thumb|upright=1.1|alt=[[Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903)|Luna Park, Coney Island was the first of dozens of Luna Parks. Its success inspired the creation of dozens of Luna Parks, Electric Parks, and similar amusement parks.|The "Electric Tower", the centerpiece of the original Luna Park on Coney Island, ca. 1905. Many of the subsequent amusement parks that took the name "Luna Park" had their own central tower.]]
Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-scale attraction parks, easily accessed, potentially addressed to the permanent or temporary residential market, and located in the suburbs or even near the town center. Luna parks mainly offer classic funfair attractions (great wheel), newer features (electronic displays) and catering services.
History
The original Luna Park on Coney Island, a massive spectacle of rides, ornate towers and cupolas covered in 250,000 electric lights, was opened in 1903 by the showmen and entrepreneurs Frederic Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy. The park was either named after the fanciful airship Luna, part of the new park's central attraction A Trip to the Moon, or after Dundy's sister. Luna Park was a vastly expanded attraction built partly on the grounds of Sea Lion Park, the first enclosed amusement park on Coney Island which closed down due to competition from nearby Steeplechase Park.
In 1905, Frederick Ingersoll, who was already making a reputation for his pioneering work in roller coaster construction and design (he also designed scenic railroad rides) borrowed the name when he opened Luna Park in Pittsburgh and Luna Park in Cleveland. These first two amusement parks, like their namesake, were covered with electric lighting (the former was adorned with 67,000 light bulbs; the latter, 50,000). Later, in 1907, Charles Looff opened another Luna Park in Seattle, Washington. Ultimately, Ingersoll opened 44 Luna Parks around the world, the first chain of amusement parks. For a short time, Ingersoll renamed his parks Ingersoll's Luna Park to distinguish them from the Luna Parks to which he had no connection. Ingersoll's death in 1927 and the closing of most of his Luna Parks did not stop new parks from taking the name.
Today, the term luna park or lunapark is a noun meaning "amusement park" in several languages, including Indo-European languages such as
Polish, French, Italian, Russian, Croatian, Czech, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovenian, and Greek (, ), as well as Turkish, Hungarian, Hebrew (לוּנָה פַּארְק, but the term גן שעשועים lit. 'park of amusements' is also widely used), and Yiddish.
List of Luna Parks
In Africa
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! In operation
! Notes
|-
| Luna Park, Cairo
| Heliopolis, Egypt
| 1911 to 1915
| The first in Africa and the Middle East. On January 19, 1915, the buildings and grounds were converted into Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Luna Park for World War I. The hospital was closed on July 10, 1916.
|-
| Luna Park, Obala
| Obala, Cameroon
|
|
|}
In Asia
thumb|Luna Park, Beirut
thumb|Luna Park, Tel Aviv currently operates in Israel.
thumb|alt=[[Luna Park, Osaka, one of two Japanese Luna Parks, was open to the public from 1912 to 1923. The original Tsutenkaku Tower was completed at the same time as the amusement park.|Night photograph of the original Tsutentaku Tower overlooking Luna Park, Osaka in 1912]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! In operation
! Notes
|-
| Luna Park, Abha
| Saudi Arabia
| ? to present
| Part of the Abha Palace complex
|-
| Alanya Lunapark
| Near Alanya, Turkey
| ? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Baku
| Baku, Azerbaijan
| 2000 to 2005
|
|-
| Luna Park, Beirut
| Beirut, Lebanon
| 1966 to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Bombay
|-
| Luna Grand Park
| Haifa, Israel
| 2001 to 2013
| Closed after five months due to poor attendance following a religious boycott and reopened after negotiations with the local religious community. Closed for good on October 31, 2013, to make room for a new cinema.
|-
| Luna Park, Tel Aviv
| Tel Aviv, Israel
| 1970 to present
| The Luna Park was located in Jaffa from 1953 to 1970, when it was relocated.
