The Game of Thrones series ended its broadcast two years ago, but that does not mean that the fruits of the famous works of George RR Martin have ended, far from it. And we are not just talking about audiovisual content: beyond the prequels of the series scheduled to premiere in 2022, the next opening of a Game of Thrones theme park is expected to open in Northern Ireland.
Specifically, what will be the first theme park in the world of the well-known saga will be located in Banbridge , at the Linen Mill Studios (which already had thematic tours planned in them). We will have to wait a bit to reserve the tickets, because it will open in 2021, although the exact date is not known. But we do know enough details of what we can see and do in this fantastic world.
Premiere of the Game of Thrones theme park in 2021
After this year of so many limitations, especially when it comes to traveling, the truth is that it is quite encouraging to think that, when the health and economic crisis normalize, we will not only be able to go to the theme parks that were already opened, such as the Star Wars: Galaxy Edge at Disneyland (California), and those that are under construction like the Super Nintendo World in Japan or now this one in Northern Ireland, which will be visited by many fans of the acclaimed series.
It will be called “Game of Thrones Studio Tour” and it is the result of the collaboration between the studios we mentioned and the production company HBO . With this fusion, what visitors will have is the opportunity to see some of the original decorations and objects used during the filming. There will be sets from the wall of Winterfell, King’s Landing or Dragonstone, among others.
Tourist avalanche in Ireland
The Game of Thrones theme park can be a relief for environments that have been overwhelmed by avalanches of tourists motivated to visit the locations of the series. This is the case of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe or Hadrian’s Wall (for the novels). In fact, it will be an opportunity to see original objects from the shoot such as weapons or costumes with more than 10,000 square meters prepared for the masses.
Game of Thrones Studio Tour promises to be very immersive, as it will allow visitors to walk through these movie sets and feel inside much-remembered scenes. There will be a main room dedicated to Winterfell , highlighting his weight in the saga’s plot, and will include an exclusive collection of crafts and items with which creative teams brought the series to life.
It will consist of its own exhibition dedicated to the team’s work process , in which visitors will be able to learn more details about the production of the series, the design of the infinite prostheses necessary to characterize the characters, what computer techniques were used to give life to the dragons or the re-enactment of the great battles and other details of the realization.
Northern Ireland: the ideal destination for “thrones tourism”
This park will be another in the group of experiences that already exist in the Emerald Isle in relation to “thrones tourism” (to call it somehow), because there is already a whole catalog of official experiences in this destination, from bicycle rides to archery . There is even a 3-day luxury coastal route along the Calzada and Glens coastline , and the Game of Thrones theme park will be the finishing touch to all these experiences to discover more secrets of the series.
In fact, in addition to the situation of the studio, it was decided that the location of the park was precisely Northern Ireland , one of the most important locations in the series where most of the scenes have been shot. Not surprisingly, in Winterfell 40 minutes from Belfast, we can perform archery in the purest Stark style.
The idea was to finish the park in 2020, but this project has been another of the many affected by the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19 that we are still experiencing, although with some recovery in activity. There is no exact date for its opening, but its inauguration is confirmed for 2021 .
