It’s no surprise that Drake would be the person to invest nearly $100 million in the revival of an abandoned amusement park.
The reimagined park, “Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy,” was named after the original André Heller creation, Luna Luna, that debuted in Hamburg, Germany in 1987. Heller commissioned art from Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and others alike for the first of its kind art amusement park. It was described as a “fairground of sensations” and “the museum of the future.”
Los Angeles Times reported that Luna Luna’s original rides remained in pristine condition after being stored in a Texas facility for over 30 years, but most likely weren’t up to code. According to Hyperallergic, Drake and his entertainment firm, DreamCrew, purchased the rides and invested upwards of $100 million in recreating Luna Luna in Los Angeles this winter.
“The luna park is always a dream space,” Helen Molesworth, the park’s curatorial adviser, said to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s like someone goes around and untightens the screws of your need to behave, your need to be good, your need to be smart, your need to be proper. Someone just untightens those four screws, and you can think different things and feel different things. You can tap into whatever it is in you that you locked up, whether it’s your childhood or sense of adventure or desire to be scared or desire to be bamboozled.”
Fans may not be able to ride the original Ferris wheel created by Basquiat or the carousel by Haring, but they will get extremely close. Drake’s goal with the reimagining is to create an art exhibit that mimics the feel of an actual carnival.
DreamCrew’s partner Anthony Gonzales shared in a statement, “When Luna Luna first caught our attention, we knew we needed to be a driving force behind its resurrection. Not only was this a once in a lifetime opportunity to rediscover a lost history and share the story with the world, but also gave us the ability to work with the most talented partners recreating the original vision, which still held so much untapped potential. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy is the first installment of what will be a long-term project with a multi-faceted approach exploring the world of art and its intersection with today’s modern world.”
Ticket aren’t available yet, but fans can sign up for updates. The park is set to open to the public this month and run through the spring of 2024.