If Scooby-Doo has taught us anything, it’s that abandoned theme parks are creepy places, and also possibly infested with ghosts that turn out to be the elderly impoverished owner.
However, more weird than the abandoned theme park that just sits derelict and slowly grows more grotesque is the one where people still go to work like it’s supposed to be opening.
If you take a trip down to the Costa del Sol then you might find yourself in the area of Tivoli World, a theme park in Benalmadena which first opened its doors in the 70s and was a very popular spot for tourists.
Sadly, it was one of the places which did not survive the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it shut its doors in 2020 with the expectation that they would reopen at some point.
They did for a brief period in 2021, but after a couple of months the place shut down again entirely and hasn’t reopened since.
The operator went bankrupt but the staff couldn’t leave. (David Benito/Getty Images)
That ought to have been it for Tivoli World, it ought to have become a carcass to be picked over by the decaying effects of time and explored by the occasional YouTuber, but the abandoned theme park is not quite done.
It’s because many of the staff are still working there, as there’s a strange loophole in their contracts which meant they couldn’t seek other work.
A whole bunch of staff got stuck in job seeking limbo as they couldn’t go and find another occupation while the closed down theme park was still around in some form.
If they left then they’d get no compensation or unemployment insurance, so many ended up continuing to work at Tivoli to keep the place clean and in a condition good enough to open its doors should the place be able to operate once more.
According to Andalucia.com the local council does still hope that Tivoli can be reopened.
Despite everything the place has been through there are still hopes the doors will once again be opened. (David Benito/Getty Images)
They also said that in February 2024 the staff at the park decided not to appeal a court ruling which terminated their contracts and stopped them from getting compensation.
Despite this, it sounds like some former workers still keep going to the theme park and make sure it’s in good order.
It sounds like their presence is still needed, as some of them have slept overnight in the theme park to protect it and the security cameras they set up helped foil an attempted break in earlier this year.
Even with everything Tivoli has been through there are still hopes that the place will one day reopen.
It sounds like this lot are still trying to keep their dream alive.
