Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth Update from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

© Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

With summer soon arriving, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has been sharing photos of their new ride under construction - which is now nearing the final stages.  Named Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth, the new thrill will be an imposing giant swinging pendulum ride that will be located adjacent to Superman Ultimate Flight.

The above photo was from a few weeks ago when the foundation for the ride was still under construction.  The Joker coaster is right next to the ride pad, and you can see Superman Ultimate Flight in the background.

© Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Fasting forwarding a few weeks, the ride foundation had been completed and the giant supports for Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth were on site.  That can only mean one thing: vertical construction was just around the corner!

© Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

And indeed it was.  Just a few days ago the theme park shared this photo of the ride being put up even as darkness had fallen.  The center arm that holds the pendulum is in yellow here, with the other supports extending out from it.

When completed and opened, Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth will stand 147 feet tall and swing 40 passengers per cycle at speeds approaching 70 miles per hour.

Six Flags Welcomes 20th Park with Operating Rights of Waterworld Concord

Six Flags Entertainment has announced that they have reached an agreement to operate Waterworld in Concord, California, located about 20 minutes from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.  The water park will serve as a great benefit to season pass holders for Discovery Kingdom, which does not feature a water park of its own. 

 “This is an exciting new venture and a great opportunity to provide families with more entertainment options in this important market,” said Six Flags President and CEO John Duffey. “Guests in Northern California will now have the opportunity to enjoy two beautiful Six Flags parks. This is truly a win-win, as we welcome our 20th property—Waterworld California—back into our family of parks.”

© Waterworld California

Waterworld is the area's largest water park and features more than 35 water attractions spread over 30 acres of fun.  These include the region's largest wave pool, several areas for kids and families along with thrill slides.  The most recent addition was Break Point Plunge, a 270 foot long looping thrill ride that starts with a free-fall capsule drop from six stories in the air.

The water park, which opens for the 2017 season on May 13th, originally opened in in 1995 and was actually owned and operated by Six Flags from 2004 through 2006.  It is currently owned by EPR Properties with Six Flags as the managing and operating company.

New Slides Hit The Strip at Circus Circus in Summer 2017

© Circus Circus Las Vegas

Circus Circus, already arguably the most family-friendly resort on the Las Vegas Strip, has announced that they are expanding their pool area to include several new water slides and attractions.  When completed in time for the summer sun, the expanded area will be available only to Circus Circus resort guests.

Above is a construction photo of the Splash Zone set of water slides, shared by the resort on social media.  The 50 foot tall slide complex will feature three different experiences: a four-lane mat racing slide, a traditional speed slide and an aqua tube plunge.

The expansion also includes a brand new Splash Pad that is built for all ages and includes "water cannons, splash falls and tilting buckets."  Additional amenities include plenty of new lounge chairs, private cabanas for rent, more shade structures, personalized lockers, a brand new food truck and more.  The existing pool area will also be upgraded to feature a refurbished snack bar, new restrooms and a pool area for ages 18 and up only.

This new mini-waterpark will join Circus Circus' other family oriented amenities such as the Adventuredome indoor theme park and Midway area.  For more photos of the completed slide tower and the other work taking place, check out this post from Vital Vegas.

Checking In On Canada's Wonderland's New For 2017 Rides and Slides

© Canada's Wonderland

With opening day now less than a week away, Canada's Wonderland is ramping up the excitement for their new attractions by sharing some official photos of what's new.   

Above is the theme park's new thrill ride, known as Soaring Timbers, which looks pretty much ready to go.  The first of its kind in North America, Soaring Timbers is one of Mondial's "Inferno" rides, which spins passengers on two giant gondolas up to 66 feet in the air.

© Canada's Wonderland

There's several different degrees of rotation that the gondolas are capable of moving in, so it's a pretty safe bet that riders won't know which way is up while on the attraction.  These photos also show how nicely themed the area around Soaring Timbers is, complete with a nice waterfall built into the landscaping.  Canada's Wonderland is known for their somewhat exotic selection of flat rides, and Soaring Timbers only solidifies that reputation in my book.

