ParkAda: from a new city park to a broad leisure destination

ParkAda did not begin as a theme park separated from the city around it. Its history is that of a large Bayrampaşa site gradually turned into a public landscape where walking, sport, culture, food and fairground rides meet. The variety now visible around the lake and Lunapark was built in several stages.

From a large urban site to a public park

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality acquired the land in 1989. Fourteen years later, the site was developed as Bayrampaşa Şehir Parkı and officially opened on 30 July 2003. ParkAda’s own history also treats 2003 as the starting point and states that the lake and leisure areas entered service at that time. Covering close to half a million square metres, the new park immediately operated on a scale far larger than a neighbourhood garden.

A park built around several kinds of leisure

From its early years, the project extended well beyond a landscaped walking park. The lake organised the site, the Lunapark added movement, and the amphitheatre, sports grounds, play areas and equestrian farm widened the offer. The İBB sports inventory dates the construction of the facilities now known as Sancak Spor Kulübü Tesisleri to 2004. ParkAda therefore developed as a collection of places with different rhythms rather than a site devoted to one activity.

A decade of renewal

ParkAda’s official chronology describes 2010–2020 as a period when walking paths, children’s play areas and sports facilities were renewed. This strengthened the park’s everyday role: it no longer relied only on the Lunapark, but also on routes, facilities and spaces that local residents could use repeatedly.

A history of shared management

The site’s administrative history is more complex than its appearance as a straightforward municipal park suggests. After the opening, use of the park was allocated to Bayrampaşa Municipality in 2004 under a revenue-sharing arrangement with the İBB. That allocation was cancelled in October 2020 amid a financial disagreement. In 2021, the metropolitan council approved a new fifteen-year allocation to Bayrampaşa after a veto and reconsideration. These episodes did not end public use, but they show how management remained tied to relations between the two municipal levels.

Three generations of family roller coasters

The fairground side of the park has seen a clear succession of compact coasters. A Big Apple / Wacky Worm whose operating name is no longer known ran from 2005 to 2011. In that same year an SBF Take Off opened and remained until 2013. Dragon, built by Güven Amusement Rides Factory, then took over and remains the operating roller coaster. The sequence shows a Lunapark renewing its family coaster rather than building a collection of large rides.

ParkAda today

Today the park retains the elements that shaped its identity: the lake and paths, the Ferris-wheel-dominated Lunapark, the amphitheatre, sport and the equestrian farm. Event venues and renewed cafés have been added, including Soffee Lounge, officially presented with a new concept in the recent period. ParkAda therefore remains a living city park whose history continues through gradual adaptation rather than complete reinvention.