Codona's Amusement Park
A family-run amusement and entertainment destination on Aberdeen Beach in Scotland.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Codona's Amusement Park is a coastal amusement and family-entertainment venue located on Beach Boulevard at Aberdeen Beach, next to the Queens Links in Aberdeen, Scotland. The park traces its roots to the Codona family's long involvement in circuses, travelling fairs and fairground entertainment. The family history is associated with Francesco Codoni, a Swiss-Italian immigrant from the Ticino region who settled in Scotland in the late eighteenth century. His descendants became involved in touring entertainment businesses across Scotland and Europe, including circus performances, travelling fairgrounds and mechanical rides. The Codona name became particularly associated with aerial circus performance through Henry, also known as Enrique, Codona, who helped establish the trapeze act known as the Flying Codonas. The wider family also operated travelling fairs under the name John Codona's Pleasure Fairs. That mobile fairground tradition continued until around 1960 and provided the commercial and operational background for the family's later move into a permanent amusement venue. In 1969, members of the Codona family successfully tendered to operate a permanent amusement park on Aberdeen's Queens Links. The venue opened in 1970, with Alfred Codona taking responsibility for the beachfront park that developed into the present Codona's Amusement Park. Its location beside the North Sea has made it part of Aberdeen's wider seafront leisure offer, serving local residents, domestic visitors and families looking for rides and indoor or outdoor entertainment. The business combines amusement rides with other leisure activities. Its offering has included roller-coaster and fairground attractions, amusement facilities, bowling, bars and indoor entertainment areas. In 2006, the park introduced Dodgem the Dog as its mascot after a primary-school design competition, adding a recognizable family-oriented character to the brand. Codona's has also faced the operating challenges associated with public-health restrictions. It reopened in July 2020 after restrictions began to ease, but its rides were closed again within days after Scottish Government rules classified the operation as a travelling funfair. The COVID-19 lockdown period had a substantial reported financial effect: in 2022, the park was reported to have suffered losses of approximately £4.5 million. In 2024, Codona's undertook a reported £1.4 million refurbishment that included improvements to bowling facilities, the bar and indoor areas. The investment indicated a continuing strategy of maintaining the venue as a broader all-weather entertainment destination rather than relying solely on outdoor rides. In 2025, Codona's was named Best Day Out at the Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards. The recognition reflects the park's position as a regional family-entertainment destination rather than a globally scaled theme-park operator. Its brand identity remains closely connected to the Codona family's historic fairground heritage, Aberdeen's seafront, and a mixed portfolio of rides and leisure activities.
History
Codona's Amusement Park developed from a Scottish family tradition of circus performance, travelling fairs and mechanical amusement. The family's recorded history begins with Francesco Codoni, a Swiss-Italian national from the Ticino region who immigrated to Scotland in the 1790s. Later generations retained links with travelling entertainment across Scotland and Europe. Family members appeared at fairs and shows in Aberdeen and elsewhere, while the name became associated with both circus acts and fairground operations. One of the best-known figures in the family was Henry, or Enrique, Codona, who founded the Flying Codonas trapeze act. The act appeared in films including Varieté, released in 1925, and the Codonas were later referenced alongside other prominent circus families in The Greatest Show on Earth. Although the circus history is distinct from the modern park, it helped establish the family name in public entertainment and demonstrated the performance and touring heritage behind the business. During the expansion of industrial production and mechanized leisure in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Scotland-based members of the family acquired steam-powered fairground rides. They toured with travelling attractions under the John Codona's Pleasure Fairs name. That operation continued until about 1960, creating practical experience in ride operation, touring logistics and public amusement. The transition to a permanent venue began in 1969, when the Codona family won a tender to operate an amusement park on Aberdeen's Queens Links. The park opened in 1970, and Alfred Codona assumed responsibility for the Aberdeen beachfront operation. Situated on Beach Boulevard beside Aberdeen Beach and the North Sea, the venue became a permanent expression of the family's formerly mobile fairground business. Over subsequent decades, Codona's developed as a mixed leisure destination rather than simply a collection of outdoor rides. Its activities have included roller coasters, other amusement attractions, bowling, bars and indoor entertainment spaces. The park introduced Dodgem the Dog as its mascot in 2006 following a design competition involving primary-school pupils, reinforcing its family-oriented positioning. The venue's operating model was tested by the COVID-19 pandemic. Codona's reopened in July 2020 after the easing of some restrictions, but rides were closed again shortly afterward when Scottish regulations classified the park's operation as a travelling funfair. In 2022, the park was reported to have incurred approximately £4.5 million in losses connected with United Kingdom lockdowns. Codona's invested in the venue's physical offer in 2024 through a reported £1.4 million refurbishment. The work included upgrades to bowling, bar and indoor areas, supporting the park's role as an all-weather leisure venue. In 2025, the business received the Best Day Out award at the Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards. The park therefore continues to combine a historic fairground identity with a modern regional entertainment proposition focused on Aberdeen and visitors to the surrounding area.
