Star City (amusement park)

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For other uses, see Star City.

Star City
Star City park logo.svg
Star City (CCP Complex, Pasay; 12-13-2020).jpg
The outer facade of the entrance building, pictured in 2020
LocationBarangay 1, Pasay, Philippines
Coordinates14°33′22″N 120°59′09″E / 14.556°N 120.9859°E / 14.556; 120.9859 (Star City)Coordinates: 14°33′22″N 120°59′09″E / 14.556°N 120.9859°E / 14.556; 120.9859 (Star City)
StatusClosed
Opened1991 (1991)
OwnerStar Parks Corporation
Operating seasonYear-round
Attendance1.5 million
Attractions
Roller coasters4[1]

Star City is a 35,000 m2 (380,000 sq ft) amusement park in Pasay, Philippines. It is located in the reclaimed area of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, part of Bay City. The facility is owned by Star Parks Corporation, a subsidiary of Elizalde Holdings Corporation (the holding company of the FJE Group of Companies).[2]

Star City was hit by a fire on October 2, 2019, causing major damage to the main building and forcing its closure. Prior to the fire, Star City had an annual attendance of about 1.5 million people.[3] Star City had more than 30 different rides and attractions at the time of the fire, many of which were indoors. The park had initially planned to re-open by January 14, 2022, but due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, it has been postponed to a later date.

History[]

The park was established in 1991 as an offshoot of the annual Toys and Gift Fair, a Christmas trade exhibition by the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibit (PhilCite), which was first organized in 1976. In the 1990s under Fred Elizalde, the fair evolved into an amusement park later named Star City.[3] The former PhilCite building upon which the park was based upon was pulled down in the late 1990s to make way for the park's indoor rides.

2019 fire[]

Main article: Star City fire

Star City was hit by a major fire on October 2, 2019, which destroyed about 80 percent of the main Star City building, which housed over 30 rides and attractions.[4] At least 25 of those were damaged in the fire, including Gabi ng Lagim, Dungeon of Terror, Bump Car Smash, and Snow World. The outdoor area, which includes the Star Flyer and Star Frisbee, was mostly spared by the fire. Initial damage estimates ranged from 15 million to 1 billion Philippine pesos.[5]

2022 planned reopening[]

In December 2021, Star City's social media accounts posted a teaser suggesting that the amusement park will be reopened.[6] The reopening was planned on January 14, 2022[7], however the opening has been postponed due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila amidst a pandemic of the disease which reached the metropolis in early 2020.[8] After some delays, the park will reopen on February 24, 2022.

Attractions[]

The Giant Star Wheel Ferris wheel in 2014.

Prior to the 2019 fire, 70 percent of the facilities of Star City were covered and air-conditioned. The amusement park introduced various types of rides and attractions in the Philippines. It hosted the double-deck carousel, 360-degree-loop roller coaster (the Zyklon Loop), and water log ride (the Jungle Splash) in the country. It hosted Snow World, the largest permanent ice entertainment area in the country, which featured ice carvings, a snow play area and the country's longest ice slide.[3] Another attraction in the amusement park was the inverted roller coaster Star Flyer, which opened in 2007 and was marketed as the first inverted coaster in the Philippines.[9]

Star City hosts the Giant Star Wheel Ferris wheel. It has 32 air-conditioned gondolas, each seating up to six persons. In 2012 it was said to be the tallest Ferris wheel in the Philippines.[10][11][12] Conflicting reports credit it with a height of 60 m (197 ft)[10][11] and 62.5 m (205 ft) tall.[12]

Within the amusement park complex are the Aliw and Star Theaters, with a combined seating capacity of 4,000.[3]

Incidents[]

  • September 9, 2006: a 13-year-old patron died due to falling off the Wild River (now Jungle Splash) ride. On September 19, four days after its quiet "grand opening," the Pasay city engineering office ordered the suspension of operations of the amusement park coinciding with the same day that the management has reached a settlement with the family of the deceased patron and another but non-fatal incident at the amusement park's bump car ride.[13]
  • February 6, 2009: The Star Flyer has temporarily ceased operations after a man fell 15 meters (49 ft) off from the ride and died.[14]
  • February 7, 2018: The Star Flyer attraction suffered an electrical malfunction at 3:20 p.m., affecting about 10 riders came to a stop in the middle of its hanging tracks for about 15 minutes.[15]
  • July 8, 2018: A man died after falling from the top of the Giant Star Wheel ride on that night.[16]
  • October 2, 2019: A huge blaze causes widespread damage to Star City (see Star City fire).[17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Star City (Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines)".
  2. ^ "The Elizalde Family". Media Ownership Monitor Philippines. VERA Files, Reporters Sans Frontières.
  3. ^ a b c d Sanchez, Volts (January–April 2015). "A pioneering amusement park shines bright in any season". PANA AdEdge. Philippine Association of National Advertisers. 11 (1): 46–47.
  4. ^ Cabalza, Dexter (October 3, 2019). "Star City fire leaves P 1B worth of damage". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Ornedo, Julia Mari (October 2, 2019). "Star City management pegs fire damage at P1B". GMA News. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  6. ^ "Star City teases reopening in 2022". GMA News. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Madarang, Catalina Ricci (January 6, 2022). "'We miss you but...': Mixed reactions over timing of Star City's reopening". Interaksyon. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (January 10, 2022). "Star City defers January 14 reopening". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ "Star Flyer Star City". Star City. Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Giant Star Wheel - The Official Website of Star City".
  11. ^ a b "PH's 'highest' ferris wheel is in Pasay". ABS-CBN. November 28, 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Star City claims its Giant Wheel is "highest Ferris wheel in PH," has 32 air-conditioned gondolas". Spot. November 28, 2012.
  13. ^ "Girl's death, complaint halt Star City operations". GMA News Online.
  14. ^ News, ABS-CBN. "Star City ride off-limits after death of customer". ABS-CBN News.
  15. ^ Orellana, Faye. "Star City ride malfunctions; affects 10 park goers". newsinfo.inquirer.net.
  16. ^ "Lalaking nahulog mula sa Ferris wheel, patay". GMA News. July 9, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Fire hits Star City in Pasay". newsinfo.inquirer.net.

External links[]

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