# Merlin Entertainments

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British leisure company

Merlin Entertainments Limited Formerly Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd. (1998–2013) Merlin Entertainments PLC (2013–2019) Type Private[1] Industry Entertainment Founded 14 December 1998; 27 years ago (1998-12-14) Headquarters London , England Key people Fiona Eastwood (CEO) Revenue £1,999 million (2025)[2] Operating income -£(58) million (2025)[2] Net income -£(406) million (2025)[2] Total assets £7,449 million (2025)[2] Total equity £885 million (2025)[2] Owners Motion JVCO Ltd Website merlinentertainments.biz

Merlin Entertainments Resort Theme Parks Alton Towers Chessington Gardaland Heide Park Thorpe Park Legoland Parks Billund California Deutschland Dubai Florida Japan Korea Malaysia New York Shanghai Windsor Legoland Discovery Centres Arizona Atlanta Bay Area Beijing Berlin Birmingham Boston Brussels Chicago Columbus Dallas Hong Kong Istanbul Kansas City New Jersey Manchester Melbourne Michigan Oberhausen Osaka Philadelphia San Antonio Scheveningen Shanghai Shenyang Tokyo Toronto Westchester Sea Life Centres & Sanctuaries Alton Towers Arizona Auckland Bangkok Benalmadena Berlin Birmingham Blankenberge Blackpool Bray Brighton Busan Charlotte-Concord Chessington Gardaland Grapevine Great Yarmouth Gweek Legoland Billund Legoland California Legoland Deutschland Legoland Japan Legoland Malaysia Hanover Helsinki Hunstanton Istanbul Kansas City Konstanz Königswinter Loch Lomond London Manchester Melbourne Michigan Minnesota Munich New Jersey Oberhausen Orlando Paris Porto San Antonio Scarborough Scheveningen Shanghai Speyer Sunshine Coast Sydney Timmendorfer Strand Weymouth Windsor Madame Tussauds Amsterdam Bangkok Beijing Berlin Blackpool Budapest Chongqing Delhi Dubai Hollywood Hong Kong Istanbul Las Vegas London Nashville New York Orlando Prague Shanghai Singapore Sydney Tokyo Vienna Wuhan The Dungeons Amsterdam Berlin Blackpool Edinburgh Hamburg London Shanghai Warwick Castle York Peppa Pig World of Play Chicago Dallas / Fort Worth Leidschendam Michigan Shanghai Other Attractions Blackpool Tower Shrek’s Adventure Illawarra Fly London Eye Otway Fly Peppa Pig Theme Park Warwick Castle Wild Life Sydney Sydney Tower v t e

**Merlin Entertainments Limited** is a global [entertainment](/source/Entertainment) company based in [London](/source/London), England, which operates a number of [theme park](/source/Theme_park) [resorts](/source/Resorts) and other visitor attractions. It was listed on the [London Stock Exchange](/source/London_Stock_Exchange) until November 2019. It was then privately acquired by the [consortium](/source/Consortium) Motion JVCO Ltd, which includes [Kirkbi](/source/Kirkbi) (the investment arm of the Kristiansen family that also controls [the Lego Group](/source/The_Lego_Group) and [BrainPop](/source/BrainPop)).

## History

In December 1998, [Nick Varney](/source/Nick_Varney), Andrew Carr and the senior management team of Vardon Attractions (Vardon plc) completed a [management buyout](/source/Management_buyout) of the company to form Merlin Entertainments Group Ltd., with the backing of the private equity firm [Apax Partners](/source/Apax_Partners). Apax sold the company in 2004 to another financial investor, Hermes Private Equity.[3]

In May 2005, the company was acquired from Hermes by a division of [The Blackstone Group](/source/The_Blackstone_Group),[4] which later started a major expansion. Between 2005 and 2010, Merlin acquired the Legoland parks, [Gardaland](/source/Gardaland), [The Tussauds Group](/source/The_Tussauds_Group), [Cypress Gardens](/source/Cypress_Gardens), and various attractions from [Village Roadshow Theme Parks](/source/Village_Roadshow_Theme_Parks) and Living and Leisure Australia. The company was first listed on the [London Stock Exchange](/source/London_Stock_Exchange) in 2013 but returned to private ownership in 2019.[5]

### Major acquisitions (2005–2012)

After the sale of Merlin to Blackstone Group, the company negotiated to buy control of the Legoland theme parks in 2005 for about £250 million, then merged it with Merlin.[6] As part of the deal, Kirkbi A/S, the investment arm of LEGO's owners, took a share in Merlin Entertainments.[7][8]

In 2006, Merlin acquired [Gardaland](/source/Gardaland) theme park resort in northeastern [Italy](/source/Italy).

