No Legoland Belgium, but possibly a new amusement park based around cartoon character Spirou

Today, 1:36 p.m

In Belgium, plans are emerging for a new amusement park based around cartoon characters such as Spirou. Last spring it was announced that the construction of a Belgian Legoland branch will not go ahead. Another amusement park may be located at the intended location in the Walloon industrial city of Charleroi.

Legoland owner Merlin Entertainments kept the Walloon government on the line for years with plans for Legoland Benelux. Earlier this year, the British group pulled the plug on the project, saying it was due to a change in strategy. Since then, the authorities have been looking for another use for the area.

This concerns an abandoned industrial estate in the Gosselies district, which in the past belonged to excavator manufacturer Caterpillar. After Merlin’s withdrawal, it was decided to divide the site into three separate parts. One of these is intended for players from the tourism sector.

Blueprint
According to the newspaper La Nouvelle Gazette, the Belgian comic book publisher Dupuis is interested in setting up a Spirou amusement park. There is already such a park in France: Parc Spirou Provence, opened in 2018. That destination could serve as a blueprint for the new park in Belgium.

No concrete agreements have yet been made, but discussions are taking place behind the scenes between the parties involved. The existing Parc Spirou features roller coasters, family attractions and thrill rides based on cartoon brands such as Spirou, Marsupilami and Lucky Luke. There are approximately 300,000 visitors per year.