Plopsaland Belgium
A Studio 100-themed amusement park and resort destination in Adinkerke, De Panne, Belgium.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Plopsaland Belgium is an amusement park in Adinkerke, within the municipality of De Panne on Belgium’s North Sea coast. It is the flagship destination of the Plopsa group, the leisure-park division associated with Studio 100, and combines themed rides, live entertainment, character experiences, restaurants, and resort facilities. The park is primarily associated with Studio 100 characters and stories, including Samson en Gert, Kabouter Plop, Anubis, Vic the Viking, Heidi, and Bumba, while also operating attractions designed to broaden its appeal beyond families with very young children. The site began in 1935 as Meli Park, created by beekeeper and honey producer Alberic-Joseph Florizoone. Its original purpose was partly commercial and educational: visitors could learn about honey production and the life of bees while visiting a growing collection of attractions. Over the decades, Meli Park developed from a honey-oriented visitor attraction into a conventional theme park, adding rides and entertainment to compete in the expanding European leisure market. In 1999, the Florizoone family sold the park to Studio 100 and VMMa. The new owners rebuilt and rethemed much of the site during the following winter, replacing the Meli identity with a park centered on Studio 100’s television and entertainment properties. It reopened as Plopsaland on 20 April 2000. The relaunch encountered practical problems, particularly around parking and catering capacity, but these issues were addressed as the operation matured. The name was changed to Plopsaland De Panne in 2005 after Studio 100’s leisure operation expanded to other parks and sought a clearer geographic distinction. Plopsa became the sole owner after acquiring VMMa’s remaining shares in 2005. The group then pursued a broader strategy: transforming the park from a seasonal family attraction into a multi-day, more weather-resistant destination. Major additions included Anubis the Ride in 2009, the Mayaland indoor park in 2011, the Vic the Viking area in 2013, the Studio 100 Theater in 2013, Plopsaqua De Panne in 2015, Heidi the Ride in 2017, a hotel in 2021, camping facilities in 2021–2022, The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland in 2021, and Circus Bumba in 2023. Together, these developments created a resort combining an outdoor theme park with indoor attractions, water-based recreation, accommodation, camping, and theater programming. The park’s current positioning reflects this evolution. It remains strongly family-oriented, but its attraction portfolio also includes major roller coasters and more intense rides intended for older children, teenagers, and adults. The park has been described as having approximately 55 attractions, including seven roller coasters, although operational counts can change as attractions open, close, or are reclassified. In summer 2025, the site was renamed Plopsaland Belgium, aligning its identity with the broader Plopsa portfolio and emphasizing its national flagship status. The park continues to operate as the central destination and headquarters location of the Plopsa resort in De Panne.
History
The site’s history begins in 1935, when Alberic-Joseph Florizoone established Meli Park in the coastal area of De Panne. Florizoone was a honey producer, and the original attraction was intended to promote his honey business while educating visitors about bees, beekeeping, and honey production. The educational concept gave the site a distinctive starting point, but the park gradually added rides and other attractions in response to competition from conventional amusement parks. Over the following decades, Meli Park evolved into a broader theme-park operation. Its attractions increasingly emphasized entertainment and family recreation rather than only apiculture. The park remained associated with the Florizoone family until 1999, when it was sold to Studio 100 and VMMa. The acquisition gave Studio 100 an opportunity to bring its television and children’s entertainment characters into a physical visitor destination. During the winter after the acquisition, the site underwent a substantial makeover. Existing facilities were rethemed and new attractions were developed around Studio 100 properties such as Samson en Gert and Kabouter Plop. The renovated park reopened on 20 April 2000 under the name Plopsaland. The initial relaunch had operational weaknesses, particularly insufficient parking and catering capacity, but the owners corrected these problems in subsequent years. In 2005, Studio 100 and its Plopsa leisure operation bought out VMMa’s interest, making Plopsa the sole owner. The same period marked a shift toward a larger, multi-day resort model. After Plopsa opened Plopsa Indoor Hasselt and expanded its portfolio, the De Panne park was renamed Plopsaland De Panne to distinguish it from the group’s other destinations. Expansion then proceeded through a mixture of character areas, major rides, indoor facilities, and resort infrastructure. Anubis the Ride arrived in 2009. Mayaland, an indoor theme park, opened in 2011, helping the resort offer activities in poor weather. The Vic the Viking area followed in 2013, the same year as the Studio 100 Theater. Plopsaqua De Panne opened in 2015, adding a water-park component. Heidi the Ride opened in 2017 and helped broaden the attraction mix beyond properties aimed at the youngest visitors. The resort strategy continued with accommodation and higher-profile thrill attractions. The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland opened in 2021, bringing a collaboration with the Tomorrowland brand to the park. A hotel also opened in 2021, while camping facilities were developed during 2021–2022. Circus Bumba was added in 2023, reinforcing the park’s use of Studio 100’s character portfolio for younger guests. The park is now the central component of the Plopsa resort in De Panne, which also includes Mayaland, the theater, Plopsaqua, accommodation, camping, and the Plopsa group headquarters. Its identity has continued to change with the group’s development. In summer 2025, Plopsaland De Panne was renamed Plopsaland Belgium. The new name links the park more directly to the national market and aligns it with the naming approach used across the Plopsa portfolio. The active park combines family theming, character entertainment, indoor and outdoor attractions, and substantial roller-coaster offerings, serving both Belgian visitors and tourists traveling to the Belgian coast.
- 2025
The park becomes Plopsaland Belgium
[1]Plopsaland De Panne is renamed Plopsaland Belgium as part of the group’s identity and naming alignment.
