We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.

Waterplay World

For one very fun moment, we let ourselves dream big.

Very big.

  • A full-scale aquatic destination on Rattlesnake Island
  • A giant peach Mega Soaker
  • An island-wide lazy river
  • A rattlesnake slide
  • Ogopogo sightings
  • Pyramids
  • Pure chaos
  • Pure fun

And now for the truth behind the tall tale.


April Fools!

Waterplay World™ is not real.

As much as we would love to see this one come to life, this was all part of our April Fools’ joke.

But hopefully, for a moment, it felt possible. 

Because that is where great ideas often begin. 
With curiosity. With imagination. With someone bold enough to ask, what if?

AprilFools2026_Social_Image_With-Jill.jpg

AprilFools2026_04.jpg

AprilFools2026_03.jpg

AprilFools2026_05.jpg

AprilFools2026_06.jpg

 

The idea behind the joke

At Waterplay, we believe play should spark imagination.
This campaign was our way of having some fun while celebrating a place with a truly unforgettable story.

Waterplay World™ may not be real, but the thinking behind it is.

Big ideas.
Immersive experiences.
Unexpected delight.
A deep connection to place.
And a belief that when design, story, and play come together, people pay attention.

That part is no joke.

 

Why Rattlesnake Island?

image (21).png

Rattlesnake Island on Okanagan Lake (Photo Credit: Downtown Kelowna Marina)

Because as outrageous as Waterplay World™ may seem, Rattlesnake Island is very real, and its history is every bit as wild as the concept we created around it. 

Set in Okanagan Lake near Peachland, just 20 km south of Kelowna and MAKR Group headquarters, Rattlesnake Island has long captured local imagination. It became famous because of the ambitious plans of developer Eddy Haymour, who purchased the island in 1971 and envisioned a highly unusual theme park there, complete with a pyramid, mini golf, pony rides, submarine attractions, and a camel-shaped ice cream stand. Those plans never fully materialized, but the story became part of Okanagan lore. 

That history is exactly why we chose it.

Not because it is polished.
Not because it is predictable.
But because it already lives in that perfect space between dream, myth, ambition, and local legend.

It felt like the right place for a Waterplay April Fools concept that was just believable enough to make people look twice.

Why the pyramids, Ogopogo, and giant rattlesnake?

Because when you are building a wildly imaginative concept on Rattlesnake Island, you have to start with the stories that already make this place unforgettable. 

The pyramid is our nod to the island’s larger-than-life past, where the base of Haymour’s unfinished pyramid still remains today as a reminder of the bold vision that once captured so many imaginations. 

FS-ogo-9845.png

And Ogopogo? The legendary lake monster, said to inhabit Lake Okanagan, often described as a long, serpentine creature, similar to Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster…Ogopogo has been part of the region’s imagination for generations and is culturally significant to Indigenous people. For us, the connection is even more fun because we already have a Waterplay product named and designed after this iconic creature. 

Ogopogo Product Sheet 

As for the giant rattlesnake, that one practically designed itself. When the island is called Rattlesnake Island, it would have been almost irresponsible not to. 

Want to explore the real stories behind the render?

Here are a few great places to start: