Amusement parks in Finland are welcoming summer revellers this week, with public life slowly getting back to normal in Finland since June 1.
Tykkimäki Amusement Park in Kouvola was the first to reopen for the season on Wednesday. The Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki will open on Friday, seven weeks later than the scheduled opening date. Tampere’s Särkänniemi Amusement Park is to open the following day.
The theme parks will follow precautionary measures like limiting the number of admissions and maintaining a safe distance in queues for rides.
For instance, Linnanmäki will only admit 5,000 people at a time — only a quarter of the usual number.
Särkänniemi, Tykkimäki and Linnanmäki are offering advance booking options to avoid situations where people travel long distances only to be turned away at the gates.
Linnanmäki's CEO Pia Adlivankin told Yle that they decided to set up advance booking on the request of customers.
“We created a system where one can book a day ticket in advance. About half the capacity will be reserved for advance bookings, while the other half will accommodate walk-in customers,” Adlivankin said.
Linnanmäki authorities added that people will have to stand a metre apart in the queues for the rides.
“We are not limiting capacity on the rides but will be keeping every other roller coaster car empty and ensuring a one-metre safety distance in queues — which means the capacity will naturally be lower than usual,” Adlivankin said.
In April, with plans to open the 70-year-old amusement park as usual on 1 May abandoned, jobs of Linnanmäki’s roughly 650 seasonal workers were threatened.
Adlivankin said almost all the seasonal workers recruited at the beginning of the year have been allowed to keep their jobs.
“There are a few spots we have put on hold, but if the activity in the park picks up, they will be called into work," Adlivankin added.