In May 2007, Blackstone purchased [The Tussauds Group](/source/The_Tussauds_Group), owner of the [Madame Tussauds](/source/Madame_Tussauds) wax museums, for US$1.9 billion, to merge the company with Merlin.[9][10] After the Tussauds acquisition, [Dubai International Capital](/source/Dubai_International_Capital), the previous owner, received a 20% stake in the combined entity as well as £1.03bn in cash.[11][9][12]

On 17 July 2007, as part of the financing for the Tussauds deal, the freeholds of [Alton Towers](/source/Alton_Towers), [Thorpe Park](/source/Thorpe_Park), [Warwick Castle](/source/Warwick_Castle) and Madame Tussauds were sold to private investor [Nick Leslau](/source/Nick_Leslau) and his investment firm Prestbury, with a 35-year leaseback agreement.[13]

On 15 January 2010, Merlin Entertainments bought [Cypress Gardens](/source/Cypress_Gardens), a defunct theme park in [Winter Haven, Florida](/source/Winter_Haven%2C_Florida). It was reopened as [Legoland](/source/Legoland) Florida theme park.[14]

In late 2010, it was announced that Merlin would purchase approximately A$116 million worth of entertainment attractions located in Australia and New Zealand from [Village Roadshow Theme Parks](/source/Village_Roadshow_Theme_Parks). The sale would include [Sydney Aquarium](/source/Sea_Life_Sydney_Aquarium), [Sydney Wildlife World](/source/Wild_Life_Sydney), [Oceanworld Manly](/source/Manly_Sea_Life_Sanctuary), [Sydney Tower](/source/Sydney_Tower) and the Koala Gallery in Australia, in addition to [Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World](/source/Kelly_Tarlton's_Sea_Life_Aquarium) in New Zealand.[15] On 3 March 2011, the deal was finalised.[16] This was followed by the $140 million acquisition of Living and Leisure Australia which owned several attractions in the Asia-Pacific region including [UnderWater World](/source/UnderWater_World%2C_Queensland), [Melbourne Aquarium](/source/Melbourne_Aquarium), [Falls Creek Alpine Resort](/source/Falls_Creek%2C_Victoria), [Hotham Alpine Resort](/source/Hotham_Alpine_Resort), [Otway Fly](/source/Canopy_walkway#Victoria), [Illawarra Fly](/source/Illawarra_Fly), [Busan Aquarium](/source/Busan_Aquarium) and [Siam Ocean World](/source/Siam_Ocean_World).[17][18]

### Public listing (2013–2019)

Merlin had planned to go public in the early 2000s, but market turbulence postponed those plans. Instead, Blackstone sold 20% of the company to the private equity firm [CVC Capital Partners](/source/CVC_Capital_Partners), reducing Blackstone's holding to 34%. CVC acquired another 8% from the Dubai investment fund which is no longer involved with the company, giving it 28% in all. Kirkbi, a Danish family trust that owns LEGO, also increased its stake, emerging as the largest shareholder, with 36%. CVC paid a price that valued Merlin at £2.25 billion[19] – more than six times what Merlin and Legoland together were worth when Blackstone acquired them five years earlier. Blackstone's investment was by that point worth more than three and a half times what it had paid.[20]

On 8 November 2013, Merlin floated 30% of the company on the London Stock Exchange, valuing the private equity-backed company at almost £3.4bn.[21]

In 2015, the company opened the [Orlando Eye](/source/Orlando_Eye) Ferris wheel attraction in Orlando. It then sold the wheel in 2018 but repurchased it in 2024.

