The park began operating in 1992[1] and was officially opened by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, on 29 April 1993.[2] It was opened to the public[1] with two park attractions, the Water Park and Dry Park.[3] Later, on 29 April 1993, Mahathir Mohamad officiates the opening of Sunway Lagoon.[4]
In 2008, Scream Park was added as a new park in collaboration with Lynton V. Harris.[5] The theme park added a surf simulator, the FlowRider, in 2010;[6] Waterplexx 5D in 2012;[7] and Vuvuzela, a water slide in 2013.[8]
In October, Sunway Lagoon debuted the Halloween theme festival, Nights of Fright.[9] In 2007, Wildlife Interactive Zoo was opened to the public.[10] In 2015, a pair of white lions, Zola and Zuri, were added to the Wildlife Park.[11]
In 2016, in partnership with Lynton V. Harris, Sunway Lagoon announced the addition of "The Ghostbusters Adventure Live!" to its Scream Park.[12] Sunway Lagoon also unveiled the addition of White Tigers to its wildlife family.
Geology
The 88-acre (36 ha) park is built 150 feet (46 m) below ground level on a tin mining wasteland and currently has 90 attractions spread across six parks.[1]
Attractions
The first park that was introduced in the park features Waters of Africa with 13 attractions and Surf Beach with 9 attractions. The Waters of Africa has two water playground areas, Kalahari Kids and Little Zimbabwe. The park is divided into 2 sides, Wild Wild West with four rides and World of Adventure with nine rides.
The Wildlife Park is an interactive zoo. The zoo has more than 140 species.[13] Each of the animal sanctuaries has a different name, such as Pet Village, Jungle Trail, and Bird Savannah.[13]
Opened in 2016 as Nickelodeon Lost Lagoon, it is a Nickelodeon-themed land[14] with 14 rides.[15][16] The Nickelodeon branding is no longer used since 2023. Among the attractions are the Captain's Splash Adventure (formerly Spongebob Splash Adventure), Jungle Fury, and Monsoon 360.
2015: Silver Award in the Entertainment Category at the Putra Brand Awards 2015.[20]
2014: 2014 Putra Brand Award (Silver) in Entertainment category.[21]
2012: Best Attraction/ Tourism Experience Excellence Award by Expatriate Lifestyle.[22]
2011: Brand Specialty Awards BrandLaureate – SMEs Chapter Awards 2011 for Most Creative Brand organised by Asia Pacific Brands Foundation (APBF).[23]
2011: Malaysia Achievement Awards 2011 – Hall of Fame Awards under ASEAN's Most Recognisable Brand; Theme Park & Attraction 2010, Asia's Best Attraction 2010 and Asia's Best Waterpark 2010 category.
2010: Asia's Best Water Park Award 2011 by International Amusement Parks and Attractions Association (IAAPA).[24]
2010: Asian Attraction Expo 2010 in Asia's Best Attraction award by International Association of Amusement Parks and Attraction (IAAPA).[25]
2009: BrandLaureate SMEs Chapter Award in Best Brand in Corporate Building – Leisure – Theme Park.[26]
2009: Asia's Best Attraction 2009 (Medium Attraction Category) at International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (IAAPA).[27]
2008: Asia's Best Attractions 2008 Awards (Medium Category) at International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).[28]
1993: FIABCI – Malaysia Property Award 2000 for Best Leisure Development.[30]
Incidents
On 20 November 1997, a woman fell from a roller coaster when the safety bar and belt gave away, throwing her on the ground next to the pond several metres below. Due to the accident, the local authority decided to close the park for investigation and ordered Sunway Lagoon to close the Runaway Train ride.[31]