizenrijk, West became Marerijk, East became Ruigrijk, and South became Anderrijk. In 2017 a fifth realm opened in the center of the park called Fantasierijk.
Although the park was not built with these divisions in mind and the names may seem cryptic, they do make sense. Perhaps the area most suited to its name is Ruigrijk, where most fast rides such as the double-loop roller coaster Python are located. Marerijk is the home to the Fairy Tale Forest and the Fairies of the Droomvlucht, Anderrijk has some rides that are inspired by non-Western cultures, while Reizenrijk has the Carnaval Festival ride, which travels through several different 'countries'. The Fantasierijk got its name from the darkride Symbolica: Palace of Fantasy.
Efteling was largely built in an existing pine forest located in a rural area, giving it a 'nature park' feeling. Together with its large ponds and gardens, its abundant green space is rather unusual among the world's leading theme parks.

Efteling Grand Hotel

The Efteling Grand Hotel is a hotel located in the Efteling theme park in the Netherlands. Opened in the summer of 2025, it is the largest hotel within the park and provides direct access to its attractions.
The hotel features 140 rooms and suites, each designed with a unique color theme and incorporating subtle references to Efteling’s fairytale aesthetic. It consists of seven floors and includes various amenities such as restaurants, a boutique, and wellness facilities.
Each room is designed in a single-color theme with decorative elements inspired by Efteling. A total of 644 beds are available, with an emphasis on comfort through high-quality pillows and duvets.
The hotel includes a spacious lobby, shopping facilities, and dining options.
The hotel offers multiple dining options, including Brasserie 7, a casual dining venue featuring a variety of dishes, with a conservatory overlooking the Aquanura water show. For a more refined experience, Restaurant & Bar Mystique provides an extended dining experience with a selection of cocktails and bar snacks.
In addition to dining, guests have access to wellness and recreational facilities. The Pool & Spa area feature a swimming pool designed around a spring theme, as well as a wellness area with a sauna, steam bath, and massage services.

Attractions and rides

Former attractions:
Other ventures operating independently from the amusement park:
  • 1992 – Efteling Wonder Hotel - Known simply as the Efteling Hotel until 2025
  • 1995 – Efteling Golf course - No longer a part of Efteling, following a transfer to the Hollandsche Golfbaan Exploitatiemaatschappij in 2021, and renamed Golf Park De Loonsche Duynen.
  • 2002 – Efteling Theatre
  • 2008 – Efteling Radio
  • 2009 – Efteling Bosrijk
  • 2017 – The Loonsche Land
  • 2025 – Efteling Grand Hotel

Awards

  • In 1971, the Efteling was the first theme park to receive the Pomme d'Or, in recognition of superior efforts in promoting and raising Europe's level of tourism. The Pomme d'Or is the highest award in the European tourist industry.
  • In 1992, the Efteling was awarded the IAAPA Applause Award for best theme park in the world.
  • In 1997, Villa Volta, as the first 'new style' madhouse in the world, received the Thea Attraction Award.
  • In 2005, the Efteling received the Thea Classic Award for the year 2004, a notable token of recognition of quality awarded by other people in the themed entertainment industry. Efteling is the second park to receive a prize for their entire oeuvre, the first being Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • In 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Efteling won the award for the best holiday park in the Netherlands according to the booking sites BungalowSpecials.nl, BungalowSpecials.be, FerienparkSpecials.de and HolidayParkSpecials.co.uk. These awards were based solely on ratings from guests who have stayed at the Efteling.
  • In 2017, the Efteling was titled 'Best Themepark' in the world by Theme Park Insider, based on overall reader and visitor ratings.
  • In 2018, Symbolica received the TEA Award For Outstanding Achievement.
  • In 2018, 'Best Themepark' and 'Best new dark ride' in the world by Theme Park Insider.
  • In 2019, 'Best Themepark' in The Netherlands & Belgium. Diamond Theme Park Awards 2019.
  • in 2025 Golden Ticket Award for Best New Family Attraction, Danse Macabre (Efteling)

Economy and governance

Structure

The Efteling is a private company limited by shares. The Efteling Nature Park Foundation is the only shareholder. The foundation was founded in 1950 by R.J.Th. van der Heijden, Peter Reijnders, and Anton Pieck. The company is led by two directors. They manage four sections: the theme park, the Efteling Hotel, the Efteling Golf course, and the Efteling Theatre.
Since April 17, 2014, the company's CEO has been Fons Jurgens.

Employees

In the high season, Efteling employs 2,500 workers. In 2000, the number was 1670, of which 400 had a permanent contract, 450 were seasonal employees and 820 had temp jobs.

