A company headed by Canada’s Drake is among those bringing the art carnival Luna Luna back to life after 35 years.
Created by André Heller, Luna Luna features rides and attractions designed by dozens of artists, including a ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a fun house by Salvador Dali, a labyrinth by Roy Lichtenstein and a carousel hand-painted by Keith Haring.
It opened in Hamburg in June 1987 with a plan to later set up permanently in Vienna but financial difficulties led Heller to sell Luna Luna in 1990 to a charitable foundation. The pieces were moved to Texas in 2007.
In 2019, Something Special Studios founder Michael Goldberg pitched a plan to purchase and revive Luna Luna to Drake and his business partner Adel Nur. Along with lawyer Daniel McClean and tech entrepreneur Justin Wills, they acquired the carnival and got to work restoring its pieces.
In total, close to $100 million U.S. has been invested in Luna Luna, The New York Times reported on Nov. 17.
DreamCrew Entertainment, founded by Drake and Nur in 2017, is a majority shareholder in the venture, although it has not been disclosed how much the company invested. (DreamCrew Entertainment is often described as a Canadian company but it is, in fact, registered in California and Delaware.)
“When I first heard about Luna Luna I was blown away,” Drake said, in a statement to the Times. “It’s such a unique and special way to experience art. This is a big idea and opportunity that centres around what we love most: bringing people together.”
DreamCrew, which counts the series Euphoria among its credits, is producing a documentary about the restoration of Luna Luna. A U.S. tour of the carnival, produced by Live Nation, is scheduled to begin next fall, followed by an international tour in 2024. A German book about the creation of Luna Luna, translated into English, will be published in February.
“It feels miraculous that the artworks from Luna Luna will again see the light of day,” Heller said, in a statement to the Times, “and I am honoured that a new generation around the world will experience the wonder of Luna Luna for many years to come.”