|-
|
| North Point, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
| 1949 to 1954
| Amusement park, cinema and nightclub complex
|-
| Luna Park, Osaka
| Osaka, Japan
| 1912 to 1923
| Also known as Shinsekai Luna Park
|-
| Luna Park, Tokyo
| Tokyo, Japan
| 1910 to 1911
| Burned down in 1911
|-
| Luna Park, Tehran
| Tehran, Iran
| 1970 to 1980
| Reopened in 1988 as Shahr-e Bazi; closed 2007 to make room for new highway
|-
| Luna Park, Yerevan
| Yerevan, Armenia
| 2000 to present
|
|}
In Europe
thumb|alt=Until it was permanently closed in 1933, [[Luna Park, Berlin was the largest amusement park in Europe.|Aerial view of Luna Park, Berlin in 1935]]
thumb|alt=[[Roller coaster|Mountain railroads (also known as Russian mountains were popular in European Luna Parks|Postcard showing the mountain railroad at Luna Park, Leipzig]]
thumb|alt=[[Lunapark Sowinski is a currently operating amusement park near Władysławowo, Poland.|Aerial view of near Władysławowo, Poland, in 2009]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! In operation
! Notes
|-
| Luna Park, Aidonakia
| Athens, Greece
| 2001 to present
| Constructed by Ingersoll. Also known as , 'the little nightingales'.
|-
| Luna Park, Cologne
| Cologne, Germany
| 1909 to 1927
|
|-
| Luna Park Hamburg-Altona
| Hamburg, Germany
| 1913, and again 1917 to 1923
|
|-
| Luna Park, Leipzig
| Leipzig, Germany
| 1911 to 1932
|
|-
| Luna Park, Saint-Brieuc, France
| Saint-Brieuc, France
| 1982 to present
| Located in the Brézillet area of Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, France
|-
| Luna Park, Cap d'Agde
| Cap d'Agde, France
| ? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Fréjus
| Fréjus, France
| ? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, La Palmyre
| La Palmyre, France
| ? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Paris
| Paris, France
| 1909 to 1931
|
|-
|Luna Park, Argelès-sur-Mer
|Argelès-sur-Mer, France
|? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Nice
| Nice, France
| ? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park Funfair
| Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
| ? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Geneva
| Le Parc des Eaux Vives alongside Lake Geneva, Switzerland
| 1912 to 1918
|
|-
| Luna Park, L'Escala
| L'Escala, Spain
| ? to present
|
|-
| Lunapark, Łódź
| Łódź, Poland
| Closed January 2016
|
|-
|
| Near Władysławowo, Poland
| 2006 to present
|
|-
|Luna Park, Odesa
|Odesa, Ukraine
|? to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Rome
| Rome, Italy
| 1953 to 2008<br>2016 to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Milan
| Near Milan, Italy
| 1965 to present
| Name was changed April 11, 2004 to Luna Europark Idroscalo Milano
|-
| Luna park na Výstavišti [https://navystavisti.cz/udalosti/zabavne-mestecko/]
| Prague, Czech Republic
| 1960s to present
|
|-
| Luna Park, Moscow
| Moscow, Russia
| 1993 to present
| Officially called "Luna Park Carousel".
|-
| Luna Park, St. Petersburg
| Saint Petersburg, Russia
| May 1912 to 1924
|
|-
| Luna Park, Skopje
| Skopje, North Macedonia
| ? to 2022
|
|-
|Luna Park, București
|București, Romania
|1920s-1936
|First amusement park in Romania, it also had the 1st and only true roller coaster in the country. Demolished in 1936 to make space for a department store.
|-
|Luna Park, Liseberg
| Gothenburg, Sweden
|2022 to present
|Area in Liseberg theme park in Sweden, includes rides like Luna, Tempus, and Turbo.
|}
In North America
thumb|alt=[[Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903)|Luna Park, Coney Island was the first of dozens of Luna Parks. It burnt down in 1944.|Comedian Fatty Arbuckle riding The Whip in Luna Park, Coney Island, as shown in the 1917 motion picture Coney Island]]
thumb|alt=The [[Luna Park, Seattle|Seattle Luna Park was designed by the same person who designed the original in Coney Island.|Postcard photo of Luna Park, Seattle entrance bridge]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! In operation
! Notes
|-
| Luna Park, Alexandria County
| Alexandria County (now Arlington County), Virginia, United States
| 1906 to 1915
| Designed and built by Ingersoll. Some sources refer to it as Washington Luna Park or Luna Park, Washington, D.C.
|-
| Luna Park, Buffalo
| Buffalo, New York, United States
| 1904 to 1920
| Designed and built by Ingersoll. Damaged by fire July 14, 1909 Originally Carnival Court, became Athletic Park before closing
|-
| Luna Park, Charleston
| Charleston, West Virginia, United States
| 1912 to 1923
| Most of the park burned down in 1923 after its roller coaster caught fire; now single-family housing.