- 2023
Circus Bumba opens
[1]The park adds Circus Bumba, a Studio 100 character-based attraction aimed particularly at younger visitors.
- 2021
The Ride to Happiness and hotel facilities expand the resort
[1]The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland opens, while the resort adds a hotel as part of its multi-day visitor proposition.
- 2021
Camping facilities begin development
[1]Camping capacity is developed around the resort during 2021–2022, extending its accommodation offer.
- 2017
Heidi the Ride opens
[1]The park adds Heidi the Ride, another major coaster intended to attract older children, teenagers, and adults as well as families.
- 2015
Plopsaqua De Panne opens
[1]A water-park facility joins the De Panne resort, supporting the group’s multi-day destination strategy.
- 2013
Vic the Viking area and Studio 100 Theater open
[1]The resort expands its themed offer with Vic the Viking-land and adds a Studio 100 Theater for live entertainment.
- 2011
Mayaland opens
[1]The resort adds Mayaland, an indoor theme-park area that supports all-weather visits.
- 2009
Anubis the Ride opens
[1]The park adds Anubis the Ride, an attraction based on a Studio 100 property and part of the effort to expand its audience.
- 2005
Plopsa becomes sole owner and adopts the De Panne name
[1]Plopsa buys VMMa’s shares and takes full ownership. The park is renamed Plopsaland De Panne as the group expands to additional locations.
Products and positioning
A character-led Belgian destination resort that combines Studio 100 storytelling with rides, indoor attractions, water recreation, live entertainment, and accommodation for families and a broader leisure audience.
Outdoor amusement park · 2000
Plopsaland Belgium theme park
The core destination is an outdoor amusement park combining Studio 100 character theming, family rides, live entertainment, restaurants, and roller coasters. Its portfolio spans attractions for young children as well as larger rides for older children and adults. The park is reported to contain approximately 55 attractions, including seven roller coasters, although the exact operating inventory can change over time.
Roller coaster · 2021
The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland
A major thrill attraction associated with the Tomorrowland brand. It represents Plopsaland’s strategy of adding high-profile rides capable of attracting teenagers, adults, and dedicated coaster enthusiasts alongside its traditional family audience.
Roller coaster or thrill ride · 2009
Anubis the Ride
An attraction themed around the Studio 100 Anubis property. Its introduction marked part of the park’s effort to use recognizable entertainment franchises while adding more substantial rides for an audience beyond preschool and early-childhood visitors.
Roller coaster · 2017
Heidi the Ride
A roller coaster themed around Heidi and designed to complement the park’s character-led attractions with a ride aimed at a wider family and youth demographic.
Indoor theme park · 2011
Mayaland
An indoor theme-park area within the De Panne resort. Mayaland supports the resort’s all-weather positioning and gives families an additional attraction option alongside the outdoor park.
Water park · 2015
Plopsaqua De Panne
The resort’s water-park facility, introduced to diversify the destination beyond rides and to encourage longer stays in De Panne.
Live entertainment venue · 2013
Studio 100 Theater
A theater venue within the resort for Studio 100-related stage entertainment and other live programming, reinforcing the destination’s connection to the wider entertainment group.
Character attraction · 2023
Circus Bumba
A Bumba-themed attraction added to the park’s portfolio for younger children and families, extending the use of Studio 100’s preschool entertainment properties inside the resort.
Brand decisions
2025
Renaming to Plopsaland BelgiumStrategyBackground
The park had operated as Plopsaland De Panne since 2005, while the Plopsa group continued to develop a portfolio of parks using related naming conventions.
Action taken
The park adopted the name Plopsaland Belgium in summer 2025.
Aftermath
The new name emphasizes the park’s role as the group’s Belgian flagship and aligns it more closely with the wider Plopsa brand architecture.
2005
Plopsa buys out VMMaM&ABackground
As Plopsa expanded to additional parks and developed a broader resort strategy, the ownership structure was simplified.
Action taken
Plopsa acquired VMMa’s shares and became the sole owner of the park.
Aftermath
The park was renamed Plopsaland De Panne and was positioned as part of a wider multi-park and multi-day resort network.
2005
Shift toward a multi-day, all-weather resortStrategyBackground
The seasonal outdoor park needed a broader visitor proposition and greater resilience to Belgium’s weather conditions.
Action taken
Plopsa pursued indoor attractions, water recreation, theater, accommodation, and camping alongside the main theme park.
Aftermath
The De Panne site developed into a resort incorporating Mayaland, Plopsaqua, the Studio 100 Theater, hotel accommodation, camping, and the main outdoor park.
1999
Acquisition and conversion of Meli ParkM&ABackground
The Florizoone family sold the established Meli Park as Studio 100 and VMMa sought to build a physical destination around Studio 100’s television and character properties.
Action taken
The buyers renovated and rethemed the park, replacing the Meli identity with Studio 100-led attractions and reopening it as Plopsaland in 2000.
Aftermath
The transaction created the foundation for the modern Plopsa leisure-park group and shifted the site from a honey-oriented park to a character-based theme park.
Recent events
- 2025
Plopsaland De Panne renamed Plopsaland Belgium[1]
Other
The park adopted the name Plopsaland Belgium as part of a naming alignment across the Plopsa group and to present the De Panne destination as the group’s Belgian flagship.
- 2023
Circus Bumba added to the park’s attraction portfolio[1]
Product launch
The park introduced Circus Bumba, extending its use of Studio 100 characters and programming for younger families.
- 2021
The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland opened[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Plopsaland opened The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland, a major roller coaster developed around the Tomorrowland entertainment brand and intended to strengthen the park’s appeal to thrill-seeking visitors.
Sources2 sources
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