Reports in early October 2017 indicated that Merlin Entertainments was considering a takeover of [Sea World in Orlando](/source/SeaWorld_Orlando), but on 11 October, the company said it was no longer involved in such discussions.[22]

### Return to private ownership (2019–present)

In June 2019, the company's board agreed to recommend a takeover offer of £4.8 billion from a consortium consisting of Kirkbi A/S, [CPP Investment Board](/source/CPP_Investment_Board) and [The Blackstone Group](/source/The_Blackstone_Group).[23] The takeover was approved by the high court in November 2019.[24]

Merlin opened its first [Peppa Pig](/source/Peppa_Pig) Theme Park in Winter Haven, Florida in 2022, with future sites planned for Texas and [Günzburg](/source/G%C3%BCnzburg), Germany.

Nick Varney left the company at the end of 2022, along with longtime Chief Development Officer, Mark Fisher. Varney was replaced by [Scott O'Neil](/source/Scott_O'Neil), who arrived from a media and sports management background. [25]

In March 2023, Merlin cancelled a new Legoland resort in Belgium, which had been planned to open in 2027 on the former site of Caterpillar's factory in [Gosselies](/source/Gosselies).[26][27] By the end of 2024, both Little Big City sites in Berlin and Beijing and the Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham, UK were closed.[28]

In November of 2024, Merlin entered a $110 million dollar theme park deal with [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft), the owners of video game developer [Mojang](/source/Mojang_Studios). This deal included themed rides, attractions, hotels, and retail outlets themed after the popular video game *[Minecraft](/source/Minecraft)*.[29]

O'Neil left the company at the end of 2024, with Chief Operating Officer, Fiona Eastwood, taking over as CEO.[30] At the same time, the company began a group-wide restructuring to merge its Resort Theme Parks, Legoland Parks and Gateway Attractions divisions on a regional basis, which Merlin stated would bring them into "one united business" going forwards.[31]

In 2025, it was revealed that Merlin were looking to sell many of its Sea Life Centres, but failed to find an attractive offer.[32][33] In June, it was also announced that the majority of Merlin's Blackpool attractions would be taken over by [Blackpool Council](/source/Blackpool_Council) through their in-house tourism company [Blackpool Tourism Limited](/source/Blackpool_Tourism_Limited). This included the Blackpool Tower, Blackpool Dungeon and Madame Tussauds Blackpool.[34] In September, it was announced that Merlin was to sell its Lego Discovery Centres to the Lego Group, also a part-owned subsidiary of Kirkbi, with an estimated cash consideration of £200 million.[35] The sale was completed on 27 February 2026.[36]

## Properties

### Resort theme parks

Name Location Year opened Year acquired Notes Gardaland Castelnuovo del Garda, Italy 1975 2006 Owner and operator; Purchased in 2006 under Blackstone. Heide Park Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany 1978 2007 Operator; Acquired in Tussauds Group deal. Thorpe Park Chertsey, Surrey, UK 1979 2007 Operator; Acquired in Tussauds Group deal. Alton Towers Alton, Staffordshire, UK 1980 2007 Operator; Acquired in Tussauds Group deal. Chessington World of Adventures Chessington, Greater London, UK 1987 2007 Owner and operator; Acquired in Tussauds Group deal.

### LEGOLAND parks

Name Location Year opened Year acquired Notes Legoland Billund Resort Billund, Denmark 1968 2005 Acquired in Blackstone deal. Legoland Windsor Resort Windsor, UK 1996 2005 Acquired in Blackstone deal. Legoland California Resort Carlsbad, California, U.S. 1999 2005 Acquired in Blackstone deal. Legoland Deutschland Resort Günzburg, Germany 2002 2005 Acquired in Blackstone deal. Legoland Florida Resort Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. 2011 Formerly Cypress Gardens. Legoland Malaysia Resort Johor Bahru, Malaysia 2012 - New-build theme park. Legoland Dubai Resort Jebel Ali, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2016 - Franchised to Dubai Parks and Resorts Legoland Japan Resort Nagoya, Japan 2017 - New-build theme park. Legoland New York Resort Goshen, New York, U.S. 2021 - New-build theme park. Legoland Korea Resort Chuncheon, South Korea 2022 - New-build theme park. Legoland Shanghai Resort Jinshan, Shanghai, China 2025 - New-build theme park.

