Codonas Amusement Park
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| Slogan | "It's Scotland's Favourite!" |
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| Location | Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57°9′4″N 2°4′39″W / 57.15111°N 2.07750°WCoordinates: 57°9′4″N 2°4′39″W / 57.15111°N 2.07750°W |
| Owner | Andrea, John & Alfred Codona |
| General Manager | Jack Codona |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Rides | |
| Total | 11 |
| Roller coasters | 674 |
| Website | http://www.codonas.com/ |
Codona's Amusement Park is an amusement park based in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was established by the Codona Family in 1969 and is currently managed by the third generation of the family. It is situated adjacent to the Aberdeen Beach and Queens Links on the coast of the North Sea.
The first known records of the Codona family begin with Francesco Cardoni when he moved to the United Kingdom in the 1800s. Very little is known of him other than he was likely to have arrived from Italy and that he was of Italian gypsy descent. Cardoni's descendants inherited his circus genes working in circuses throughout Europe, but the majority remained in Scotland.
Throughout the 19th century the circus family toured Scotland entertaining towns and cities with various acts. In the latter half of the 1800s, some of the Codona family emigrated to the US leading to the formation of the world-famous trapeze act "The Flying Codonas". The act went on to become International Stars and featured in various films, including Varieté (1925).
Once the industrial revolution hit in the 1860s, the Scotland-based Codonas were able to purchase steam powered fairground rides which they toured the country with. Gradually expanding their business and receiving criticism by religious groups for their "cheap theatre" and "Low travelling caravans". The first recorded visit by the Codona family to Aberdeen was in 1877 by John Codona to see his son marry.
Another member of the Codona family, from the emigrated side made headline news when Alfredo Codona, a trapeze artist from the family, killed himself and his ex-wife Vera Bruce after the tragic death of his second wife in 1937. This did not seem to impact upon the rest of the family whom continued with their work in Scotland, and his brother Lalo who took his place with the flyers abroad until he was forced to retire from damaged muscles in his legs.
Alfred and Gordon took over their father John Codona's Pleasure Fairs business which they ran until 1960. Alfred took over the beachfront amusement park which became the Codona's Amusement Park of today. By the 1970s the number of visitors began to decline, but has remained viable because of the combination of relatively low unemployment in the area, the beach itself, locals of Aberdeen, and contribution from UK holidaymakers
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