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).

Kumba may be closing, perhaps as soon as August 2nd!

Kumba’s days have felt numbered for some time. It had an extended closure last year already and the current track is probably at the end of its service life at 33 years. B&M’s recent perceived issues with “smoothness” may have Busch Gardens wary of spending money on a retrack and leaning more to replacement. Either way, it’s a mystery why a park would not want to announce a closing in advance. It’s good customer service to allow everyone a last ride, but beyond that it’s an easy money grab. Have they not seen the lines and run on merch at ArieForce One? Other parks like Silver Dollar City have given a whole season of advance warning on the closure of Thunderation. A summer of goodbyes to Kumba would have the potential to spike attendance and maintain goodwill with the ride’s fans.

Fans have successfully saved coasters before with the “Save the Whizzer” campaign at Six Flags Great America being the chief example. Six Flags originally planned to demolish the Whizzer in the early 2000s to make room for Superman: Ultimate Flight, but a massive public outcry and grassroots fan campaign successfully saved the Whizzer, resulting in the removal of the Shockwave coaster instead.

A massive public outcry and grassroots fan campaign successfully saved the Whizzer

If it does close on August 2nd, to lose Kumba and ArieForce One on the same day would be a dark day in coaster history for sure. I’ve also heard rumors of August 8th, which is barely an improvement and reminiscent of how they did stretch the closing of Scorpion a few extra days. Kumba is a unique coaster with its characteristic roar due to its hollow tracks. It is a sincerely great ride that holds up today. It holds no records today, but when it opened in 1993, it held records for the most inversions on a coaster and the world’s tallest vertical loop (now held by Tormenta). Hopefully this is not the end of Kumba. If an announcement is forthcoming, perhaps history can be our guide and a campaign similar to “Save the Whizzer” can be mounted. I have a glimmer of hope in that Busch Gardens has a a new park president in Jon Vigue who seems to be a sincerely good guy who may be responsive to fans, but this may be a decision above him too. However, to be on the safe side, ride and enjoy Kumba while we can as next year or even next month may not be guaranteed at this point.