Amusement Parks

Theme parks have diverse lighting needs according to each specific attraction, location, and concept. Whether you’re seeking to create dramatic effects, highlight merchandise, or ensure visibility for guests as they walk through your park, Lutron has solutions for your various needs that will not only enhance the park’s overall ambiance, but also reduce energy usage and help lower costs.

System Integration

Legoland park operators needed a user-friendly lighting control system capable of illuminating 33 acres of buildings and pathways, all controlled by a single server. Their solution was 7 Lutron GRAFIK 5000 systems, linked to a central server via Ethernet using a series of fiber-optic cables running throughout the park.

While gift shops are typically bright and inviting, sometimes a little flexibility is called for to fit the theme. In the Castleland Souvenir Shop, the lights are kept low to deliberately create a dungeon effect. Lutron’s products allow for a quick, easy and highly customizable level of ambiance.

Enhancing the Experience

In other situations, light control is necessary to achieve the proper attraction experience. In the Lego Mindstorms Center, children program robot gladiators, which they send into battle against friends’ creations. The workshop leaders dim the lights manually before each showdown, and while this dimming does create a dramatic effect, it also keeps the highly light-sensitive robots operating at peak levels.

Lutron Outdoor Innovations

Lutron GRAFIK 5000 controls exterior lighting throughout the park by means of an astronomic timeclock, which uses the latitude and longitude of the park’s location to calculate both sunrise and sunset, while also taking daylight savings time into consideration. Further, light sensors will adjust for overcast autumn and winter conditions, as well as fog or snow.

There are many other benefits to be gained by integrating Lutron lighting control systems. Dimming and switching technologies enable a new degree of efficiency, increasing environmental benefits while reducing energy costs. Legoland has dimmed overall lighting in their shops and restaurants by 10%. This reduction is undetectable to the eye, and serves to double the lifespan of over 6,000 light bulbs throughout the park, which reduces maintenance costs as well.