Immersive play to boost return visits - Festyland

An overview shot of the Festyland timber play ground - a collection of interconnected wooden towers and play spaces

Festyland is an adventure park located near Normandy in Northern France. The park takes inspiration from the rich maritime history of Caen and prides itself on offering a unique, immersive experience for visitors of all ages.

Festyland engaged with TouchWood to create a unique and engaging adventure park playground design for all the family, that would keep visitors coming back again and again.

Designing a pirate-themed village.

TouchWood worked closely with the Festyland team to design a new pirate-themed village, weaving together elements of fantasy, history, and immersive play to create an unforgettable experience.

The village consists of a cluster of tumbled-down buildings and a majestic pirate ship, all connected by secret underground passageways—the smugglers’ route, bridges, and platforms that zigzag up and down the slope.

The major challenges in designing this project were that it was to be installed on a steep slope in the middle of the site and that there were only four months to design, build and install everything.

Increasing visitor dwell time and spend.

The pirate village is more than just an adventure park playground; it’s an epic storytelling adventure. We applied painted murals, intricate sculptures, innovative designs, and theming to recount the legend of the Kraken, the mythical sea monster. This narrative-driven approach encourages children to embark on imaginative journeys and ensures a memorable experience for the whole family. The intricate design also increases visitor dwell time and additional spending at the park.

Despite the challenges of a steep slope and a tight timeline, the TouchWood team successfully delivered this high-quality, bespoke installation on time and on budget. The design accommodated future phases of work, promising even more exciting developments in the future.

Through innovative design, storytelling, and a commitment to engaging visitors of all ages, we have transformed a challenging site into a destination adventure play park that will drive visitor numbers from miles around.

Creating an inclusive play space.

We took a unique approach to the adventure park playground design by focusing on creating movement routes and challenges through the village that are adult-sized. This ensures that parents, grandparents and carers can actively participate in the play experience, sharing in the imaginative journey of the pirate world with their children. The result is a cross-generational play experience that fosters cherished memories of a fantastic day out.