© Canada's Wonderland

Splash Works, Canada's Wonderland's water park, is also opening a new slide tower this summer, named Muskoka Plunge.  The photos shared by the park show that this one still has quite a bit of construction left - but that's okay because the water park doesn't open for a while yet.

Muskoka Plunge will feature 4 trap-door style launch tubes that drop sliders into a free fall and down through the slide.  It has been reported by Screamscape that the attraction is being built by Splashtacular, one of their DrenalineDrop towers.  I believe that Six Flags installed a couple of these a few years back.  Should be neat to see the complete slide structure!

The park officially opens on April 30th, which is the general public's first chance to try out Soaring Timbers.

InvadR's Media Day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Part 1

Here is the reason we came to ride. The sign lights up at night, and it looked impressive when we first arrived. There had been a blizzard in the Smoky Mountains of West Virginia and the 30-degree weather resulted in a delay before InvadR could begin to operate.

After the sun took the chill out of the air, the grand opening featured the invading Viking as the first to ride InvadR. Somehow, only Magnus was truly dressed as a Viking, unless they developed zippered clothing with polyfill insulation. It was interesting to see some of the participants later in the day throughout the park, still with their warpaint on.

Of course, it wouldn't be A SeaWorld park without immersive theming throughout the queue. And this carries on into the station and also at the end of the ride.

This new display is on many of the roller coasters at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It allows for the checkers to see immediately what bar needs to be adjusted and results in faster dispatches. Plus it is some else to watch while you are waiting your turn in the station.

Enthusiastic VIP guests braved the cold and rode InvadR time after time. It was easy to take photos since there were full trains all during the event. When InvadR goes into operation, the track clearing announcements also states "It is time to pillage the village," a nice touch for early riders who witness the start of operations. 

The consensus was this was a good addition to the park, for both families and coaster enthusiasts. You can see this is the Villager's train,...

and here is the Viking train. It is a matter of chance for which one you will ride. We tried them both and had great fun on each one. Here is our ride: 

We finally stayed home for a weekend to catch up so stay tuned for more from InvadR Media Day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Warner Bros. Movie World's New Hyper Coaster Goes Vertical

We still have no official announcement from the park, but we know it's going to be big and pink!  Well, pinkish purple perhaps.

Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia has started vertical construction on their rumored-to-be hypercoaster, with track and supports starting to tower over the park.

The rumored height is right around 200 feet, but the manufacturer, Mack Rides, is confirmed from the construction site.

© Google

Speaking of the construction site, footings for the ride are basically complete and on updated maps (not this one) you can actually see the ride's layout.  It extends quite far along the park's front border, generally in the pink box above.  If you compare that size to other rides in the park you can tell that this ride will have quite a bit of track.

If you want to check out some photos of the newly vertical ride, check out this update from Parkz.  Also, that website's forum is a hotbed of almost daily updates, like this one showing what was completed as of yesterday.

I'm looking forward to seeing all that this ride has to offer!

Sol Spin - New Thrill Ride at Knott's Berry Farm - Now Open

© Knott's Berry Farm

This is a ride that's only for the brave of heart and the emptiest of stomachs, but it does looks like a ton of fun.  Just opened yesterday at Knott's Berry Farm is Sol Spin, a new-to-the-park thrill ride that spins and inverts passengers at up to 60 feet above the ground.

Located in Fiesta Village, Sol Spin sits in the area that was once occupied by WindSeeker.  Its bright colors fit in with the theme of the vibrant area wonderfully, livening it up considerably as well.  The main arm twists in an elevated circle while the passenger gondolas rotate and flip freely, a dizzying effect.  Here's some video of the ride in action that I noticed on Twitter:

#SolSpin at @knotts was so much fun! I screamed a lot on this ride! 😂 pic.twitter.com/BjczLo4B4K

— miguelWOOL (@miguelWOOL12) April 22, 2017

Sol Spin is a "classic" flat ride that came to the park though parent company, Cedar Fair's, efforts to purchase these types of rides from both Europe and Japan.  It is a Mondial Top Scan, which are pretty popular on the European fair circuit.

