Enchanted Kingdom turns 15

MANILA, Philippines - Kids who grew up from the late ‘70s to the early ‘80s had Nayong Pilipino, a 45-acre theme park which highlights the Philippines’ vast history and rich culture. For today’s young, however, Enchanted Kingdom is their place of choice for a weekend’s worth of recreation and fun.

The popular theme park marks its 15th anniversary this month in grand fashion with the introduction of its newest attraction, a heart-stopping ride aptly called EKstreme. Imagine the thrill of being suspended on air at a height of 150 feet before suddenly being plunged back to near-ground level. It is not for the fainthearted.

EKstreme is the latest addition to Enchanted Kingdom’s collection of rides. A heavy favorite is the Rio Grande Rapids, a wet-and-wild attraction which had sent adventure-seekers shrieking to their heart’s delight countless times without fear of things suddenly going awry. But then its signature rides are not the only feature that makes Enchanted Kingdom well, enchanting. Once inside the gates of the amusement park which formally opened to the public on Oct. 19, 1995, a patron is provided with food, beverage and merchandise outlets to choose from. It is also a must to meet Enchanted Kingdom’s resident mascot Eldar the Wizard in person and maybe have a picture or two taken with him.

Enchanted Kingdom has lined up book-reading sessions for this month with celebrities like Paolo Bediones, Mr. Fu, Luis Alandy, Bayani Agbayani, and even Anita Linda as guest storytellers.