Luna Luna, described as the world’s first travelling art amusement park, is being restored for a global tour starting in North America in 2023.
The brainchild of Austrian artist Andé Heller, Luna Luna debuted in 1987 with rides, games and fairground attractions designed by artists including Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein.
“The first-ever art amusement park, Luna Luna invited over 30 of the era’s most dazzling artists to design rides, games, and other fairground attractions in the summer of 1987,” said Luna Luna.
1987 travelling art fairground restored
“Now 35 years after its Hamburg debut, Luna Luna is making an electrifying return, soon embarking on a global tour with artists old and new.”
After opening in Hamburg, Germany in the 1980s, Luna Luna was slated for a global tour. Instead, it was packed up and “hidden within a graveyard of shipping container tombs”.
Canadian rapper Drake has invested $100 million to restore the art park. “When I first heard about Luna Luna I was blown away,” he said in a statement.
“It’s such a unique and special way to experience art,” he added. “This is a big idea and opportunity that centres around what we love most: bringing people together.”
Rides by Hockney, Haring and Basquiat
Original attractions included a carousel by Keith Haring, Basquiat’s Ferris wheel, and a geometric forest pavilion by David Hockney. These are being “restored to their former glory”, alongside various carnival games, rides and installations.
In addition, the returning park will offer new carnival-style attractions designed by today’s most influential artists. Highlights also include art workshops, film screenings, special events and F&B.
Luna Luna is due to open in Los Angeles in late 2023 before embarking on a tour of North America and then the world.
Images: Luna Luna
