Presentation

This blog is a translation of my original blog, written in French (publication dates are kept).

October 24, 2009

The day when an army of grinning pumpkins invaded Tivoli

Well, they left last weekend anyway, even if Halloween is next week. Actually, Tivoli has reopened just 9 short days, just the time of the autumn holidays (eftersårferie). It's a bit short to enjoy it I think.

So I know I'm a little bit late for this article. But anyway, if you live in Copenhagen, you've probably already been there, otherwise you have the Christmas holidays to catch up. And if you don't live here, you're probably asking yourself "but what she is talking about?"

Let's start from the beginning. In fact it is an amusement park located in the heart of Copenhagen (between the City Hall and the central station to be more precise). And this is not just any amusement park, it is the second oldest in the world still working after Dyrehavsbakken (*), which is also Danish (located in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen).

Tivoli was founded in 1843 by a man called Georg Carstensen. At this time the park was located outside the city and it was called "Tivoli & Vauxhall". "Tivoli" in tribute to the Tivoli Gardens in Paris, now extinct, which were named after the Roman gardens of the same name, and "Vauxhall" for the Vauxhall Gardens in London.

Because of its location, it is quite small and has no possibility of extension. So of course it's hard to compete with the major theme parks such as you know. But the designers have more than one trick up their sleeve and they managed the feat of installing an incredible amount of attractions. The modern ones are just nearby the very old ones. So, they are located a little over each other, and in this exuberant mess, it is sometimes difficult to find the entrance of your ride. But after all, it is what makes the charm of Tivoli.


It is a true coming-back to your childhood, there are funfair stands (pigeon shooting, bumper cars), and even if the park is primarily dedicated to kids, there are some exciting rides:

Dæmonen (the Demon), short but really effective

Det Gyldne Tårn (The Golden Tower), a good adrenaline shoot

Himmelskibet (The Flying Ship), where you definitively have the best view of CPH

The Vertigo, a barbaric invention:
you will drive yourself the small plane
(you can rotate it in all directions)


And for Halloween, all the park was redecorated:

In this picture is hidden a typical Danish touch, can you guess what it is?

The park is open daily during the summer. With a little bonus: every Friday evening from May to September a different group is playing on the big stage. The event is known as Fredagsrock. So if like me you are a happy owner of an årskort (annual pass), you can enter for free. Because, of course, the entrance to Tivoli is not free, but buying the årskort is completely justified if you go at least twice a year.

And it will reopen from the 20th of November to the 30th of December for the Christmas market (that promises great pictures).