Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy is a unique, hidden gem in Los Angeles. This museum which was recently opened to the public this past December is funded by a $100 million dollars from a group of investors, which even includes Drake’s entertainment group named DreamCrew. Their goal was to restore and display remnants of the original Luna Luna, which was an enchanting and one of a kind art amusement park.
Remembered as the world’s first art amusement park, Luna Luna opened in Hamburg, Germany in the summer of 1987. Despite its success, after seven weeks the carnival was shut down and put into storage. For the next 35 years, its pieces remained safely stored in shipping containers in Texas. Luna Luna was forgotten, until now.
To give some backstory, Luna Luna was the innovation of the Viennese artist Andre Heller. He was born after the end of World War II, and he described the city he grew up in as dull. Due to this, he chased after liveliness through theater scenes, museums, and amusement parks. Heller desired to make art more accessible to audiences, so he became enlightened with the idea of a traveling art carnival in the 1970s. Sure enough, his dream came to life and Luna Luna was born in 1987.
Heller’s amusement park was meticulously crafted by artists he handpicked. Some of the artists were well known during that time period, like Sonia Delaunay, others were minorly famous in Vienna, and a few were up-and coming-artists from New York. Together, they created pieces that culminated a beautiful, eccentric, and comical atmosphere. The pieces included carousels , circus acts, a Ferris Wheel and fun-house pavilions; much of which is on display in the Los Angeles museum. Luna Luna was a hit with nearly a total of 300,000 visitors experiencing the games and attractions. However, as mentioned, the park soon closed and seemingly disappeared (lunaluna.com).
Thankfully, the project was restored with the help of the Luna Luna company, bringing the abandoned pieces back to life. It features numerous attractions, art pieces, and even a section with old documents and videos that provide the history of Luna Luna. Notably, the carousels and ferris wheel come to life during a short light show, which shows the attractions in action with background music. Additionally, there is a fake wedding chapel in the museum where anyone can hold a pretend wedding to whoever or whatever they desire. There are also roaming actors dressed in circus attire that add vibrancy to the environment, such as a woman on stilts and another actor dressed in a glittering moon costume. The actors are seen waltzing around the museum and even sparking conversations with the visitors, like what their favorite attraction is, while never once breaking character.
All in all, this museum is one for the memories, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this experience. It is a rare museum with fun, artistic pieces that transform a neglected carnival to become a lively and immersive museum. Ishani Bhatt (10) says, “I will definitely visit this museum since it looks really unique and interesting.” If you are also eager to see Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy for yourself, then go before it’s too late since it closes May 12!
