A Spanish theme park with locked gates and no visitors is being kept up and running by staff who no longer work there due to a very odd reason
A once bustling theme park that used to be full of the sounds of screams and squeals from its excited visitors now lays spookily silent. Gone are the queues at the entrance and the smell of tasty food treats no longer fill the air.
After closing its gates to visitors for the last time in 2021, you would think Tivoli World in Benalmadena, Spain, would be in a derelict state of disrepair and overgrown with vegetation. However, thanks to the staff who used to work at the park, it still looks almost as good as new because they are keeping the place in prime condition, despite its lack of punters.
Tivoli World first opened in 1972 and was the first amusement park on the Costa del Sol. Among its 300 attractions were several Ferris wheels, the Castle of Terror and Freefall Tower – a drop from 60 metres high. There were restaurants and theatres hosting shows, such as Flamenco too. Over 35 million visitors poured through its gates until it was forced to close in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It briefly opened again afterwards before it closed its doors for good in August 2021 after the company which owns the park went into bankruptcy. Although you wouldn’t know it to look at it. This is because former staff were maintaining its upkeep due to an odd loophole in their contracts which prevented them from getting other jobs elsewhere. According to Euro Weekly News, almost 90 staff were affected.