Rumors have been circling through roller coaster enthusiast Twitter this week that one of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s most iconic attractions, Kumba, would be permanently closing as early as the end of this year. The park has clearly heard these rumors, and have addressed it through their official Twitter.
What’s Happening:
- Websites including Screamscape have reported on the potential closure of Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, which being a popular coaster among enthusiasts, quite rightly had many in the community worried.
- Kumba, a Bolliger & Mabillard sit-down looping coaster, originally opened on April 20th, 1993, and could potentially be reaching the end of its natural service life.
- This happens to all attractions, such as The Incredible Hulk at Universal’s Islands of Adventures. It is a very similar coaster to Kumba, and it underwent a complete track replacement back in 2016.
- So at some point, Busch Gardens will have no choice but to either upgrade or replace the attraction.
- The park’s official Twitter account addressed these rumors today with the following post:
- They even replied to Screamscape’s Twitter account, mentioning that Kumba isn’t going anywhere, but that they still recommend riding it ASAP. Could they potentially be teasing some sort of upgrade for the ride?
More SeaWorld Parks News:
- Iron Gwazi, the newest roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, is already seeing some issues, as minor modifications have been made after a guest reported a minor injury.
- Speaking of Iron Gwazi, check out Jeremiah’s review of the tallest hybrid coaster in the United States.
- Now open on the West Coast at SeaWorld San Diego is Emperor, California’s tallest, fastest, and longest dive coaster. Check out Luke’s preview of the exciting new attraction.