Legoland Shanghai gears up for grand opening in July

Legoland Shanghai Resort, which is set to be the world's largest Legoland when it opens, announced on Monday that it will launch internal testing and trial operations starting on Saturday as part of its final pre-opening phase.

Select guests will be invited to experience the park and help fine-tune details before the grand opening on July 5.

A handover ceremony was held on Monday. It featured a symbolic moment when the project team presented a key made of Lego bricks to the operations team, marking the transition to the trial phase. The operations team then handed over the key to a group of Legoland "kid reporters".

Zhuang Jian, chairman of Legoland Shanghai Resort Ltd, called the ceremony "not just a milestone, but a new beginning".

"The decade-long journey — from initial planning in 2015 to project completion in 2025 — has been a challenging expedition, demonstrating the perfect fusion of international standards with Chinese elements, the Shanghai style and Jiangnan characteristics," he said.

Covering 318,000 square meters in the city's Jinshan district, the resort comprises a theme park and a hotel for children ages 2 to 12 and their families. It features more than 75 interactive rides, shows and attractions, as well as thousands of Lego models made with over 85 million Lego bricks across eight immersive "lands".

The construction of the project began in 2021, spanned nearly 1,300 days and involved more than 300 teams, comprising over 10,000 workers from 15 countries.

Chen Jie, general manager of Legoland Shanghai Resort, expressed her enthusiasm over the completion of the project, saying that guests entering the park would be amazed by the creativity surrounding them.

"We hope every guest will embark on a marvelous journey filled with happiness and inspiration," she added.

Legoland Shanghai's signature attractions include the world's first Big Lego Coaster, featuring giant Lego Minifigures, and the 60-meter-tall Legoland Observation Tower offering panoramic views of the resort.

Miniland, which is located in the heart of the park, boasts miniatures of global landmarks and iconic Chinese cities built with Lego bricks. Shanghai Dreamscapes, a world-exclusive live show, will debut there.

The resort will also introduce the world's first Lego Monkie Kid live show, Battle for Flower Fruit Mountain, featuring multiple projection effects and large-scale themed props.

The Legoland Hotel offers 250 themed rooms, interactive installations and recreation facilities. Dining venues across the resort offer creative cuisine, including Lego brick-shaped burgers and Chinese dishes with Lego-inspired presentations.

Tickets for adults are expected to be priced at 599 yuan ($83) during peak season and 319 yuan during off-peak season, while tickets for children will be approximately 80 percent of those rates, according to Legoland Shanghai's official website.

Praising the collaborative effort, Siegfried Boerst, general manager of Merlin Entertainments Group, Global Theme Park Management and Legoland, said, "It's an incredible result of teams from around the world working together, achieved through the bold vision of our partners and local government support."

The development of the project received strong support from local authorities, including Jinshan Customs, which implemented innovative supervision methods to facilitate the import of 20 core rides and thousands of Lego models.

Cai Wangcheng, a representative of Shanghai Xinjinshan investment group, a co-investor, told Jinshan Media that despite the absence of domestic precedents, as well as challenges including extreme weather, the project succeeded through effective cooperation between government bodies and international teams.

Local officials expect the annual visitor count to reach 2.4 million, with the number of daily visitors estimated at 8,000 on weekdays and 20,000 during weekends and holidays.

"We know there are millions of Lego fans around the world. This will become a beachhead and the Lego clubhouse for all those fans in China," said Fiona Eastwood, CEO of Merlin Entertainments, a co-investor and the operator of the resort.