Canada's Wonderland

CREATING THRILLS SINCE 1981

AMUSEMENT CANADA’S WONDERLAND RETAIL

Canada’s Wonderland has been creating memorable thrills for over 40 years. We speak to Phil Liggett, Vice President and General Manager, about dedication to family fun and the park’s latest investments

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Callam Waller

Canada is a source of natural and cultural wonder, boasting landscapes that are equally dramatic and beautiful, and large enough to find true adventure amid forests, lakes and mountainous rises. But the marvels don’t cease there. Canada is a hub of monumental celebration, with festivals being held throughout the year and amusement parks for all the family available across the country.

The largest of these is Canada’s Wonderland; located in Vaughan, Ontario, the country’s premier amusement park features more than 200 attractions, including two children’s areas and 18 roller coasters, one of which is the world recordbreaking dive coaster, Yukon Striker.

New for 2023, is the one-of-akind thrill ride Tundra Twister and the family launch coaster Snoopy’s Racing Railway. The park also features a 20-acre water park with Canada’s largest outdoor wave pool, 17 water slides, exhilarating cliff jumping, water playgrounds and more.

The four-season amusement park also hosts world-class entertainment, live shows and special events including Camp Spooky, Halloween Haunt and the immersive holiday event WinterFest. The park is situated on approximately 300 acres and is one of 11 amusement parks owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.

Its key products include daily

admission tickets and three-tiers of Season Pass - Platinum, Gold and Regular – plus add-on products such as dining plans, drink plans and fast lane passes.

“Since 1981, Canada’s Wonderland has been the premier destination in Ontario for thrills, family fun, and world-class entertainment,” begins

Phil Liggett, Vice President and General Manager of the park.

“The smooth running of the amusement park comes down to our 150 dedicated full-time staff and the substantial number of seasonal staff, approximately 4,000, through the operating season which runs from late April to the end of December

Fun-filled Confectionery

Marvin Candy & Displays was incorporated in 1990 and has been developing and servicing high volume confectionery programs since that time. Today we are the largest marketer of confectionery products within the Fun and Leisure sector in Canada. We are the exclusive Canadian distributor for Pucker Powder products and authorized distributor for many industry leading brands. Our knowledge of equipment, products and positioning is gained by having a hands-on approach. This allows us to maximize sales and profits for our customers. We develop confectionery programs that have a proven success record. Add custom equipment and graphics, the result is a perfect marketing solution. Marvin Candy & Displays conducts business across Canada and in several US states. Our broad customer base covers all areas of the Fun and Leisure sector including: candy stores, water parks, zoos, museums, science centers, amusement facilities, ski resorts and theme parks. Our nationwide programs and fixtures are exposed to millions of visitors annually.

each year. These are the people at the heart of the process who ensure the happiness of everyone who visits!”

People are the focus of Canada’s Wonderland. For Liggett, customer experience, operational excellence and employee well-being stand above all else. In light of this, Canada’s Wonderland is continuously evolving its people-centric offerings, the latest of which is the highly popular Lazy Bear Lodge.

“Lazy Bear Lodge is the largest dining facility in the park and represents the most significant investment we’ve made in food and beverage since Canada’s Wonderland opened in 1981,” Liggett tells us. “It’s one of the latest additions to our growing Canadian-themed collection of venues and attractions, with two levels, a sprawling stone patio with an amazing view of our fireworks show, and seating for 500 guests.

“Its gourmet menu of smoked brisket, barbecue chicken and

healthy vegetarian options supports our ongoing efforts to elevate our amusement park dining experience. We’re not just about hot dogs and pizza. We’ve developed a diverse offering of locally sourced, quality food and drink items that cater to the increasingly sophisticated preferences of our park guests.”

Thus far, the response to the Lazy Bear Lodge, its architecture, the menu and the speed of service has been very positive as it helps Canada’s Wonderland deliver a memorable dining experience.

CREATING GREAT MEMORIES

Canada’s Wonderland is a place dedicated to creating fun and great memories in a safe environment. For the park’s management and teams, it is the unique experiences the park offers, and the fostering of fun for friends and families, that drive passion to deliver.

“The smile on a child’s face as they experience their first ride; the terrified screams of friends as they encounter the first drop on a roller coaster; taking family photos with Snoopy or Charlie Brown after ice skating under

“SINCE 1981, CANADA’S WONDERLAND HAS BEEN THE PREMIER DESTINATION IN ONTARIO FOR THRILLS, FAMILY FUN, AND WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINMENT”

– PHIL LIGGETT, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, CANADA’S WONDERLAND

Mondial Rides congratulates Canadas Wonderland with the succesfull opening of the Avalanche - Tundra Twister.

NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER TO DATE AND YOUR INTRODUCTION INTO THE AMUSEMENT PARK SPACE?

PHIL LIGGETT, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER:

“I started my career in the amusement park industry 40 years ago when I joined Canada’s Wonderland as a seasonal supervisor in food and beverage. Prior to that, I had been working in a few different restaurants and eventually became aware of opportunities for students in supervisory and leadership roles at the park.