- 2025
Best Day Out award
[1]Codona's was named Best Day Out at the Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards.
- 2024
Refurbishment of leisure facilities
[1]The park underwent a reported £1.4 million refurbishment covering bowling facilities, the bar and indoor areas.
- 2020
Rides affected by COVID-19 restrictions
[1]After reopening in July, the rides were closed again when Scottish regulations classified the operation as a travelling funfair.
- 2006
Dodgem the Dog introduced
[1]The park introduced Dodgem the Dog as its mascot after a design competition held with primary-school pupils.
- 1970
Codona's Amusement Park opened
[1]The permanent amusement park opened at Aberdeen Beach, with Alfred Codona taking charge of the operation.
- 1969
Tender secured for a permanent Aberdeen amusement park
[1]The Codona family successfully tendered to operate a permanent amusement park on Aberdeen's Queens Links.
- 1960
John Codona's Pleasure Fairs era ended
[1]The family's travelling fairground operation, John Codona's Pleasure Fairs, continued until approximately this period.
- 1925
The Flying Codonas appeared in Varieté
[1]The Codona family's trapeze act, the Flying Codonas, appeared in the film Varieté, reflecting the family's international circus profile.
- 1790
Francesco Codoni immigrated to Scotland
[1]Francesco Codoni, a Swiss-Italian national from Ticino, settled in Scotland, beginning the family history later associated with Scottish circus and fairground entertainment.
Products and positioning
A regional, family-oriented amusement and leisure destination combining traditional fairground rides with indoor entertainment on Aberdeen's seafront.
Amusement attractions · 1970
Amusement rides
Codona's core offer consists of amusement and fairground rides at its Aberdeen beachfront site. The attraction portfolio reflects the family's historic travelling-fair background while operating from a permanent coastal venue. The park's rides form part of a broader family-entertainment proposition that also includes indoor activities and leisure facilities.
Amusement rides
Roller coasters
Roller coasters are among the park's identified ride categories. They contribute a higher-intensity attraction option within the wider mix of rides and family amusements available at the seafront park.
Indoor entertainment
Bowling and indoor leisure facilities
Bowling and other indoor areas extend Codona's offer beyond seasonal or weather-dependent outdoor rides. A 2024 refurbishment specifically upgraded the bowling facilities, bar and indoor spaces, reinforcing the venue's all-weather entertainment role.
Brand mascot · 2006
Dodgem the Dog
Dodgem the Dog is Codona's family-oriented mascot, introduced in 2006 following a design competition involving primary-school pupils. The character provides a recognizable identity for the park's children's and family audience.
Brand decisions
2024
Investment in a £1.4 million refurbishmentStrategyBackground
Following the disruption caused by the pandemic and the park's reported financial losses, Codona's undertook a major refurbishment of indoor and supporting leisure facilities.
Action taken
The park invested a reported £1.4 million in upgrades to its bowling facilities, bar and indoor areas.
Aftermath
The refurbishment strengthened the park's position as a broader, all-weather entertainment destination.
Reported refurbishment investment. £1.4 million (2024)
2020
Reopening and subsequent ride closure during the pandemicStrategyBackground
The park reopened in July 2020 after COVID-19 restrictions were eased, but Scottish Government rules subsequently treated its rides as a travelling-funfair operation.
Action taken
Codona's closed its rides again shortly after reopening in order to comply with the applicable restrictions.
Aftermath
The episode disrupted operations during the pandemic and was followed by reported substantial lockdown-related losses.
Sources2 sources
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