Crazy Red Bull Ferris Wheel Obstacle Course Stunt and Ferris Wheel Rescues

Danish athlete Ida Mathilde Steensgaard completed the world’s first moving obstacle course built inside a rotating Ferris wheel. The stunt was sponsored by Red Bull and took place at Odense Harbour in Denmark. Steensgaard had to clear six custom-built obstacles while the Ferris wheel actively rotated. She is a two-time Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) world champion and the obstacle course was specially built into the 98-foot-high (30-metre) Ferris wheel. What’s also interesting is that the skills she showed are the same techniques used by fire departments for an emergency rescue from a Ferris wheel.

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You Can Ride Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, but No Screaming! New Roller Coaster at Universal Studios Hollywood Delayed because of Noise

It’s only in testing, but the neighbors of Universal Studios Hollywood are already complaining about the noise from the new Fast and Furious roller coaster, more specifically the screams. It now appears mitigating those screams permeating across the Lakeside Golf Course to the historic Toluca Lake Neighborhood will delay the opening. Universal Studios Hollywood is somewhat unique in that it is near to some residential areas and has not had an outdoor coaster like this before. NBCUniversal has publicly outlined a number of steps to address noise, including installing 900 feet of sound walls, using pea gravel to help quiet the track and designing the coaster cars to rotate so screams won’t always face the neighborhood. Apparently these steps aren’t doing the trick for some neighbors who claim to hear screams every 30-40 seconds now. It appears there may be more walls coming and potentially programming changes to turn riders more away from the neighborhood.

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Visit Wild Adventures for Just $39.99 Through Labor Day as “Everyone Pays Less Than Kids Price”

The “Everyone Pays Less Than Kids Price” offer is now available at Wild Adventures! Tickets can be purchased online through August 9th with a Single-Day Admission for just $39.99 plus tax (valid any operating day through September 7th. The limited-time deal offers families affordable summer fun with “a full day of rides, slides, animals and live entertainment.” Wild Adventures was also named a top 5 most affordable theme park in U.S. according to HomeToGo’s 2026 U.S. Summer Travel Survey. HomeToGo, the world’s largest vacation rental marketplace, evaluated 40 U.S. theme parks for affordability, considering admission pricing, parking fees, nearby lodging and the number of attractions. With a lineup that includes more than 30 rides and slides, over 400 animals, a full summer concert series and immersive seasonal events, Wild Adventures stood out for its powerful combination of excitement and value.

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Fury 325 Closed Indefinetly After Carowinds Discovers Foundation Issue

The iconic roller coaster Fury 325 at Carowinds in greater Charlotte, NC has been closed since July 7, 2026. It has now been reported that this is due to a routine maintenance inspection uncovering a foundation issue. Guests have seen work walls erected around a support pillar of the ride with no timeline for the ride’s return. Fury 325 is the world’s tallest and fastest traditional chain-lift “giga” coaster and the speeds and forces on it are intense. The ride got national attention 3 years ago with videos of a crack in one of Fury 325’s support pillars that caused an extended shutdown. This broken support beam had the ride down for about 6 weeks.

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Theme Parks with Exclusive Beers: Disney and Universal Lead the Way

Hawkes’ Grog Ale at Pandora (Courtesy of @living_for_the_magic)

Several theme parks now have exclusive beers, with many of them found at Universal or Disney parks. Animal Kingdom is the surprising home of many of Disney’s exclusive beers. You’ll find one of the most iconic in the Pandora area with the green Hawkes’ Grog Ale. This distinctly green-colored American Pale Wheat Ale brewed exclusively for Disney by Terrapin Beer Company of Athens, Georgia. It’s said to be quite refreshing with flavors of apricot, peach, and citrus. You’ll also find Mo’ara High Country Ale in Pandora, a spicy hop amber ale. Safari Amber is another exclusive beer found at Animal Kingdom. It is an American amber/red lager brewed by Anheuser-Busch exclusively for the Walt Disney World Resort and I saw it on the menu at the Sanaa restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Finally, you’ll find Gold Squadron Lager at Oga’s Cantina at Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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Could Wild Adventures Be a Potential Place to Relocate ArieForce One?

