Saxon theme parks with a mixed summer season

The leisure parks in Saxony have drawn a mixed balance for the summer season. Longer periods of rain during the public holidays and the Saxon summer vacation meant fewer visitors in some places. Meanwhile, new attractions are being worked on.

However, the operators of Karls Erdbeerhof in Döbeln were extremely satisfied. "We welcomed around one million guests in our first financial year," said founder and managing director Robert Dahl on request. That was significantly more than expected. That is why further investment is now planned. Visitors can look forward to a family roller coaster next summer.

August was also a successful month at Saurierpark and Plohn Leisure Park. The Plohn amusement park in Vogtland attributed this to the summer vacations in nearby Bavaria and the Czech Republic, among other things - numerous guests traveled to Saxony during this time. The Saurierpark referred to the summer vacation in Brandenburg. Neither park gave specific visitor numbers. The Belantis amusement park near Leipzig also did not initially release any figures.

Visitor crowds only in the last week of the holidays

The rainy summer vacations in particular had a negative impact on the amusement parks. "As the public holidays and vacation days are the busiest days of the season, it is difficult to make up for these figures in the rest of the season," said a spokeswoman for the Saurierpark in Kleinwelka in Bautzen. According to its own figures, the park recorded around 165,000 visitors by the end of August. Last year, a total of 223,000 people visited the theme park. "The visitor numbers roughly confirm the lower level of the previous year and are below our expectations," said the spokesperson.

According to a spokesperson, the Sonnenlandpark in Lichtenau also had fewer guests during the Saxon summer vacations compared to the previous year, "although the last week of the school vacations fortunately made up a lot of ground". In July and August, the theme park near Chemnitz even welcomed more visitors than in July and August 2024, it said.

Construction sites as challenges

But it wasn't just the weather - major construction sites at the theme park also presented some challenges. A 60-metre high adventure pyramid is currently being built in Sonnenlandpark. A Sonnenlandpark spokeswoman commented on the conversion: "After the foundation stone was laid in June, this construction site was an event in itself for some young visitors, so many excavators and huge cranes, and a special challenge for us to master this without restrictions for the guests."

Sonnenlandpark and Freizeitpark Plohn celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2026

Both Chemnitz and Plohn will be celebrating next year - Sonnenlandpark will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and Freizeitpark Plohn its 30th anniversary. This will be celebrated with various events and activities. According to the Plohn amusement park, the "Multi Launch Water Coaster" - a roller coaster with water fun - will open next year. According to Sonnenlandpark, the adventure pyramid in Chemnitz will be ready for visitors in just a few days.