|-
| Luna Park, Chicago
| Chicago, Illinois, United States
| 1907 to 1911
| Owned by James "Big Jim" O'Leary, boxing promoter who was son of Mrs. O'Leary of Great Chicago Fire fame
|-
| Luna Park, Cleveland
| Cleveland, Ohio, United States
| 1905 to 1929
| Designed by Ingersoll. Former site of Luna Bowl stadium for American football and Negro league baseball games
|-
| Luna Park, Detroit
| Detroit, Michigan, United States
| 1906 to 1927
| Was actually named Electric Park but also called Luna Park, Riverview Park, and Granada Park (Ingersoll Amusement Center was a separate park
| Houston, Texas, United States
| 1924 to c. 1934
| Much of the site now businesses near a residential development; the northern and eastern edges now covered by Interstate 10 and Interstate 45.
|-
| Luna Park, Hull
| Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
| 1925 to 1928
|
|-
| Luna Park, Johnstown
| Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States
|
| Originally Roxbury Park; renamed Luna Park in 1905; sold to Johnstown in 1922; renamed Roxbury Park
|-
| Luna Park, Los Angeles
| Los Angeles, California, United States
| 1911 to 1914
| Was Chutes Park 1900–1910
|-
| Luna Park, Mansfield
| Mansfield, Ohio, United States
| 1905 to ?
| Also known as Casino Park
|-
| Luna Park, Mexico City
| Newfane, New York, United States
| 1898 to 1926
| Destroyed by fire in 1927
|-
| Luna Park, Pittsburgh
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| 1905 to 1909
| Was first of the Ingersoll Luna Parks and first amusement park to be covered with electric lighting
|-
| Luna Park, Schenectady
| Rexford, New York, United States
| 1901 to 1933
| Designed and built by Ingersoll. Was also known as Dolle's Park, Colonnade Park, Palisades Park, and Rexford Park
|-
| Luna Park, Scranton
| Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
| 1906 to 1916
| Constructed by Ingersoll. Most of grounds now covered by Interstate 81.
|-
| Luna Park, Seattle
| Seattle, Washington, United States
| 1907 to 1913
| Designed by Looff.
|-
| Luna Park, Sylvan Beach
| New York City, New York United States
| ?
| Absorbed by nearby Carnival Park
|-
| Luna Park, West Hartford
| West Hartford, Connecticut, United States
| 1906 to 1930
| Name changed from White City just before the park's grand opening.
|-
| Luna Park, Wheeling
| Wheeling, West Virginia, United States
| 1905 to 1907
|
|}
In Oceania
thumb|alt=entrance of Melbourne Luna Park|[[Luna Park Melbourne entrance]]
thumb|alt=entrance of Sydney Luna Park|[[Luna Park Sydney entrance]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! In operation
! Notes
|-
| Luna Park Glenelg
| Glenelg, South Australia, Australia
| 1930 to 1934
| Closed due to objections of local populace to Sunday operations and expansion plans; moved to Milsons Point (1935) and became Luna Park Sydney.
|-
| Luna Park Melbourne
| Redcliffe City, Queensland, Australia
| 1944 to 1966
| Erected on an unused section of the foreshore just north of Sutton's Beach at Redcliffe Point in late 1944. Owners, Redcliffe Town Council appointed Messrs W. Scott and Philip Wirth as amusement managers. Later the enterprise was sold by the Redcliffe Town Council to local businessman Hal Buchanan who sold it on to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, which sold it again in 1952. Amusements included a steam train, ferris wheel, sideshows and car-rides as well as a salt-water swimming pool.
|-
| Luna Park Sydney
| Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| 1935 to 1979, 1982 to 1988, 1995 to 1996, 2000 to 2001, 2004 to present
| Originally known as Luna Park Milsons Point
|-
| Luna Park Scarborough
| Scarborough, Western Australia, Australia
| to 1972
|
|-
| Luna Park Auckland
| Auckland, New Zealand
| 1926 to 1931
| Established on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, using rides and equipment from the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition, a world fair that ran in Dunedin, New Zealand, from 1925 to 1926. Due to the depression, Luna Park began to run at a loss and was shut down in 1931.
|}
In South America
thumb|Luna Park, Buenos Aires, 2005
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Location
! In operation
! Notes
|-
| Luna Park, Buenos Aires
| Buenos Aires, Argentina
| 1934 to present
| Designed and built by Ingersoll. Became site of a sports arena built 1931–1934.