About Efteling

Since the opening of the Fairytale Forest in 1952 in Holland, Efteling has grown to become one of the largest theme parks in Europe, with 5.35 million visitors in 2018. Efteling Theme Park Resort features various overnight accommodation options, a golf course, a theatre and a wide range of facilities for business events. With its TV series, children's radio station and YouTube channel, Efteling increasingly brings its fairytale experience into people's homes. Since September 2018, overnight guests can visit the theatre show CARO in the Efteling Theatre. Meanwhile the family musicals (in Dutch language), which are produced by Efteling, tour theatres in the Netherlands and Flanders.

In 1952, Efteling started with 15 permanent employees. Today, 3,000 employees work at Efteling, transporting guests into a fairytale world, again and again.

Vision
During the last years, Efteling has developed in phases to become an international, multi-day holiday destination. With the opening of dive coaster Baron 1898, the dark ride called Symbolica and the launch of Holiday Village Efteling Loonsche Land the theme park resort is well on its way. The next phase has already been announced. This will consist of an expansion of the park to the east by a total of eight hectares. In the coming years, Efteling aims to continue to welcome five million visitors per year. To achieve this goal, the park will focus on offering guests an exceptional experience, both within the theme park and at the overnight accommodation. The theatre show CARO, almost entirely without spoken word, fits very well in the international ambitions of Efteling.

Theme park Efteling (1952)
Over the past decades, numerous attractions, restaurants and shops have been added to the Fairytale Forest, dating from 1952. Despite this, its natural character has always been preserved. Visitors can still be surprised in the Fairytale Forest, but they also explore their limits on the challenging roller coasters, dream away with a ride on the enchanting family attractions, go round and round on nostalgic carousels and enjoy spectacular shows and intimate performances.

Efteling wants to continue to surprise its guests with new attractions and fairytales. Over the past few years, Efteling has welcomed a number of new attractions. The water show Aquanura (2012), the dive coaster Baron 1898 (2015) and the dark ride Symbolica, Palace of Fantasy (2017) have been added to the choice of attractions. The Fairytale Forest, which was the foundation of Efteling’s success has also welcomed a number of new fairytales such as The Emperor’s New Clothes (2012) and Pinocchio (2016). In the Autumn of 2019, the 30th fairytale will come to life: The Six Swans, by the Grimm Brothers.

Since 2010, the park is open 365 days a year. Various events take place throughout the year, each offering a unique experience. During the summer months, guests can enjoy all the attractions, shows and additional entertainment into the early hours of the morning. In the winter Efteling transforms into a winter world of twinkling lights, bonfires and snow-covered pine trees for Winter Efteling. During the New Year's Eve party guests welcome the New Year while enjoying fireworks and a glass of bubbly.

Efteling Theme Park Resort
Efteling wants to attract visitors from abroad to stay longer at Efteling Theme Park Resort, and consequently offers overnight accommodation in two hotels and two holiday villages. In 2017 the new Holiday Village Efteling Loonsche Land opened its doors. This summer the first guests will be spending the night in twelve new Woodland Houses, each accommodating 12 people in Holiday Village Efteling Bosrijk. This will bring the total number of beds in Efteling Theme Park Resort to 3,144. This fall, all 78 apartments at Holiday Village Efteling Bosrijk will be converted into family rooms with hotel service.

Efteling Hotel (1992)
Efteling Hotel is a child-friendly hotel with 122 rooms (450 beds), including 98 comfort rooms, four spacious Junior Suites and 20 enchanting themed suites, such as the Fairytale Tree Suite or The Flying Dutchman Suite. Children are treated as special guests at Efteling Hotel. They can, for instance, check in themselves or meet their favourite Efteling inhabitant. As well as offering a full range of accommodation facilities to guests visiting the theme park, the hotel also includes facilities for meetings, conferences and training courses.

Holiday Village Efteling Bosrijk (2009)
In the middle of the woods of Brabant and within walking distance of Efteling, you will find Holiday Village Efteling Bosrijk (from July 2019, 1,694 beds). This spacious holiday village covers approximately 16 hectares of varied landscape with dunes, dense woodland and an open space. At its heart is a tranquil lake featuring a castle, home to Efteling Village Bosrijk’s most prominent resident: Mr Sandman. Visitors can spend the night in luxurious and atmospheric houses for a maximum of eight people in the woods, at the water's edge or on the lively village square, in family rooms for a maximum of 4 people in the Poorthuys or the Landhuys or in large Woodland farmhouses for groups of 12 to 24 people.

Holiday Village Efteling Loonsche Land (2017)
Holiday Village Efteling Loonsche Land (1,000 beds) covers an area of almost eight hectares next to the theme park and the golf park. Hidden among the greenery guests will find a hotel and cosy holiday houses that guarantee a special natural experience because of their unique location above, on top of or under the ground. Guests can choose between Heathland Houses, Woodland Houses or Dune Houses for 6 to 12 people or a 5 or 6 persons room in the Loonsche Land Hotel. The 20 themed rooms outside the hotel, which are suitable for 4 to 6 people, are totally unique.

Efteling Theatre (2002)
The impressive Efteling Theatre, one of the largest theatres in the Netherlands, is located directly behind the entrance of the theme park. Alongside the stunning main auditorium, there is a grand foyer and the red plush Applaus Theatre Restaurant. The theatre is designed to be multifunctional and can be configured to stage theatre productions as well as business events. Since 2002, Efteling has been producing successful musical productions in cooperation with V&V Entertainment, Rick Engelkes Producties and Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties. Since 2009, Efteling also fully produces and directs in-house shows, such as Pinocchio (2015), the fairytale musical Puss-in-Boots (2016) and Sprookjessprokkelaar, the musical (The Fairytale Collector) (2017). These productions, which also tour throughout the Netherlands and Flanders over time, provide children from all over the country the opportunity to play a one-time guest role. Since September 2018, Efteling will present the theatre show CARO: a visual spectacle full of humour, dance, music and acrobatics for the entire family. This production, under the direction of Stanley Burleson provides visitors from all nationalities with moments recognisable from their own lives.

Meetings & Events
The fairytale world of Efteling is an inspirational environment for informal events such as special events for business relations and enchanting staff parties as well as business meetings, training courses, conferences or workshops for 20 to 16,000 persons. Each year, around 300 special events are held in Efteling’s 27 atmospheric function rooms, along with a further 600 smaller (business) gatherings, each with its own unique experience.

Enjoy the wondrous world of Efteling in the comfort of your own home

Efteling wants everyone to be able to enjoy its wondrous world anytime and anywhere. Based on this desire, Efteling produced its first television series, Sprookjes (Fairytales), in 2004. This was followed by many other series and programmes which were broadcast in the Netherlands and also regularly abroad. In addition to this, in 2012, the first movie was launched: Sprookjesboom de Film (Fairytale Tree the Movie). Meanwhile, Efteling-content, such as on-ride videos, TV and YouTube series, short films and music videos is available online, and on our own Efteling YouTube channels. Efteling is developing a series aimed at a wide audience. There are cartoons for the youngest viewers, such as Jokie and The Fairytale Tree, while teenagers can enjoy drama series such as Raveleijn and Pardoes. Over the years, game shows have also been produced, such as De Schatkamer and Erecode and YouTube series such as Masters of Minecraft and GameNight.