### Peppa Pig parks (co-products with [Hasbro](/source/Hasbro))

Name Location Year opened Year acquired Notes Peppa Pig Theme Park Florida Winter Haven, Florida 2022 - New-build theme park. Peppa Pig Park Günzburg Günzburg, Bavaria 2024[37] - New-build theme park. Peppa Pig Theme Park Dallas-Fort Worth North Richland Hills, Texas 2025[38] - New-build theme park.

### Gateway attractions

Name Location(s) Year opened Year acquired Notes Cadbury World Birmingham, UK 1990 2023 Management contract only. The Dungeons Blackpool London York Edinburgh Berlin Hamburg Amsterdam 2011 1974 1986 2000 2013 2000 2005 1999 Brand & pre-1999 sites acquired in management buyout of Vardon Attractions. Blackpool site franchise only from August 2025. The Eye Brand London Sydney Orlando 2000 1981 2015 2007 2011 2024 The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse Blackpool 2023 DreamWorks Tours: Shrek's Adventure! London 2015 - Shrek franchise licensed from Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation Studios. Madame Tussauds London Blackpool Prague Vienna Berlin Amsterdam Budapest Hollywood Las Vegas Nashville New York Orlando Sydney Shanghai Wuhan Hong Kong Tokyo Singapore Bangkok Dubai 2007 Brand & pre-2007 sites acquired in Tussauds Group merger. China sites (with exception of Hong Kong), Prague and Budapest are franchise only. Blackpool site franchise only from August 2025. Peppa Pig World of Play Shanghai Auburn Hills, Michigan Grapevine, Texas Chicago, Illinois Leidschendam 2018 2019 2019 2020 2022 Shanghai site franchise only. Sea Life Birmingham Blackpool Brighton Great Yarmouth Gweek Hunstanton Manchester London Scarborough Weymouth Loch Lomond Blankenberge Hanover Konstanz Munich Oberhausen Speyer Timmendorfer Strand Helsinki Castelnuovo del Garda Jesolo Scheveningen Porto Benalmadena Paris Arizona Orlando New Jersey San Antonio Melbourne Mooloolaba (Sunshine Coast) Sydney Auckland Shanghai Nagoya Iskandar Puteri Busan Bangkok 1999 Brand & pre-1999 sites acquired in management buyout of Vardon Attractions. Shanghai site franchise only. Warwick Castle United Kingdom 1978 2007 Acquired in Tussauds Group merger.

### Future locations

Name Location Planned opening Legoland Sichuan Chengdu, Sichuan, China 2025 Legoland Shenzhen Resort Shenzhen, China 2027 Legoland Beijing Resort Fangshan District, Beijing, China 2028

