Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy is the ultimate art experience you may have never heard of — and it’s coming to New York City.
To be fair, it’s not entirely your fault if you’re unfamiliar with the arts-driven amusement park; for 36 years, the park’s valuable artifacts sat unnoticed. However, you should know about it because some of the art world’s most renowned names designed it. The collection of carnival rides includes work designed and adorned by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Sonja Delaney, and other vibrant artistic minds.
Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy comes to NYC 37 years after the original artist and curator André Heller’s Luna Luna. The latter was a fairground that took place in 1987 Hamburg, Germany. Entrepreneur Michael Goldberg and rapper Drake spearhead the modern iteration.
Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy will showcase original pieces — not for public riding — from the 1987 park. At the NYC carnival, there’ll also reportedly be newly commissioned artworks and scheduled performances. The lore behind the vintage pieces details that they were “sealed” in 44 shipping containers in Texas “until now.” In preparation for the modern display, the rides reportedly endured two years of maintenance and revival. NPR reported that the reconstruction was done “with no instruction manuals.”
The official website brands Luna Luna as “the world’s first art amusement park,” noting that “Today, Luna Luna lives on — uniting amusement with avant-garde to inspire the imagination in everyone.”
According to Thrillist, about 300,000 visitors experienced the 1987 original in Hamburg during its three-month stint. At the time, the plan to do a global tour was halted. The now-vintage rides include a Ferris wheel by Basquiat, a Haring carousel, a Scharf swing ride, and more.
What To Know About Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy In NYC
The carnival extravaganza will be at The Shed, an arts center in Hudson Yards. Tickets go on sale September 19. The amusement park will run from November 20 through January 5.
Before its NYC stint, Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy was unveiled in January in Los Angeles’ Arts District, reportedly to 150,000 visitors.
