If you have seen the London Eye or the Singapore Flyer in person or in pictures, you know what it is like – a giant ferris wheel with compartments where people can get a bird’s eye view of their city while the wheel turns slowly. You have probably seen smaller versions of such ferris wheels (Kathuru Onchillawa in Sinhala) on fair grounds, but soon Sri Lanka will have a similar wheel that can rival those in London and Singapore.
Called “Colombo Eye”, it will come up at Water’s Edge in Battaramulla. It will be part of a theme park to be named “Fantasy Land” that will match similar theme parks in Dubai and Singapore.
‘Fantasy Island’ at the Water’s Edge will feature a culmination of the three main elements of air, water and land.
The ‘Giant Ferris Wheel’ will take revellers to the skies, while the ‘Water Park’ will include thrilling rides and the snow chalet will take you to an ice kingdom of wonder.
The ‘Snow Chalet’ will be built with German technology and will provide a unique indoor snow experience. The ‘Water Park’ is designed so that even a non-swimmer can enjoy the slides, waterfalls, water climbs, surprise fountains and many more attractions.
The 40-metre high ‘Ferris Wheel’ will be one of the main attractions at the ‘Fantasy Island’ with viewing pods that will provide a bird's eye view of the Sri Lankan coastline as well as the Central Hills.
This attraction has no age bar. A typical ride will be a fun-filled 15-20 minutes.
The Colombo Eye will be visible from anywhere in Colombo. It will truly be the ‘main attraction’ at the theme park.
With a capacity to hold 300 children per time, the Water Park will also be ideal for school excursions and birthday parties. The ‘Snow Chalet’ can hold up to 50 children per time for a completely new experience.
The development project aims to create a recreation, leisure and sports facility on the far side of the waterfront. The centre will facilitate more adventure sports such as kayaking, rowing and wind surfing among many others.
The Water's Edge has already signed an agreement with Melchers Project Management (Pvt) Ltd to construct the ‘Colombo Eye’ and other parts of ‘Fantasy Land’.
The project based near the Diyawanna Oya is to be supported by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the Sports Ministry.
Participating at the ceremony to mark the signing of the agreement recently, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the lake adjoining to the Water's Edge would be developed and transformed into an entertainment city.
The Minister said that ‘Fantasy Land’ was planned to be built with the latest technology in order to compete with tourist attractions such as those in Singapore and Dubai.
The initiative of the entertainment hub and theme park is the vision of Minister of Patali Champika Ranawaka and is part of the Megapolis Development plan.
Very soon, Sri Lankan families will no longer need to go abroad to get a fun-filled theme park experience.