Iconic Tivoli amusement park to reopen its doors on the Costa del Sol with 100-million-euro investment: this is what we know so far...

Alberto Gómez

Benalmádena

Thursday, 20 February 2025, 11:49 | Updated 18:49h.

The legendary Tivoli amusement park on the Costa del Sol looks set to reopen its doors. Benalmádena town hall and Tremón - the real estate group that owns the site - were expected to sign a deal this week, SUR understands. After years of to-ing and fro-ing, Tremón will begin the renovation of the rides and attractions, which are currently in a state of disrepair. The company has also been allowed to include the building of a leisure and retail facility - its long-held plan for the site - as part of the refurbishment.

BACKGROUND: Click for more news on the long-running Tivoli saga

Further details about the agreement have yet to be revealed. What is known is that it comes after months of secret negotiations led by Benalmádena’s mayor, Juan Antonio Lara (PP), amid criticism from the opposition and under growing public pressure for Tivoli to reopen.

Although this residents’ demand will eventually be met, there is still a long way to go before the park’s rides are back in operation. The council must first approve an urban development agreement and insert the arrangement into the master town plan (PGOU). While the latter can be approved by the overall majority of the ruling party on the council, it may need between one and two years to process, after which the long renovation works and construction can begin.

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The investment will exceed 100 million euros and create dozens of jobs in Benalmádena. The long-debated deal was due to be signed on Thursday or Friday this week. The light at the end of the tunnel first appeared last year when Tremón registered the name, logo and web domain of Tivoli. Shortly afterwards, the Andalusian high court overturned a council vote under the former PSOE mayor, Víctor Navas, to block the opening of retail and leisure projects on the land.

The solution that has now been reached would be to honour the court ruling to allow new commercial uses while protecting Tivoli’s historic identity as an amusement park. The park dates back to 1972, when its first owner - Bent Olsen from Denmark - unveiled his “dream factory”. Fireworks, a roller coaster, the Chinese pagoda, a lake with boats and almost twenty fountains that offered a spectacle of water, light and sound kicked off the history of a complex that has seen periods of highs and lows without ever losing the affection of several generations of Costa del Sol residents and visitors.

Little is left, for now, of the golden era of Tivoli, which for decades has been plagued by disputes and argument. The park had previously passed from the first owner to property-developer Rafael Gómez, also known as Sandokán, who bought it in 2004, before finally ending up with Tremón. During Sandokán’s reign, problems, such as non-payment of social security quotas and neglect of the attractions, tainted the park. Tremón has been pursuing its Tivoli plan for years, despite long-drawn-out bankruptcy proceedings which began in 2008. The developer started planning the extension of Tivoli as a shopping and leisure park years ago - a dream that is finally on its way to becoming a reality.