Knott's adjacent water park, Soak City, will also open a major expansion in a couple months, featuring a brand new family raft ride and a tower with multiple slides including some with a trap-door freefall start.

Dutch Wonderland Close to Vertical Construction of New Family Coaster

© Dutch Wonderland

One new-for-2017 coaster that we haven't heard much on in recent months is Merlin's Mayhem at Dutch Wonderland, though the park has been getting ready for the new ride through the winter.  Just recently the family theme park started to receive track and supports for the inverted ride, seen in recent photos shared by the park.

As depicted in earlier concept art and animations, Merlin's Mayhem will feature cobalt blue supports and gold/yellow track.

© Dutch Wonderland

Dutch Wonderland's parking lot is currently the staging area for the arriving parts, plenty of which are now on site.  I haven't seen photos of the actual construction site, but I would think that the park has footings ready to go, just waiting for track and supports to arrive.

Merlin's Mayhem is a family inverted coaster designed by S&S Worldwide.  It will stand 60 feet tall at the highest point and stretch over 1,300 feet long, ending with a short tunnel before the brakes.  Since Dutch Wonderland is a family park oriented toward kids, the coaster will have a low 39 inch height requirement.

© Dutch Wonderland

Here is some of the coaster's track that is on site.  The colors of Merlin's Mayhem will really stand out at the park, and I believe the coaster is near the main entrance so it will also serve as a nice billboard for the park!

Check out the below animation of the ride to get familiar with it - won't be long until we see it standing at the park!

World's Tallest Drop Ride to Feature Virtual Reality Experience at Six Flags Great Adventure

Six Flags Great Adventure has announced the addition of virtual reality headsets to the world's tallest and fastest free fall ride, Zumanjaro, creating an all-new experience called the Drop of Doom.

The attraction will open with the new Samsung Gear VR headsets on May 5th and run for a limited time during the 2017 season.  On board the ride visitors will battle "giant, mutant spiders" while plunging down more than 400 feet at speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.

© Six Flags

While on board the Drop of Doom, riders will enter a virtual world where "they become pilots of a futuristic gunship under attack by mutant spiders."  The climb to the top of the tower will send passengers virtually up 100 stories while teetering on the edge of a helicopter.  At the top they will experience 360 degree views above "massive skyscrapers that are under siege by enormous spiders," then move on to a "high-intensity gun battle against a giant arachnid," which spews baby spiders at them that will virtually crawl all over.

Between the fear of heights and the common fear of spiders, Drop of Doom is sure to get everyone's blood pumping!

© Six Flags

After the 90 mile per hour drop, which takes place inbetween tall buildings within the virtual world, there will be a "final showdown with a spider the size of a van, teeth-gnashing and in full attack mode."

“As the leader in innovation, Six Flags launched the very first VR coaster experiences. Now, we are taking virtual reality to the next level with the introduction of the first VR drop rides,” said Neal Thurman, park president. “Drop of Doom VR plays upon two of our greatest fears – extreme heights and spiders – and delivers an entirely new thrill for the spring 2017 season.”

For more on the new Drop of Doom at Six Flags Great Adventure, check out the park's website and also this teaser video:

New Multi-Launch Gerstlauer Coaster Now Open in the Netherlands

© Attractiepark Slagharen

Attractiepark Slagharen has officially opened their brand new, custom designed roller coaster, Gold Rush, to eager park visitors.  The compact coaster has been designed by Gerstlauer and features a forward and backward multi-launch system to give the trains their power.

Fully decked out in Wild West theming, Gold Rush packs a lot of ride into a small space, but doesn't go light on the thrills.  At the end of the launch sequence the trains rush out of the station at 56 miles per hour and up to the top of a 108 foot tall twisting top hat.  The first element after the plunge down from the top hat is a sling loop, also one of the ride's two inversions.  A mid-course helix leads to a dive loop that places tracks on the brake run just before the station.