Visitors


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  1. x: 70+
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points: color:blue width:2 #2008: 3.290.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2009: 4.000.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2010: 4.000.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2011: 4.125.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2012: 4.230.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2013: 4.150.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2014: 4.400.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2015: 4.680.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2016: 4.760.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2017: 5.180.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2018: 5.400.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2019: 5.400.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2020: 2.900.000
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points: color:red width:2 #2008: 12.688.000
points: color:red width:2 #2009: 12.740.000
points: color:red width:2 #2010: 10.500.000
points: color:red width:2 #2011: 10.990.000
points: color:red width:2 #2012: 11.500.000
points: color:red width:2 #2013: 10.430.000
points: color:red width:2 #2014: 9.940.000
points: color:red width:2 #2015: 9.790.000
points: color:red width:2 #2016: 8.400.000
points: color:red width:2 #2017: 9.660.000
points: color:red width:2 #2018: 9.840.000
points: color:red width:2 #2019: 9.745.000
points: color:red width:2 #2020: 2.620.000

Efteling welcomed 3,240,000 visitors in 2007, making it the most popular theme park in the Netherlands. In 2009, the park's attendance surpassed for the first time since its opening 4,000,000 visitors and in 2017 roughly 5,180,000 visitors went to the park, making it the most popular tourist daytrip destination in all categories. The objective was to reach 5 million admissions in 2020. It is reached in 2017, three years earlier than expected.
In its opening year, the park had 222,941 visitors. In 1954, the millionth visitor since the official opening was welcomed.
In 1983, the attendance increases by 30%. Efteling is the leading leisure park in Europe with 1.9 million visitors per year. In 1989, Efteling leads European parks in terms of attendance, 2.1 million people go to the park, including 1.6 million from the Netherlands. In 1991, Efteling is on the top step of the European podium with 2.6 million visitors. On the second step, three parks have 2 million admissions: Europa-Park, Alton Towers and Phantasialand. On the third step, two parks show 1.4 million admissions: Walibi Wavre and Parc Astérix.
Most of the visitors are Dutch; 94% of the Dutch population has visited the park. About 16% of visitors live in areas such as Flanders, Westphalia and Southern England.
A graph of the number of visitors of the Efteling during the period 1952–2018:

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  1. berekening van xwaarde punt: 70+
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points: color:blue width:2 #1952: 222.941 & #1953: 411.671
points: color:blue width:2 #1954: 561.433
points: color:blue width:2 #1955: 705.941
points: color:blue width:2 #1956: 737.170
points: color:blue width:2 #1957: 664.384
points: color:blue width:2 #1958: 663.639
points: color:blue width:2 #1959: 743.862
points: color:blue width:2 #1960: 710.032
points: color:blue width:2 #1961: 862.701
points: color:blue width:2 #1962: 914.876
points: color:blue width:2 #1963: 862.687
points: color:blue width:2 #1964: 925.073
points: color:blue width:2 #1965: 858.156
points: color:blue width:2 #1966: 1.145.184
points: color:blue width:2 #1967: 1.114.926
points: color:blue width:2 #1968: 1.121.923
points: color:blue width:2 #1969: 1.080.137
points: color:blue width:2 #1970: 1.108.857
points: color:blue width:2 #1971: 1.254.812
points: color:blue width:2 #1972: 1.264.953
points: color:blue width:2 #1973: 1.220.969
points: color:blue width:2 #1974: 1.230.889
points: color:blue width:2 #1975: 1.246.649
points: color:blue width:2 #1976: 1.163.974
points: color:blue width:2 #1977: 1.133.504
points: color:blue width:2 #1978: 1.449.078
points: color:blue width:2 #1979: 1.321.970
points: color:blue width:2 #1980: 1.287.440
points: color:blue width:2 #1981: 1.669.868
points: color:blue width:2 #1982: 1.536.479
points: color:blue width:2 #1983: 1.979.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1984: 1.942.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1985: 2.157.255
points: color:blue width:2 #1986: 2.304.768
points: color:blue width:2 #1987: 2.220.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1988: 2.100.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1989: 2.064.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1990: 2.200.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1991: 2.500.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1992: 2.300.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1993: 2.717.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1994: 2.530.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1995: 2.650.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1996: 3.051.311
points: color:blue width:2 #1997: 3.100.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1998: 2.700.000
points: color:blue width:2 #1999: 3.000.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2000: 3.100.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2001: 3.150.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2002: 3.417.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2003: 3.235.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2004: 3.253.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2005: 3.170.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2006: 3.050.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2007: 3.240.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2008: 3.290.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2009: 4.000.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2010: 4.000.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2011: 4.125.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2012: 4.230.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2013: 4.150.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2014: 4.400.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2015: 4.680.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2016: 4.760.000
points: color:blue width:2 #2017: 5.186.945
points: color:blue width:2 #2018: 5.400.000

