Sydney’s iconic Luna Park, one of Australia’s most recognisable amusement parks, is to be acquired by local company Oscars Group following an international sales campaign.

Oscars Group is one of New South Wales’s largest privately-owned hospitality groups, with a portfolio of hotels and resorts, pubs, events centres, commercial and retail assets across the Eastern seaboard of Australia.

CBRE’s Simon Rooney, Paul Ryan and James Douglas negotiated the sale of the landmark amusement attraction on behalf of global investment firm Brookfield. The sale was subject to consent by the Luna Park Reserve Trust for the change of control of Luna Park Sydney from Brookfield to the Oscars Group to ensure that Luna Park remains a vibrant and successful amusement park for the enjoyment of the people of Sydney and NSW.

Oscars Group Managing Director Bill Gravanis said Luna Park offered outstanding investment fundamentals, strong brand value and recognition.

Mr Gravanis said: “We are excited to be acquiring Luna Park and look forward to working with the team. It is an iconic waterfront landmark on the best harbour in the world that presents a great opportunity for the Oscars business. Our goal is to further establish Luna Park as a Top 5 tourist destination for visitors, whilst also promoting it as an entertainment precinct for Sydneysiders. We would like to thank the teams at Brookfield and CBRE for their professionalism during the sale process.”

Mr Rooney noted that trophy assets such as Luna Park were tightly held and rarely traded, which had spurred strong local and offshore buyer interest.

“The Luna Park business was a sought-after investment given its unique location on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The diverse opportunities to leverage the existing assets and customer base to drive revenue growth via additional amusement, immersive and F&B initiatives were key drawcards for domestic and global buyers seeking value-add investment opportunities,” Mr Rooney said.

Luna Park CEO John Hughes said: “As Luna Park Sydney enters its 90th year, we have exceptional momentum in the business generating record ticket sales and visitation. We’re excited about this next chapter, and the opportunities that Oscars Group ownership will bring to the park. Our upcoming summer will be the biggest on record with the launch of our Netflix partnership, the world-premiere of the Vegesaurs experience, our famous NYE festival and the launch of the heritage-listed Wild Mouse roller coaster following its two-year restoration.”

Luna Park Sydney features 17 amusement rides, the heritage-listed Coney Island, 7,000sqm of building floorspace including Sydney’s Immersive Big Top and the 1935-built Crystal Palace as well as a 389-space car park. 

This follows a recent major investment in redeveloping the park’s Big Top as a 3,000sqm multi-purpose venue, catering to growing global demand for captivating and all-in experiences.

It has an impressive track-record of long-running events including Halloscream, New Year’s Eve and collaborations with key city-wide festivals such as Sydney Festival, Vivid and Lunar New Year. 

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