A trip on Gold Rush is over pretty quickly, but that doesn't mean that the coaster doesn't pack a punch!  Take a spin on the new ride with this video from the park:

New Virtual Ride Shows Off Liseberg's New For 2018 B&M Dive Coaster

Liseberg

Back in October Sweden's Liseberg made a big announcement of new rides over their 2017 and 2018 seasons.  New this year is a giant pendulum ride, Loke, which is already standing at the park.  Perhaps more interesting to coaster fans was the announcement of Valkyria, a new B&M dive coaster that will open in 2018.

At the time of the announcement several concept art images and statistics were revealed, but much of the ride was still a mystery.  Now Liseberg has released more details - like the aerial view of the ride above - and an even newer animated point of view video of the coaster.  Care to take a ride?

Valkyria will begin with a steep lift hill that takes trains to 154 feet in the air, followed by a 90 degree right turn to the start of the 164 foot vertical plunge into a tunnel.  The trains will speed at 65 miles per hour up into a giant Immelmann inversion, followed by a sweeping turn to the ride and into the second half of the ride.  Next is a large zero-g roll, a helix and finally a slow and sweeping heartline roll before the turn into the brakes.  When all is said and done riders will have covered 2,296 feet of track.

Liseberg recently premiered a sprawling double-launch Mack coaster, Helix, and was already home to hits like Balder, an intense Intamin wood coaster and Lisebergbanan, a classic terrain Schwarzkopf coaster.  The park is crafting quite a selection of rides!

Kraken Unleashed Invades SeaWorld Orlando This June

Previously announced, SeaWorld Orlando has revealed additional details on the addition of virtual reality to their popular Kraken B&M floorless roller coaster.  Firstly, the ride's official name will be Kraken Unleashed, previously the attraction was just being called Kraken VR.

Set to open on June 16th, riders will be able to wear virtual reality headsets and plunge into a world ruled by the Kraken who is fiercely trying to defend the legendary city of Atlantis.

© SeaWorld Orlando

Riders will encounter many different real and imagined creatures on their journey, pictured above are some mean looking crabs found in an underwater lava field.  The theme park has connected both Kraken Unleashed and Journey to Atlantis through storytelling; the Kraken has been reimagined as a giant squid-like creature that wants to keep riders away from the city at any cost.  That is the main theme of the virtual reality experience, with several intense interactions with the Kraken planned.

As with similar virtual reality roller coasters, the virtual world will sync up with the physical movements of the trains, so for instance a virtual plunge will take place on the coaster's 144 foot first drop.

© SeaWorld Orlando

This post from Inside The Magic has some great details on the experience as well, including an interview with the park's designer.  There has been a lot of careful attention put into the creation of the virtual world, and I'm looking forward to see how it is received by guests.

SeaWorld Orlando has also made it clear that Kraken can still be ridden without the VR headset, should the guest choose so.  They also hinted at, but gave no details for, a new ride reservation system to eliminate waiting in a traditional queue for Kraken Unleashed.

Harry Potter Themed Lands at Universal Orlando Resort to Celebrate Christmas in 2017

© Universal Orlando

The big Orlando area theme parks have long been a special treat during the holiday season, and Universal Orlando Resort has announced a new way to make the holidays even sweeter.  Starting this upcoming winter, Christmas will be celebrated in both The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida.  This is something that fans have long wanted, though I've no doubt that all visitors will enjoy the holiday layover.

Both of the themed areas will be fully decorated top-to-bottom for the season, including appropriately themed garland, lights and more.  There will be special holiday food and retail, some of which is taken directly from the world of Harry Potter.

There will also be special live entertainment during the festivities, including a brand new show using Hogwarts Castle as the focal piece.  The latest projection mapping technology will be utilized to make the famous castle come alive with holiday "décor, candlelight and festive moments inspired by the films."  This is something that Harry Potter fans will not want to miss.

