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Spectacular Water and Laser Shows in the Shadow of the Pyramids
In the Family Park in Cairo, LOBO awakens the desert with a firework of effects.
Egypt can look back on a long and eventful history. Thousands of years ago, the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, some of the most impressive architectural wonders of our world, were built at the same location where 10 million people now live in the hustle and bustle of Cairo, making the Nile metropolis the largest city in the Arab world.
However, street canyons, urban sprawl and chaotic traffic left little room for expansive green spaces that could offer some rest and relaxation. In order to change this and provide a new attraction to natives and tourists alike, the Family Park in the district of New Cairo was built and finally opened its gates in 2014, following a tumultuous project history. Under the construction supervision of Misr Company for Sound & Light and Cinema, responsible for the administration of all historical monuments in Egypt, a park was constructed that now offers entertainment for young and old alike with a miniature railway, a safari area with wild animals and various rides – with little monkeys to delight kids, restaurants to enjoy a meal or nightly multimedia shows, there is something for everyone.
These shows are made possible with state-of-the-art technology, installed by the laser specialist LOBO from Aalen on the water attractions Magic River and Magic Lake in the center of the park. The company, which has been operating successfully in North Africa and the Middle East for many years, has realized several eye-catchers. At the heart of the multimedia system, there is a sparks® RGB laser system – one of the brightest globally available lasers. With three modules in the base colors red, green and blue, the entire visible color spectrum can be generated. Due to their small dimensions and an operating time of more than 10,000 hours, the modules are suited ideally to the requirements of an amusement park. Supported by a 28 m wide Water Screen for three-dimensional projections, playful Jumping Jets, Moving Lights, breathtaking fire and water columns, as well as fog and wind generators, a captivating entertainment program is offered to the visitors on the Magic Lake.
The almost semi-circular Water Screen is generated by two multistage pumps with an output of more than 76 kW, supplying a central high-performance nozzle. Then, hologram-like graphics can be projected onto the water shield. In addition, four water and five fire columns, integrated into the show in tune with the music via DMX, shoot several meters high into the air. Acoustically, the spectators get their money’s worth with two line array systems, providing rich sound and fitting sound effects during the laser shows.
In front of the lake, a semi-circular arena was erected for the audience, offering a perfect view of the spectacle from all seats. A perfect view is also needed for the operator, sitting in a control room behind the stands, where he is able to purposefully monitor all show elements. In order to sufficiently protect the sensitive projectors, a utility room was set up on the opposite lake shore. There, all modules are properly protected from the elements and can do their work reliably for thousands of hours.
However, the park is not only intended to offer relaxation, but also to transmit knowledge to the visitors in an entertaining way. In line with this concept of „Edutainment“, i.e. the connection of entertainment and education, the show H2O on the topic of water as the source of life, developed by the renowned LOBO design team, was shown on Magic Lake for the opening of the park.
Making use of all effects installed in the park by LOBO, the spectators follow a snow flake, which transforms into a drop of water, flows through glaciers, waterfalls and rivers into the sea, where it becomes part of a fascinating underwater world. Specifically for this show, a film crew took underwater shots in the Caribbean, which then had to undergo a labor-intensive post-production process. The results are impressive and will stay in the visitors’ minds for a long time, in particular as this is the first multimedia event of its kind in Egypt.
Of course, the spectacle on and around the lake was not the only Family Park attraction in which LOBO was involved in. A particular eye-catcher in the park is the 16 m high Panoramic Tower, in which two of LOBO’s ultra-bright sparks® laser projectors were installed. Taking into account the needs of aviation safety and other neighbors, these optically pumped laser projectors send out two nearly horizontal monochrome green beams, making the park visible for miles even in the metropolis that is Cairo. Where once the Lighthouse of Alexandria brought seafarers safe to shore in ancient times, these laser beams now guide visitors efficiently to the Family Park. This way, nobody needs a navigation device to find their way to the park and witness spectacular shows.
The laser modules installed in the tower are housed in a dust-proof aluminum housing and feature three-stage temperature control as well as regulated ventilation, making continuous operation possible even at high ambient temperatures of more than 45°C, as are common in Cairo.
After its opening, the Family Park quickly established itself as a favorite destination, in particular for families. With the diverse applications of LOBO’s technology, something new is regularly on offer and visitors can look forward to more spectacular entertainment in the future.