ArieForce One

There has been tremendous conversation about the future of ArieForce One, the World-Class RMC roller coaster at Fun Spot Atlanta, with its impending closure. Enthusiasts are desperate to see this coaster saved rather than demolished with tremendous speculation of where it could possibly relocate. One of the parks that has been continuously mentioned in the enthusiast community by people like Theme Park Brandon and Coaster Studios is Wild Adventures in Valdosta, Georgia. Could it happen? RMC has already confirmed ArieForce One is very moveable, so it’s just a matter now of determining if it makes sense for someone to move it and if Wild Adventures would be a good home for it.

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Busch Gardens Announces Kumba will Close August 2nd, but Surprises with Simultaneous Announcement of Kumba’s Revenge!

As rumored earlier, Kumba is indeed closing forever on August 2, 2026 and silencing the iconic roar forever. The park made it official with a release on social media today. This is sad for sure and August 2nd will be a dark day in the coaster community with the closure of both ArieForce One and Kumba on the same day. However, in the sadness there is some intrigue as the park simultaneously announced a new attraction to replace it called Kumba’s Revenge as part of a $100 million project. Could this be the much rumored Giga Coaster for Busch Gardens? Time will tell I guess, but today is a time to reflect and enjoy what we’re losing, we can focus on the future after August 2nd. Kumba was a beast and provided kinetic beauty and iconic sound to the back of the park. Enjoy these last few weeks with Kumba and hope to see you at the park!

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Will Busch Gardens Close Kumba and Silence the Roar Forever?

Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa
Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa

Update 7/14/26: Unfortunately the rumors were true and Kumba will close on August 2, 2026.

Rumors are flying online that Kumba may be closing, perhaps as soon as August 2nd! The demise of the iconic B&M coaster has been feared for years now, but this time feels real. There is no official word from the park yet, but my information comes from sources in the know that have essentially always been right (which is unfortunate in this case). It seems crazy to not announce anything in advance, but the same thing happened with Kingda Ka, so anything is possible. The last time Busch Gardens closed a roller coaster was Scorpion and they announced a September 2, 2024 closing on August 23, 2024. Therefore I’m not expecting a long runway once the announcement is made. The hope is of course that the only announcement we get is a retrack (like Hulk at Universal).

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Toilet Themed “Go Racers” and Other Unique Carnival Rides

Go Racers From Phantom Entertainment

I was at the Bartow County 4th of July celebration and they had rides from Phantom Entertainment, a carnival/midway company. Phantom had a couple interesting rides including the “Wrecking Ball” and “Tubs-of-Fun”. Wrecking Ball had a “Stay Back Puke Zone!” sign which I had never seen before. It essentially just rocked and gently spun. “Tubs-of-Fun” is akin to a “teacups” ride where you can control the spin. I visited their website as I was curious to get more info on Wrecking Ball and stumbled on a toilet themed ride called “Go Racers”!

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Human Ashes Cause Disney Ride to Temporarily Shut Down

On July 6, 2026 “human remains” reportedly caused a temporary shutdown of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland. Guests reported seeing a cast member approach the ride vehicle with a vacuum. It’s evidently a common occurrence at the Disney parks that it has its own radio code and is called “Code HEPA”, but it’s been nicknamed “Code Grandma”. According to a YouTube video by Lauren the Mortician, using a vacuum is the common “cleanup” procedure. The park uses a special HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum to remove and then dispose of the ashes in a bag in the trash. Dumping ashes is especially pervasive at the Haunted Mansion with one cast member reporting, “I was a Mansion maid for around a year and it would happen at least once a month, probably around ~2 weeks is the amount it was realistically.”

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