/ Thirty-thousand lights installed on 4 major rides at the Oktoberfest were supplied by one company: Lights Co. from Bergantino, Italy /

There was also a little bit of Italy, and more specifically Bergantino, that made the Munich Oktoberfest shine brightly this year.  

Lights Co., a company based in Rovigo province and appreciated internationally by both permanent parks and travelling showmen for its ride lighting solutions that perfectly combine technology, design and efficiency, with its lights in fact enhanced the beauty and movements of 4 of the most majestic attractions at the German event.

These were Olympia-Looping, the world’s largest transportable roller coaster, whose track, highlighted by multicolour RGB LEDs, wound through the skies of Munich over more than 1.2km, reaching almost 40m from the ground and drawing 5 loops in the air, and XXL Racer, a 2017 Booster model made by Fabbri Group, another renowned company from the Bergantino Rides District and whose facilities are located just a few kilometres from those of Lights Co.: an attraction with intense excitement for thrillseekers, as well as for those who watch amazed from the ground the aerial acrobatics of this 55m structure, completely ‘studded’ with lights.

Then there were also 2 drop towers: Hangover and Skyfall, both made by Funtime, and both 80m high, each with a circular gondola (brightly illuminated, as is the central column of the tower) that first revolves slowly around the tower until reaching the maximum height, from where, with a strong visual impact enhanced by the lights, it plunges into free fall until the magnetic brakes are activated to safely slow it down. 

Of the 2, the lighting system on Skyfall was particularly spectacular: from the sign, 4 metres high and made with a new three-dimensional style, to the façade with programmable light effects in all colours and a special white and blue effect – the colours of the flag of Bavaria – as a tribute to Munich.

“Considering the 4 rides together, we installed 30,000 lights, more than any other Italian company has ever done in the history of the Oktoberfest!,” explained Riccardo Cuoghi, who manages Lights Co. together with his father Giorgio, founder of the company and a professional with over 30 years’ experience in the lighting sector for fun fairs and amusement parks. “It is an important result for us, which once again demonstrates the quality of our products and our service. It took a lot of effort and saw us and our staff working all summer to be ready in September, but it was worth it, given the results. It’s also a source of pride I believe for the entire Rides District of Bergantino, Melara and Calto, which we are proudly part of.”

Contributing to the result was also a change in company marketing strategy, as Giorgio explained: “This year we chose not to exhibit at trade shows, preferring to promote our company directly at the fun fairs, in close contact with customers. And we invested heavily in the German fun fair market: a market that we already knew very well, demanding but also especially sensitive when it comes to lighting equipment for rides. Oktoberfest, with its fame and its millions of visitors, was a showcase of excellence for us, and we are confident that it will lead to many more successes. Having said that, we would like to stress to the many people who are used to visiting us at trade shows in order to get to know our products better and firsthand, that they will be able to continue to do so. We have only reduced the number of events, maintaining the leading ones, such as the IAAPA Expo Europe in September 2023 in Vienna.”

From Games & Parks Industry October 2022, page 32

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