Be the Magic. Be Enchanted.
This is the mantra that greets you as you enter the gates of Enchanted Kingdom, the 25-hectare theme park in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
A few weeks after it opened in October 1995, I visited with my three young children for a day of fun and frolic. We enjoyed the exciting rides, which rivaled those at Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm in the USA.
I haven’t gone back to this theme park since then, which is why I made it a point to visit it again when I received the invitation to its 28th anniversary celebration. Not only did I want to see the new attractions it now offers but also because I wanted to personally congratulate and celebrate with the owners, Cynthia and Mario Mamon, for finding ways, albeit difficult, for our only world-class park to survive the devastating effects of the recent pandemic.
The mammoth crowd of parents with their children, excited teens, and even senior citizens I saw that day, all having fun inside the park grounds, was a testimony to the park’s successful overcoming of the most challenging obstacles brought about by the past two years.
Upon entering the park grounds, I was immediately ushered into the Evens Center where I was tagged with the usual bracelet of Admission Ticket which gave me unlimited access to all the rides in the park. While waiting for the program to start, I was escorted to watch the park’s newest attraction, Agila The EKsperience. It is the first flying theater in the country and the largest of its kind in the whole world. The thrilling 10-minute ride takes one virtually piggy-backing on a Philippine eagle as it soars over our country’s magnificent tourist attractions. I found it quite an emotional experience as, seeing the beautiful scenery made me feel truly blessed to be Filipino, having all these stunning natural marvels that our country offers. The show bannered the many reasons why our foreign guests “Love the Philippines.”
The evening celebration at the park’s Events Center had a list of VIP personalities who were just as happy as I was to help celebrate Enchanted Kingdom’s significant milestone – DTI Usec. Blesilda Lantayona, Laguna Congresswoman Ruth Hernandez, Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez, Executive Director and Vice-President of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Jack Chan, and Senior Director of Universal Beijing Resort Bob Dennis, who designed the park and its attractions.
After the speeches, the Anniversary Toast was led by Head of Organization Development and Corporate Planning Nico Mamon, and Head of Business Development and Digital Transformation Anna Mamon-Aban, children of the owners.
After a lavish dinner, we were then escorted out into the park’s main street to watch the Grand Storybook Characters Parade, Enchanted Kingdom’s colorful and attractive version of the Electrical Parade we see in Disneyland.
The magical anniversary festivities ended with a concert top-billed by popular Cebuana diva KZ Tandingan and, interspersed between the musical numbers were the entries of the Finalists to the Sky Wizardry Fireworks Competition.
The evening certainly ended with a bang as the dark sky teemed with glittering diamonds of various sizes, comets of different colors, and sparkling stars that seemed to have migrated from different parts of the universe. I have to admit that the whole shebang made me feel like a little boy once again.
It certainly was a beautiful way to spend the weekend. It’s been a long while since I’ve been to an amusement park and I have to say that each one of us needs a magical moment like this every now and then in our lives. It’s a most enjoyable way to relieve ourselves of stress and prop ourselves up, ready for whatever challenges there may be. We’re lucky we have Enchanted Kingdome nearby…where the magic lives forever!
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