Jerudong Park is an amusement park in Jerudong, Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is the largest and most expensive amusement park in Southeast Asia, built and funded by the Bruneian government for $1 billion. During its first few years of operation, the park was completely free, with no admission fees and free rides. In 2009, it was reported that the number of visitors and tourists had dropped significantly. The owners introduced a one-time B$15 admission fee and a ride ticketing system. Currently, the theme park has reduced its footprint to Phase 1 and 2, the original Playground. It has revised its ride admission with a new ticket card system. The park is once again free entry to the general public with a fee to use a ride or other attraction. An $8 ticket card has 4 slots and 1 free slot. The $10 ticket card has 5 slots plus 3 free slots.
History
Jerudong Park first opened in 1994. Michael Jackson performed a free concert on 16 July 1996 in front of 60,000 people. The concert, part of his HIStory World Tour, was in celebration of the 50th birthday of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, and was attended by the Brunei royal family, though the Sultan himself did not attend. Jackson returned to perform another show on New Year's Eve 1996. On August 24, 1996, singer Whitney Houston performed at the park for the wedding of Princess Rashidah, the eldest daughter of the Sultan of Brunei. She was reportedly paid $7 million to perform for this event. Media stories on the Brunei royal family indicated that Prince Jefri gave Houston a blank check for the event and instructed her to fill it out for what she felt she was worth. Janet Jackson performed a private concert during her Velvet Rope Tour to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of Princess Hamidah of the Brunei royal family. An exclusive audio recording of the show was issued to all those in attendance. In August 2006, the company began to implement a revitalization program. It started with the re-launching of the GIGGLES, their in-house entertainment team. The team is composed of seven entertainers from the Philippines. In December, management began a special program on the weekends featuring local artists as the main performers. The program attracted more than 6,000 people on a single evening. In 2007, the Park became the venue for a series of activities called Kids' Day. Although the main target was children, it drew families as well because of the "family" factor - the games involved adults such as moms and dads as well. The GIGGLES also began appearing regularly during activities at the Mall and around the country at shopping centers. By the end of 2007, the Giggles had made appearances in schools, public events, and party functions. In late 2008, JPCC launched its Family Concert Nights featuring local talent. The program's goals are to entice local artists to perform and create an audience for their music. The shows are reviewed and approved by a Censorship Board. On December 12, 2009, JPCC Management introduced a new ticket system. Entrance to the Playground was made free, and guests who wanted to use the attractions had the option to buy an $8 "4 plus 1 ride" ticket, and a $10 "5 plus 3 ride" ticket. By the end of 2010, attendance to the park was up to 144,000 people annually. This figures are based on the actual park admittance and ticket sales. The park underwent an extensive remodel in 2011. The park was reopened on March 19, 2011 with new attractions including bumper cars and boats, trains, and scooters. That month also saw a record high of over 70,000 visitors.