“The size of the park operation, the team and the fun atmosphere were all compelling factors in applying at the park and reasons I have never wanted to do anything else. I worked at the park from 1984 through 2006 in a variety of roles and disciplines including food and beverage, park operations and human resources. After that, I was fortunate enough to hold General Manager roles at several other amusement parks in the US and Canada before returning to my true home park –Canada’s Wonderland, in January of this year. This is truly a great business and re-joining the team here as General Manager has been a highlight of my career.”

enjoying our classic strawberry funnel cake at the end of the day – these are only some of the unique experiences the park offers,” Liggett tells us fondly. “Helping to create that fun and those memories is the best part of what we do at the park every day.”

Each year, it is the management teams at Canada’s Wonderland that implement developments designed to attract customers, create thrills and produce that “wow” factor.

offer both a new thrill ride and a new family ride in the same season to cater to the interests of different guest demographics,” Liggett continues. “We’ve had the chance to do this a few times in the last decade and guests always respond well.”

One such development is the park’s all-new Tundra Twister, a thrill ride in the Frontier Canada section of the park. This consists of a giant swinging pendulum that takes

AT CANADA’S WONDERLAND YOU WILL FIND...

BIG THRILLS – Canada’s Wonderland is home to the most exhilarating collection of rides and coasters in North America! Scream your face off on Leviathan, Behemoth and the world recordbreaking dive coaster, Yukon Striker.

KID’S AREA – Featuring two familyfriendly areas, KidZville and Planet Snoopy, kids will enjoy more than 25 rides and attractions, plus meet and greets with Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang!

FOUR SEASONS – There is plenty to see and do for guests of all ages through the spring, summer, fall and winter at Canada’s premier amusement park.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT – Enjoy world-class live shows like Ultimate Thrill Circus, Fall Out Stunt Dive Show, dance parties with the Peanuts gang, and more!

SPLASH WORKS – 20 acres of refreshing summer fun including slides, water playgrounds, a lazy river, wave pool and exhilarating cliff jumping at Mountain Bay Cliffs!

guests 360 degrees, upside down to heights of 47 meters and speeds of up to 75 kilometers per hour (kph). The gondola seats fit 40 people and rotates spontaneously, which delivers a unique ride experience every time. It is a prototype designed by Mondial, a rides manufacturer in the Netherlands, which makes it the only one of its kind in the world.

Another key attraction is the highly popular Snoopy’s Racing Railway, the park’s 18th roller coaster and the

newest addition to Planet Snoopy, one of the children’s areas. This ride is a family launch roller coaster built by ART Engineering, accelerating from zero to 50kph in a matter of seconds before taking guests through the dips and turns of a wild railway adventure.

“Snoopy’s Racing Railway is a great addition for kids and families. It can accommodate guests as small as 36 inches tall (three feet), so we’re excited for our youngest thrill seekers who may find Snoopy’s Racing Railway to be their very first roller coaster experience,” Liggett shares.

CATERING TO ALL SEASONS

Snoopy’s Racing Railway is a perfect example of Canada’s Wonderland diversifying its offers to cater to a wider customer base. This diversification of the guest experience is critical to ensuring that there is something for everybody when they visit the park.

“We have great thrill rides and exciting roller coasters, but we also provide great experiences for families with our children’s areas and 20 acre water park,” Liggett explains. “In addition to this, we have a full line-up of world-class events and live entertainment throughout the year, including cirque-style shows, international food festivals and special events like the week-long Celebration Canada and KidZfest with popular TV characters and Marvel superhero meet and greets. This keeps our entertainment offerings fresh and gives guests – particularly our Season Passholders – a reason to visit often.”

In the fall, Canada’s Wonderland features a daytime Halloween program for children on weekends called Camp Spooky, and at night Halloween Haunt thrills the park’s older guests with monsters, haunted mazes and sinister shows. The fun continues in November and December with the park’s immersive holiday event WinterFest, featuring millions of lights, ice skating, festive

food, holiday shows and interactive family experiences.

While open through all four seasons, Canada’s Wonderland sees its busiest time during the summer months when schools in Ontario gain leave during July and August. Annually, the park hires for thousands of seasonal positions across all departments, with recruitment efforts beginning as early as January. These seasonal associates play a vital role in the park’s mission delivering amazing experiences to all guests, and Canada’s Wonderland offers highly competitive wages, amazing perks and an opportunity to make lifelong friends and develop essential leadership skills to help build future

careers for all those who join.

This people-centric skills development and experience is just one of the park’s continuous aims, with future goals also enveloping multi-faceted business objectives.

“We have revenue and attendance targets but our success in meeting them depends heavily on our attention to certain key areas. These include guest satisfaction, the expansion of entertainment and attraction offerings, and ensuring awareness to emerging demographics,” Liggett concludes.

“Our Season Passholder base is an important part of our business, so we make sure to add substantive value to those passes each year, through

expanded perks programs, exciting new rides and events to give those guests plenty of things to do.

“We’re a four-season park and want to give customers great reasons to visit all year long!”