### Former locations

Name Location Opened Acquired Fate Closed/sold Notes Abenteuer Park Oberhausen Oberhausen, Germany 1996 2011 Closed 2015 Formerly known as CentrO.Park (1996–2011) & Sea Life Abenteuer Park (2013). The Bear Grylls Adventure Birmingham, UK 2018 Closed 2024 Blackpool Tower Blackpool, UK 1894 2011 2025 Management contract from Blackpool Council from 2011. Take-over by Blackpool Tourism Ltd in August 2025. Earth Explorer Ostend, Belgium 2004 Sold 2013 Falls Creek ski resort Victoria, Australia 1946 2011 Sold 2019 Acquired in MFS Living and Leisure deal. Sold to Vail Resorts in 2019. Hotham Alpine Resort Victoria, Australia 1925 2011 Sold 2019 Ski resort acquired in MFS Living and Leisure deal. Sold to Vail Resorts in 2019. Illawarra Fly Australia 2005 2016 Sold[39] 2024 Little Big City Berlin, Germany Beijing, China 2017 2018 Closed 2024[40] Legoland Discovery Centre Duisburg Duisburg, Germany 2007 Closed 2013 Moved to Oberhausen after a few years. Legoland Discovery Centre Hotham Mt Hotham, AZ at Hotham Alpine Resort 2018 Closed 2018 Legoland Discovery Centre Istanbul Istanbul 2015 Closed[41] 2024 LEGO Discovery Centres Birmingham at Arena Birmingham Manchester at the Trafford Centre Berlin at The Center Potsdamer Platz Hamburg Oberhausen Phoenix at Arizona Mills Atlanta at Phipps Plaza Bay Area (San Jose) at Great Mall of the Bay Area Boston Chicago at The Streets of Woodfield Columbus at Easton Town Center Dallas Fort Worth at Grapevine Mills Kansas City at Crown Center Michigan at the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets New Jersey at American Dream Meadowlands Philadelphia at the Plymouth Meeting Mall Westchester (New York) at Westchester's Ridge Hill Washington at Springfield Town Center San Antonio at the Shops at Rivercenter Toronto at Vaughan Mills Melbourne at the Chadstone Shopping Centre Hong Kong Osaka Tokyo Scheveningen Brussels[42] Sold 2026 All sold to Lego Group in February 2026. London Planetarium London 1958 2007 Closed 2010 Incorporated as part of Madame Tussauds London as other attractions. Madame Tussauds Delhi New Delhi 2017 Closed 2020 Closed after COVID-19 pandemic, relocated to Noida in 2022. Madame Tussauds Washington DC Washington D.C. 2007 Closed 2021[43] Closed after COVID-19 pandemic, never re-opened. Madame Tussauds India at DLF Mall of India Noida 2022 Closed 2023 Relocated from Madame Tussauds Delhi. Madame Tussauds San Francisco San Francisco 2014 Closed 2024 Madame Tussauds Istanbul Istanbul 2016 Closed[41] 2024 Madame Tussauds Chongqing Chongqing 2016 Closed[44] 2025 Madame Tussauds Beijing Beijing 2014 Closed 2025 Otway Fly Australia 2003 2016 Sold 2024[39] Peter Rabbit: Explore and Play Blackpool 2022 2025 Take-over by Blackpool Tourism Ltd in August 2025. The San Francisco Dungeon San Francisco 2014 Closed 2022[45] Closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, never re-opened. The Shanghai Dungeon Shanghai 2018 Closed 2024 Sea Life Berlin Berlin Closed 2024[46] Sea Life Bray Aquarium Bray, Ireland 1998 Closed 2023 Sea Life Hastings Hastings, England 2008 Sold 2012 Now belongs to the Blue Reef Aquarium chain. Sea Life Istanbul Istanbul 2009 Closed[41] 2024 Sea Life Königswinter Königswinter Closed 2023[47] Sea Life St Andrews St Andrews, Scotland 1999 TBA Sold TBA Now operates as the St. Andrews Aquarium. Manly Sea Life Sanctuary Manly, Australia 1965 2010 Closed 2018[48] Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary Oban, Scotland 1979 Closed 2018

