Star City (amusement park)
Star City is a amusement park in Pasay, Philippines. It is located in the reclaimed area of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, part of Bay City. The facility is owned by Star Parks Corporation, a subsidiary of Elizalde Holdings Corporation (the holding company of the FJE Group of Companies). Star City was hit by a fire on October 2, 2019, causing major damage to the main building and forcing its closure. Prior to the fire, Star City had an annual attendance of about 1.5 million people. Star City had more than 30 different rides  and attractions at the time of the fire, many of which were indoors. The park had initially planned to re-open by January 14, 2022, but due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila brought by the Omicron variant, it has been postponed until February 24, 2022. History. The park was established in 1991 as an offshoot of the annual Toys and Gift Fair, a Christmas trade exhibition by the Philippine Center for International Trade and Exhibit (PhilCite), which was first organized in 1976. In the 1990s under Fred Elizalde, the fair evolved into an amusement park later  named Star City. The former PhilCite building upon which the park was based upon was pulled down in the late 1990s to make way for the park's indoor rides. 2019 fire. Star City was hit by a major fire on October 2, 2019, which destroyed about 80 percent of the main Star City building, which housed over 30 rides and attractions. At least 25 of those were damaged in the fire, including Gabi ng Lagim, Dungeon of Terror, Bump Car Smash, and Snow World. The outdoor area, which includes the Star Flyer and Star Frisbee, was mostly spared by  the fire. Initial damage estimates ranged from 15 million to 1 billion Philippine pesos. 2022 reopening. In December 2021, Star City's social media accounts posted a teaser suggesting that the amusement park will be reopened. The reopening was planned on January 14, 2022, however the opening has been postponed due to an increase of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila brought by the Omicron variant amidst a pandemic of the disease which reached the metropolis in early 2020. After some delays, the park reopened on February 24, 2022. Attractions. Prior to the 2019 fire, 70 percent of the facilities of  Star City were covered and air-conditioned. The amusement park introduced various types of rides and attractions in the Philippines. It hosted the double-deck carousel, 360-degree-loop roller coaster (the Zyklon Loop), and water log ride (the Jungle Splash) in the country. It hosted Snow World, the largest permanent ice entertainment area in the country, which featured ice carvings, a snow play area and the country's longest ice slide. Another attraction in the amusement park was the inverted roller coaster Star Flyer, which opened in 2007 and was marketed as the first inverted coaster in the Philippines . Star City hosts the Giant Star Wheel Ferris wheel. It has 32 air-conditioned gondolas, each seating up to six persons. In 2012 it was said to be the tallest Ferris wheel in the Philippines. Conflicting reports credit it with a height of and tall. Within the amusement park complex are the Aliw and Star Theaters, with a combined seating capacity of 4,000. The amusement park has 25 operating rides upon its reopening in February 2022.