In response to the extraordinary summer heatwave throughout much of Europe, the Belgian waterpark Plopsaqua stayed open last weekend until 1am.

The facility in De Panne, next to Plopsaland theme park, welcomed no fewer than 3,500 guests – a new daily record – on Saturday, July 28, and the first hour of Sunday morning. The initiative was shared enthusiastically on social media as many people clambered to take advantage of a specially priced evening ticket and cool down inside the mostly undercover waterpark. Pictured below is its outdoor pool.

“We we never expected such a success and a new visitor record”, says Plopsa group CEO, Steve van den Kerkhof. “Given the long-term weather forecasts, we are now looking at how we can provide even more late evening openings in the coming days and/or weeks.”