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** ["Bear Grylls-inspired activity centre to close"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg0rxedvlvo). *BBC News*. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** Sweney, Mark (19 November 2024). ["Minecraft enters real world with $110m global theme park deal"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/nov/19/minecraft-theme-park-deal-uk-us-merlin-entertainments). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 1 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** ["Merlin Entertainments Appoints Fiona Eastwood as Chief Executive Officer"](https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/newsroom/news-releases/2025/fiona-eastwood-ceo/). *Merlin Entertainments*. 17 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** ["Merlin Entertainments issues statement over Warwick Castle operations"](https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/whats-on-news/merlin-entertainments-breaking-warwick-castle-30895876). *Coventry Live*. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** ["Merlin reportedly exploring sale of some Sea Life aquariums"](https://blooloop.com/animals/news/merlin-reportedly-reviewing-sale-sea-life-aquariums/). *Blooloop*. 14 February 2025. Retrieved 14 February 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** ["Merlin shelves plans to sell some UK-based Sea Life aquariums"](https://blooloop.com/animals/news/merlin-cancels-plans-uk-sea-life-aquarium-sale/). *Blooloop*. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blackpool_Council_handover_34-0)** ["Blackpool Tower to be taken over by council"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93lex00gg2o). BBC News. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Lego_Discovery_Sale_35-0)** ["The LEGO® Group to acquire LEGO® Discovery Centres and LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres from Merlin Entertainments"](https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/newsroom/news-releases/2025/lego-group-to-acquire-ldc/). *Merlin Entertainments*. Merlin Entertainments. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-36)** ["The LEGO Group Completes Acquisition of LEGO® Discovery Centres and LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres From Merlin Entertainments"](https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/newsroom/news-releases/2026/lego-group-completes-acquisition/). *www.merlinentertainments.biz*. Retrieved 4 March 2026.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-37)** ["Germany to get Europe's first stand-alone Peppa Pig Theme Park"](https://www.inparkmagazine.com/germany-to-get-europes-first-stand-alone-peppa-pig-theme-park/). 30 June 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** ["Peppa Pig Theme Park Dallas Ft Worth"](https://www.peppapigthemepark.com/dallas-ft-worth/).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Treetops_sale_Blooloop_39-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Treetops_sale_Blooloop_39-1) Mitchell, Bea. ["Merlin announces sale through EOI of two Australian attractions"](https://blooloop.com/play/news/merlin-entertainments-otway-illawarra-fly-australia-sale/). *Blooloop*. Blooloop. Retrieved 19 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Little_Big_City_closure_40-0)** ["Little BIG City Berlin"](https://www.berlin-welcomecard.de/en/partner/little-big-city-berlin). *Berlin Welcomecard*. Retrieved 24 September 2025.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_41-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_41-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_41-2) ["Merlin Entertainments to close three attractions in Türkiye, including Madame Tussauds"](https://www.turkiyetoday.com/business/merlin-entertainments-to-close-three-attractions-in-turkiye-including-madame-tussauds-99688). *Türkiye Today*. Retrieved 26 August 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** ["Merlin to take Legoland Discovery Centres to Belgium with deal for Brussels site | attractionsmanagement.com news"](http://www.attractionsmanagement.com/news.cfm?codeID=347987). *attractionsmanagement.com/*. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-43)** ["Madame Tussauds aims to sublease D.C. wax museum"](https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2021/07/19/madame-tussauds-aims-to-sublease-dc-wax-museum.html). *bizjournals.com*. Retrieved 15 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-iChongqing_Closed_44-0)** Zheng, Ran. ["Chongqing Bids Farewell to Madame Tussauds After Nearly a Decade"](https://www.ichongqing.info/2025/05/14/chongqing-bids-farewell-to-madame-tussauds-after-nearly-a-decade/#:~:text=Madame%20Tussauds%20Chongqing%20closed%20after%20nearly%20nine,wax%20figure%20museum%20has%20now%20paused%20its). *iChongqing*. Retrieved 18 July 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-45)** ["The 'San Francisco Dungeon' at Fisherman's Wharf Has Spooked Its Last Tourist"](https://web.archive.org/web/20220311080008/https://sfist.com/2022/02/14/the-spooky-san-francisco-dungeon-at-fishermans-wharf-has-scared-its-last-tourist/). *SFist – San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports*. 14 February 2022. Archived from [the original](https://sfist.com/2022/02/14/the-spooky-san-francisco-dungeon-at-fishermans-wharf-has-scared-its-last-tourist/) on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Sea_Life_Berlin_closure_46-0)** ["Sea Life Berlin"](https://www.berlin-welcomecard.de/en/partner/sea-life-berlin). *Berlin Welcomecard*. Retrieved 24 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Sea_Life_Königswinter_closure_47-0)** ["Sea Life Königswinter is now closed"](https://www.visitsealife.com/de/koewi-future-landing-page/). *Visit Sea Life*. Retrieved 24 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-48)** ["Manly Sea Life Sanctuary closes its doors after 55 years"](https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/manly-sea-life-sanctuary-closes-its-doors-after-55-years-20180128-h0pjy4.html). *[The Sydney Morning Herald](/source/The_Sydney_Morning_Herald)*. 28 January 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2022.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.merlinentertainments.biz)

v t e Blackstone Founders Peter G. Peterson Stephen A. Schwarzman Notable executives Current Joseph Baratta David Blitzer Jonathan D. Gray Former Roger Altman Larry Fink Hamilton E. James David Stockman John J. Studzinski Laurence Tosi Subsidiaries Current BREIT Former Blackrock GSO Capital Partners PJT Partners Investment holdings Business services CMS Computers RGIS SunGard (minority shareholder) Consumer/retail The Michaels Companies (Joint control) Pinnacle Foods United Biscuits IT services Mphasis (56.12%) Financial services BankUnited (minority stake) Corebridge Financial (minority stake) HealthMarkets (minority stake) FGIC (minority stake) Refinitiv (minority stake) Healthcare Biomet Emcure Pharmaceuticals (investment) Vanguard Health Systems Industrial Freescale (Joint Control) Klöckner Pentaplast TRW Automotive (Control) Essel Propack Media/telecom MNRK Music Group Dualtone Records Last Gang Records Light Records SESAC eAccess (investment) Nielsen Holdings (minority stake) Axtel (minority stake) Deutsche Telekom (minority stake) TDC Group (minority stake) The Weather Channel (minority stake) International Data Group Travel & leisure AGS Airports (22%) Bourne Leisure Casual Dining Group Center Parcs Europe (freehold) Center Parcs UK and Ireland Caesars Entertainment Corporation (former) Crown Resorts Great Wolf Resorts Hilton Worldwide (former) Merlin Entertainments (minority stake) SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (former) Travelport Village Hotel Club Real estate Extended Stay America (minority stake) EQ Office La Quinta Inns & Suites Top Ryde City

v t e Merlin Entertainments Resort theme parks Alton Towers Resort (England) Chessington World of Adventures Resort (England) Gardaland Resort (Italy) Heide Park Resort (Germany) Thorpe Park (England) Legoland resorts Billund California Deutschland Dubai Florida Japan Korea Malaysia New York Shanghai Sichuan Windsor Sea Life locations Standalone attractions Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium National Sea Life Centre, Birmingham Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World Sea Life Benalmádena Sea Life Busan Aquarium Sea Life London Aquarium Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium Sea Life Orlando Aquarium Sea Life Porto Sea Life Shanghai (Changfeng Ocean World) Sea Life Sydney Aquarium UnderWater World Sea Life Aquarium In resort theme parks Sharkbait Reef, Alton Towers Atlantis, Legoland Billund Resort Sea Life Legoland, Sea Life California Aquarium, Sea Life Nagoya Aquarium, Sea Life Malaysia Aquarium Chessington Sea Life Centre, Chessington World of Adventures Atlantis, Legoland Deutschland Resort Gardaland Sea Life Centre, Gardaland Atlantis Submarine Voyage, Legoland Windsor Resort Sanctuaries Cornish Seal Sanctuary Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary Manly Sea Life Sanctuary Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary In malls Sea Life Arizona Sea Life Charlotte-Concord Sea Life Grapevine Sea Life Istanbul Sea Life Kansas City Sea Life Michigan Sea Life Minnesota Sea Life New Jersey Madame Tussauds Amsterdam Bangkok Berlin Blackpool Budapest Dubai Hollywood Hong Kong Las Vegas London Nashville New York Orlando Prague Shanghai Singapore Sydney Tokyo Vienna Wuhan Closed Beijing Chongqing Delhi Istanbul San Francisco Washington D.C. Dungeons Alton Towers Amsterdam Berlin Blackpool Tower Edinburgh Hamburg London San Francisco Shanghai Warwick Castle York 'Eye' attractions Blackpool Tower Eye Jurassic Skyline London Eye Orlando Eye Sydney Tower Eye Wild Life locations Wild Life Hamilton Island Wild Life Sydney Australian Tree Top Adventures Illawarra Fly Otway Fly Other attractions Falls Creek Hotham Alpine Resort Legoland Discovery Centres Shrek's Adventure (partnership with NBCUniversal) Warwick Castle Cadbury World London Planetarium category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Merlin Entertainments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_Entertainments) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin_Entertainments?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.