Parc Astérix is atheme park inFrance based on the comic book seriesAsterix byAlbert Uderzo andRené Goscinny. In 2023, the park welcomed over 2.8 million visitors,[1] making it the 2nd most visited park in France behindDisneyland Paris and the 8th most visited park in Europe.
It is especially renowned in France for its large variety ofroller coasters, which exceeds the amount of most other parks in mainland France. Park Astérix has begun incorporating rides and themes from historic cultures like theGauls, theRomans,Ancient Greece and recentlyAncient Egypt, but always in the visual style of the related comic books, and most usually reusing characters, scenes and sounds from the Astérix media. The park is located approximately 35 km (22 mi) north ofParis, 32 km (20 mi) fromDisneyland Paris and 20 km (12 mi) from the historicChâteau de Chantilly, in the commune ofPlailly, in the department ofOise. Opened in 1989, the park is operated byCompagnie des Alpes and located right by theA1 motorway (Paris ↔ Lille ↔ Brussels), having its own highway exit and interchange.
The opening ofDisneyland Paris in 1992 caused Parc Astérix's attendance to fall 30% and its revenue by 19%.[4] However, attendance soon stabilised to around 2 million visitors per year.[5][6]
In October 2005, Parc Astérix ranLa Fête des Druides ("The Festival of the Druids"), as a way of "thumbing their noses" atHalloween.[7] Season 2007 saw the Parc Astérix opening for the first time during the Christmas holidays.[8] In 2009, for the park's 20th anniversary, it opened during the weekends in September and October and ran a Halloween event calledPeur sur le Parc Astérix ("Fear at Parc Astérix").[9][10] In May 2018, the park's then Head of Construction, Thomas Dubosc, announced on television the construction ofToutatis, a new multi-launch roller coaster manufactured byIntamin, scheduled to be opened in 2021 yet only opened for season 2023 due to COVID-19 andwoodcutting delays.[11] In January 2021, the park announced it was closing its dolphin and sea lion enclosure, theDelphinarium, in order to focus on rides and other shows.[12]
Toutatis, a launched steel roller coaster with a similar ride direction reversal halfway through (2023), current holder of the "Tallest and fastest roller coaster in France" record, and manufactured byIntamin.
In 2023, Parc Astérix achieved a record yearly attendance of over 2.8 million visitors,[1] the season was marked by the opening of the new roller-coasterToutatis.
In July 2004, an 11-year-old boy was hit by lightning at the foot of theTrace du Hourra bobsleigh, despite 3 lightning rods located less than 20m from him. The park had continued operating despite weather warnings.[16]
On 5 July 2006, a 6-year-old Belgian child drowned on theDescente du Styx river rapids ride, sucked in by the water pumps used to create the flow in the bottom of the ride's canal.[16] The ride underwent various security measures; it was renamed toRomus et Rapidus in order to cast off the bad memory and unfortunate implications of the tragic accident. In Greek and Roman mythologies, the Styx is the river of theUnderworld that has to be crossed by the dead.