Ticket price

A graph of the ticket price in euros of the Efteling during the period 1952-2014:

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  1. calculation of value x point: 70+
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points: color:blue width:2 #1952: 0,36 & #1953: 0,36
points: color:blue width:2 #1954: 0,39
points: color:blue width:2 #1955: 0,41
points: color:blue width:2 #1956: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1957: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1958: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1959: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1960: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1961: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1962: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1963: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1964: 0,45
points: color:blue width:2 #1965: 0,68
points: color:blue width:2 #1966: 0,73
points: color:blue width:2 #1967: 0,91
points: color:blue width:2 #1968: 0,91
points: color:blue width:2 #1969: 0,91
points: color:blue width:2 #1970: 1,13
points: color:blue width:2 #1971: 1,36
points: color:blue width:2 #1972: 1,36
points: color:blue width:2 #1973: 1,59
points: color:blue width:2 #1974: 1,82
points: color:blue width:2 #1975: 2,27
points: color:blue width:2 #1976: 2,72
points: color:blue width:2 #1977: 3,18
points: color:blue width:2 #1978: 3,40
points: color:blue width:2 #1979: 3,63
points: color:blue width:2 #1980: 3,86
points: color:blue width:2 #1981: 4,54
points: color:blue width:2 #1982: 4,99
points: color:blue width:2 #1983: 5,67
points: color:blue width:2 #1984: 6,13
points: color:blue width:2 #1985: 6,81
points: color:blue width:2 #1986: 7,49
points: color:blue width:2 #1987: 8,17
points: color:blue width:2 #1988: 8,62
points: color:blue width:2 #1989: 9,08
points: color:blue width:2 #1990: 9,53
points: color:blue width:2 #1991: 10,21
points: color:blue width:2 #1992: 11,34
points: color:blue width:2 #1993: 12,71
points: color:blue width:2 #1994: 13,61
points: color:blue width:2 #1995: 14,70
points: color:blue width:2 #1996: 14,75
points: color:blue width:2 #1997: 15,88
points: color:blue width:2 #1998: 15,88
points: color:blue width:2 #1999: 17,02
points: color:blue width:2 #2000: 17,70
points: color:blue width:2 #2001: 19,06
points: color:blue width:2 #2002: 21
points: color:blue width:2 #2003: 22
points: color:blue width:2 #2004: 23
points: color:blue width:2 #2005: 24
points: color:blue width:2 #2006: 25
points: color:blue width:2 #2007: 26
points: color:blue width:2 #2008: 27
points: color:blue width:2 #2009: 28
points: color:blue width:2 #2010: 29
points: color:blue width:2 #2011: 32
points: color:blue width:2 #2012: 33
points: color:blue width:2 #2013: 34,50
points: color:blue width:2 #2014: 35,00
points: color:blue width:2 #2014: 36,00

From 1952 to 2002, the ticket price was set in Dutch guilders, these prices were converted to euros using a conversion factor of 0.45378. In 1952, the ticket price was 0.80 Dutch guilders. From 1956 to 1965, the ticket price was 1 Dutch guilder. The price had risen to 42 Dutch guilders by 2001 and was converted to 21 euros in 2002, during the switch to the euro in the Netherlands. tickets cost €42 or €40 during the "low season". There are also tickets for €68 which include lunch, dinner, and free parking among other things. Tickets ordered online are sold with a discount of €2. Admission is free for children under 4.

Investments

On December 11, 2008, theme park officials announced that they would spend €40 million during 2009–2012 on three large construction projects: a convention centre accommodating 1,500 visitors, an arena from the Middle Ages for 750 show spectators, and a redesign for snack bar "De Likkebaerd" to turn it into a station for the park's steam train. They also said they did not expect to suffer from the 2008 financial crisis. In 2009, the Efteling announced that the Burcht had been cancelled.
The park announced in 2015 they had the ambition to welcome 7 million guests by 2030. For this they drew up a zoning plan in the period from 2015 to 2018 called Bestemmingsplan Wereld van de Efteling 2030. The park will at first expand to the east as far as the road De Horst and the highway N261. After the eastern expansion, the park will expand in a western direction on the site where parking spaces are currently located. In 2018, the zoning plan was unanimously adopted within the municipality of Loon op Zand, after which three objections were submitted to the Raad van State. Two objections were investigated by the council and in the meantime the council decided that De Efteling was not allowed to start implementing the plan. With an adjustment on a number of points, the council approved the zoning plan in June 2021. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the multiple closures of the park, the park had to review its investments. It decided to postpone the expansion towards the east side for a few years and to focus on expansions within the existing park boundaries. On January 24, 2022, the company announced it would invest €75 million in the construction of a new hotel within the park on the square behind the entrance and in an attraction that will replace Spookslot.