Brick fans, start your engines! LEGOLAND Florida has announced March 23 as the grand opening date for its newest attraction, The Great LEGO Race.
It’s the first virtual reality (VR) roller coaster experience designed for kids and represents the first time the LEGO brand and minifigure characters have been integrated with VR technology in a theme park attraction.
With animated action taking place on the ground and in the air, the wild and wacky race pits guests against a pirate, wizard, surfer and pharaoh as they steer LEGO-built vehicles like a rocket-powered windsurfing rig, a stylish scooter fueled by espresso and an ornately canopied bed (called a “litter”) carried by mummy servants.
Wearing optional VR headsets, riders will experience the action from every direction up, down, forward, backward and all points in between while riding the roller coaster – in a dazzling environment where everything is made of LEGO bricks.
In November, reporters received a sneak preview of the 360-degree adventure during the annual IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando.
“Just previewed the new Great LEGO Race VR coming to LEGOLAND Florida,” tweeted Banks Lee, Attractions Magazine reporter and host of The Attractions Show. “Great visuals on par with the LEGO movies. Looking forward to riding this!”
A similar preview in MackMedia’s Coastiality mobile app is building anticipation for the VR adventure by showcasing its state-of-the-art visuals. The free app is available for iOS, Android and Oculus devices from the App Store, Google Play and the Oculus Store and can be enjoyed with or without a VR headset.