Sky Spin becomes Parcour: Ahrend plans funfair comeback for 2027

Sky Spin could make a remarkable return in 2027: the former roller coaster from Allgäu Skyline Park is set to travel around German fairs again. The Ahrend showman family has acquired the Maurer ride. The name “Parcour” has been announced for its next phase of travel. The roller coaster began as “Cyber Space” at fairgrounds. After many years at the amusement park, it would thus return to its roots.

Many roller coaster fans still know the ride from Bad Wörishofen. Others remember its early appearances at fairs or at Camelot Theme Park in the UK. These different names all refer to the same ride. This eventful history is what makes the planned relaunch so exciting. We show you the Spinning Coaster’s previous stops. You’ll also find out what makes its technology special and what is known about 2027.

Sky Spin: from amusement park back to German fairgrounds

Allgäu Skyline Park operated Sky Spin from 2013. The small but dynamic Spinning Coaster was part of the Bavarian amusement park’s line-up for more than a decade. But it closed after the 2025 season. The park confirmed the ride’s departure and its sale to Lower Saxony. That did not automatically mean the end of the roller coaster, however.

Instead of being scrapped, the structure is to be refurbished for mobile use once again. According to the ride database Ride-Index, Ahrend from Nordstemmen took over the ride and plans to return it to the road from 2027. It’s an interesting comeback. Unlike a new build, the project combines existing technology with a long, well-documented history.

For funfair fans, the planned operating format is what matters most. A transportable roller coaster of this size offers a different experience from a permanently installed amusement park coaster. You could ride it at different fairs in future. You would no longer need to travel to its former location in Bavaria. Whether, and at which fairgrounds, this will actually be possible depends on further preparations.

Cyber Space: funfair debut more than 25 years ago

The ride’s history goes back to around 2000. At the time, it travelled around Germany as Cyber Space. According to Ride-Index, it first belonged to Bruch from Düsseldorf and then to Kaiser from Munich. Even then, the ride did not rely on spectacular height. Instead, its compact layout and spinning cars shaped the experience.

In the early 2000s, roller coasters like this were something special at a fair. The individual cars can spin around their own axis during the ride. As a result, even a familiar sequence of turns feels different on every ride. That is precisely what fans enjoy. The car constantly changes your view of the track and its surroundings.

After this first period on the road, the ride went abroad. This began another chapter in its life, one that may be less familiar to many German funfair fans.

Whirlwind in England and Sky Spin in the Allgäu

From 2003 to 2012, the coaster stood at Camelot Theme Park in the UK. There it was known as Whirlwind. The amusement park in Lancashire closed in 2012, giving the roller coaster another opportunity to move. It opened at Allgäu Skyline Park as Sky Spin in 2013.

At Skyline Park, many visitors experienced the unusual sensation of riding in spinning cars. The ride remained part of the roller coaster line-up for many years. This also introduced a new generation of amusement park fans to the coaster. This chapter ended in 2025. It is therefore important to make the distinction: the new attraction for 2027 is not a new build. The plan is to bring back an existing ride.

What makes the Maurer Spinning Coaster special

The roller coaster was manufactured by Maurer Söhne, now often referred to as Maurer Rides. The model is known as Xtended SC 2000 or SC 2000. Its distinctive feature is its moving cars. Unlike on a conventional seated roller coaster, riders do not face the same direction throughout the ride.

The gondola can rotate on bends, giving riders changing views of the track. The ride’s motion is created by a combination of the track layout, speed and the distribution of weight in the car. This is why the ride can only be compared to a traditional wild mouse coaster to a limited extent. Both types can offer plenty of changes in direction in a compact space.

There is also the visual effect. It’s especially fascinating to watch the cars turn as they follow the track, even from outside the ride. Up close, a roller coaster like this feels lively, even though its track is relatively short compared with large amusement park coasters. A video from its time at Skyline Park gives you an idea of the layout and how the cars move.

What Parcour brings to the table technically in 2027

Data from the time it was operating in parks indicate the scale. The ride is around 15,5 metres high. Several ride databases give a top speed of up to 60 km/h. Depending on the source, the track length is given as approximately 424 to 430 metres. Ride-Index also lists a footprint of approximately 41 by 20 metres for its former travelling operation. These historical figures provide a useful indication, but do not replace new operator details for the refurbished ride.

The cars are designed for four people each, and a chain lift takes riders to the start of the actual descent. Instead of inversions, the experience is shaped by changing curves and free spinning. There is currently no reliable information about future ride prices, the final access requirements or possible changes to the layout. Details like these will only become relevant when the planned return takes place.

It will also be interesting to see how Parcour looks on the fairgrounds with its new appearance. A different name and a fresh design can give a familiar ride its own character. Only the finished ride will show which elements of its previous look remain. Until then, designs and old photos are no guarantee of what to expect.

Sky Spin 2027: When does the new funfair season begin?

The travelling operation is expected to resume for the 2027 season. However, it is not yet possible to reliably name a confirmed premiere location, specific guest performance dates or a confirmed tour schedule. It is therefore best not to speculate about possible appearances at particularly large fairs. There is often still a lengthy planning phase between the general announcement of a return and the actual publication of a line-up of rides.

As a visitor, what matters to you is whether the coaster is completed in time and whether the respective organisers announce its participation. We therefore distinguish between the announced comeback and a confirmed appearance at a specific festival site. The ride can only be sensibly linked to an event listing once a date has been reported with verifiable evidence.

How to follow the first appearances

If you experienced the ride earlier as Cyber Space or Sky Spin, you can look forward to this. Perhaps 2027 really is beginning a new chapter. As Parcour, the same roller coaster would return to the funfair after stops in Germany and Great Britain. That is where its career began.

In the feature on Parcour – FTE Ahrend, you can find the ride’s history and technical specifications. There is also an on-ride video from its time as Sky-Spin. Once its appearances are confirmed, it’s also worth checking our funfair calendar. That way, you won’t miss any confirmed opportunity to experience the ride for yourself.

Sources and image credits: Ride-Index – Cyber Space; report on the sale from Skyline Park; Freizeitpark-Welt – data and history; photo from 2014: Dominik Hüttl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo from the former Skyline Park era, not a photo of the future course layout.