Chuncheon: Legoland Korea Resort, owned by Europe's largest theme park operator Merlin Entertainments Ltd., announced that it will host the world's first Lego Festival in May, aiming to attract more visitors.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Legoland Korea plans to organize "The Lego Festival" for six weeks starting May 3. This event is part of a global campaign by the Lego Group and its parent company, Merlin. Merlin's CEO, Fiona Eastwood, expressed that the festival is designed to provide fun and memorable experiences for families, embodying the essence of Legoland.
The initiative follows a period of poor performance for Legoland Korea in South Korea, which is Asia's fourth-largest economy. The resort, which opened in May 2022, reported significant net and operating losses in the 2022-23 period. The net losses increased to 28.86 billion won (approximately US$20 million) in 2023 from 11.07 billion won in the previous year. Similarly, operating losses grew to 20 billion won from 5.9 billion won. Sales also dropped by 20.5 percent to 49.45 billion won from 62.21 billion won.
The Lego Festival aims to emphasize the significance of play as a fundamental right for children and to promote "World Play Day," which was established by a U.N. General Assembly resolution in March of the previous year. To commemorate the second annual World Play Day, seven Legoland parks, including those in California and Germany, will hold the festival simultaneously.
Merlin had invested over 330 billion won in the Korean Legoland theme park by March of the previous year. The financial results for the 2024 fiscal year are expected to be released in late March or early April.