How does a whole theme park go missing for over three decades?
It seems insane that a whole Ferris wheel and carousel painted by world famous artists can not be seen for such a long period of time.
Well, Luna Luna was the world’s first art amusement park painted by artists such as, Keith Haring, André Heller, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and over 25 more artists in 1987 in Hamburg, Germany. It was also probably the first amusement park to be lost and forgotten.
In 2022, more than 40 shipping containers were found in Texas with the attractions of Luna Luna inside still in pretty good shape. They were sent to LA recently and set up in Downtown L.A. for people to see for a limited time.
I wanted to get the chance to see Luna Luna while it is still up in L.A, since I have never heard of anything like it and thought it would be interesting and cool to get to see it in person before it was packed back up and brought to a different state. I had also been hearing mixed opinions of “it isn’t worth it” and “it was an amazing experience.” So I had to see what it was all about for myself.
In my opinion, Luna Luna was 100% worth it.
When you first walk into the massive warehouse that is home to all of the original rides of Luna Luna, it looks like something straight out of your imagination.
Unfortunately these rides can not be used but it is still a feast for the eyes to see.
With music playing and lights changing from blues and yellows all around you, this experience is unmatched.
There are puppeteers walking with puppets dancing around, jugglers, and stilt walkers making the experience feel more fun as they go around laughing and enjoying all the sights with you.
After already buying a general admission ticket there are certain attractions where you have to have a Moon Pass or pay extra money to get to see.
I hate when places have rooms where only people with a “higher pass” can get into—so that was one bad thing about it.
Seeing all the rides like Ferris wheels and carousels painted by these artists was really a one of a kind experience though.
My two favorite things to see were the Keith Haring carousel which was vibrant yellows, reds, greens, and oranges, and the Jean-Michel Basquiat Ferris wheel. It’s white with drawings that kind of looked like sketches all over it. The side of the Ferris wheel is wrapped in warm glowing white lights.
There was also a section with other things found in the shipping containers like old original merchandise such as T shirts, posters, and bags. And even the sketches from when the artists were planning out Luna Luna. Everything was in surprisingly good shape.
I was able to spend about 2 hours just walking around and looking at everything around me.
Hopefully Luna Luna doesn’t get packed up and forgotten about again because this experience was outstanding.
