News: La Ronde announces 2004 additions

Posted at 12:39 PM EST (1739 GMT)

Feb. 11th, 2004 -- La Ronde, an amusement park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, announced it's improvement plan for the upcoming 2004 season.  The improvements include a Splash Boat ride, a new 3D movie, a new facility for corportate gatherings plus upgrades to the food service and games department.

Press Release courtesy of La Ronde.

Montreal, February 11, 2004 - Today, La Ronde announced the third stage of it’s five year capital investment plan. This season, guests will be invited to take the plunge down a towering wall of water in The Splash, La Ronde's exhilarating new family water ride. This year's investment also includes a beautiful new banquet hall for private outings and corporate gatherings, continued guest service enhancements and an exciting new family 3D simulator ride to entertain our guests in our old Super Volcanozor theatre.

“We are taking further steps towards transforming La Ronde into a world-class theme park by investing an additional $6.2 M. in Quebec's most popular entertainment destination, for a total of 51 million dollars in the last three years. Since 2002, we have built 9 exciting new rides, redesigned the entrances and carried out numerous improvements to the site”, announced Len Turtora, Vice-President and General Manager of La Ronde.

In June, La Ronde will introduce a most exciting and refreshing family
attraction : The Splash. Well positioned in a 20-passenger boat, guests will climb a steep slope, zoom around a tight curve then plunge down a 15-metre waterfall into a 1,325,000 litre reservoir to then face a 5-metre imposing tidal wave ! A totally splattering thrill!

A look-out bridge spanning the reservoir will give guests a bird's eye view of the ride - and a good soaking from the wave! Perfectly complementing the Pitoune, La Ronde's all-time icon, The Splash is guaranteed to delight visitors all summer long.

"Our exciting new Splash ride and our funny new 3D movie simulation only reinforce La Ronde's position as the most complete family attraction in Quebec", explained André Provencher, Marketing Director at La Ronde.

In 2004, La Ronde will also offer a 6th facility for corporate gatherings and private receptions. Located on the ground floor of La Ronde’s famous Marina building, this brand new 150 people banquet hall named L'Escale de la Marina will offer guests a full line of à la carte services including catering and bar service as well as audio-visual rental.

This year’s investment also includes upgrades to La Ronde's food and drinks facilities and exciting new skill games. Finally, numerous site improvements such as landscaping, seating areas, fences and decorations will be made in order to enhance guest comfort and deliver the greatest family entertainment available.

With this year's additions, the famous Montreal theme park will offer its guests more than 40 rides and attractions for their ultimate pleasure including the exciting suspended roller coaster - The Vampire.

From June 12 to July 28, La Ronde will host the special 20th anniversary edition of the Montréal International Fireworks Competition, Le Mondial SAQ. Between the opening and closing ceremonies, eight former Gold Jupiter recipients will compete to obtain the highest distinction in the pyrotechnics industry. Many surprises and high quality pyromusical displays are scheduled.

With close to 2,000 employees working on site during the operating season, La Ronde is the most important seasonal employer in Quebec. The 2004 recruiting campaign has already started and all details are available on the La Ronde website.