What’s new for fairytale theme park Efteling in 2024
New attractions, themed suites and a charity partnership: the Dutch theme park unveils its latest news and updates
January 2024: Efteling, the enchanting Dutch fairytale theme park in the Netherlands, has revealed its exciting plans for 2024. From the opening of the highly anticipated new ride Danse Macabre to the undertaking of further sustainability initiatives, 2024 is set to be an incredible year for the charming and affordable theme park.
2024 will also see guests enjoy the new themed suite at Efteling Hotel, currently home to suites including the Little Red Riding Hood Suite, Cinderella Suite and Hansel and Gretel Suite. The Droomvlucht Suite will open on 22 December 2023 and its design will echo the enchanting theme of the park’s Droomvlucht ride.
A new attraction is welcomed in the creepiest part of Efteling
Autumn 2024 will see the opening of brand-new attraction, Danse Macabre. Named after the famous piece of music by Camille Saint-Saëns, a new immersive ride will open as part of an entirely new creepy area at the park. The attraction will be the first ride of its kind in the world with a unique mechanic, offering an immersive thrill-ride experience for visitors, a haunted spectacle full of dark twists, a great addition to the spectacular assortment of existing rides at Efteling.
New sustainability initiatives for 2024
With over 25,000 solar panels surrounding the park, Efteling has been striving to save and generate its own energy as well as reduce its overall gas consumption. As a result of this, the park has been working on its own Sustainable Energy system, Anderrijk.
This project will see Efteling heat and cool buildings in the Anderrijk area of the park without using natural gas, but with heat-cold storage (HCS). The Efteling Theatre, Fata Morgana and the Fata Morgana event venue, Efteling Grand Hotel, Fabula, Frau Boltes Küche and Danse Macabre will be connected to this installation, as will the pond of water show Aquanura.
Behind the scenes, the park collects more than 40 different waste streams separately and encourages guests to hand in cans and PET bottles to recycle. The proceeds from the deposit of cans and PET bottles go towards Villa Pardoes, a holiday village for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
Efteling partners with national charity to donate 80,000 tickets to families
Efteling has joined forces with Dutch foundation Stichting Leergeld to donate 80,000 tickets a year to support families from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Netherlands. The donation allows those who may find the park financially inaccessible to visit Efteling and make wonderful memories.
The partnership, which begins this month, comes as part of Efteling’s dedication to social engagement through a series of initiatives focused on increasing accessibility to the park, with moves to make the park more accessible socially, financially and physically.
Construction of Efteling Grand Hotel continues
Next year Efteling will continue the construction of Efteling Grand Hotel, the first hotel situated within the park walls and its largest hotel. Set to open in 2025, the hotel will have pride of place, situated just beyond Efteling’s entrance, House of the Five Senses, for all visitors to see.
Efteling Grand Hotel will provide a heightened level of luxury accommodation for overnight guests. The 143 rooms located across seven floors will have gentle nods to the fairytale atmosphere of park woven throughout their design, alongside two restaurants and two souvenir shops open to all Efteling guests, as well as a swimming pool and spa area for Efteling Grand Hotel guests only.
How to get there
Easily accessible from the UK, Efteling sits an hour from Amsterdam. Visitors can take the Eurostar to either Rotterdam or Amsterdam, fly to Amsterdam Schipol or Eindhoven Airport, or drive to the Netherlands via the Eurotunnel. Regular trains run to the nearby den Bosch station, as well as a regular bus service and taxis directly to the park.