More details, along with some on a new holiday parade set to take place at Universal Studios Florida, are available in this video from the parks:

Infinity Falls To Splash Into SeaWorld Orlando in Summer 2018

© SeaWorld Orlando

Today SeaWorld Orlando announced the addition of a major new water-based attraction, named Infinity Falls, which will open at the park in the summer of 2018.

The ride will be a highly themed river rapids adventure that will be located in a totally rethemed section of the park around the current Sea Garden area.  This new section will be set in a village covered by rain forest canopy and will offer "interactive experiences that combine play with education to create a positive impact on freshwater ecosystems. SeaWorld’s Animal Ambassadors will also provide up-close encounters with animals native to South America."

© SeaWorld Orlando

Infinity Falls will be manufactured by Intamin and use a traditional river rapids ride system that's merged with a high-tech vertical lift and drop sequence.  The 4 minute plus trip will stretch 1,520 feet long and feature elaborate theming along with "category 4" rapids that are encountered.  It will culminate with a vertical lift that raises the boats up to more than 40 feet above the park, after which they will plunge down a 40 foot drop into the rapids below - this is depicted in the concept art featured above and below.

The 40 foot drop represents a world record for a river raft ride, according to the park.  The use of the elevator vertical lift is also the first of its kind in the U.S.

“We are constantly looking at new ways to amaze our guests - Infinity Falls will do that, and more,” said Jim Dean, President of SeaWorld Orlando Parks. “From the excitement of the thrilling rapids, to the unique vertical lift element, it will be an adventure that appeals to the entire family. Infinity Falls continues our commitment to investing in our park, and developing new ways to entertain and inspire our guests with meaningful, fun-filled vacations.”

© SeaWorld Orlando

Riders will sit in 8-seater, custom designed rafts that feature expedition theming while on Infinity Falls.  The ride will be family-friendly and come with a low 42 inch height requirement, so many members of the family can ride together.

As with all SeaWorld attractions, Infinity Falls and the new village area around it both have a compelling backstory that has been created:

Not long ago, a drone sent to explore the jungles of South America discovered previously uncharted structures in a remote area along the banks of a freshwater river. A group of explorers and scientists
were sent to investigate the discovery.  Upon arrival they set up base camp near an abandoned structure.  They studied and explored the river, falling in love with its power and the nature
living along its banks.  Inspired by the river, they developed a sustainable camp for others to
visit and explore so they too, could learn more about the jungle and how their connection to the waters of the world.

To further the excitement of the addition of Infinity Falls, check out this promotional clip that SeaWorld Orlando has created - make sure to take note of the on-ride virtual footage for an idea of the experience.  Looks great!

Cedar Point Shores Water Park Readies for Late May Opening

Cedar Point is entering the final stages of construction on the newly branded Cedar Point Shores Water Park, which will open to the public on May 27th.  Visitors will find a "new main entrance and exciting new attractions, dining options, a new merchandise store and new amenities that show a dramatic transformation of the 18-acre beach waterpark paradise."

Cedar Point Shores will feature several brand new slides and attractions, along with a total refreshing of the existing attractions including new names and bright color schemes.

© Cedar Point

The park has been keeping fans up to date on their renovation progress, including photos on different social media feeds.  Above is a photo from a selection posted to Twitter, showing the brand new slide tower that features both the trap-floor dropping Point Plummet body slides and the Portside Plunge tube slides.  More photos of the work can be seen at this link.

Just as there will be new slides and play areas for kids, Cedar Point Shores will also feature a beautiful new town-square area with a premiere food location named Crystal Rock Cafe, a large marketplace style eatery.  The Muffleheads Beach Bar will provide a relaxing area for adults to enjoy a beverage, and the all new Schooner's Beach Bar will be opened near the wave pool.

In anticipation of the water park's opening, Cedar Point just recently released this virtual fly-through of Cedar Point Shores.  It shows off all the new fun that is being added, and gives an idea of the new atmosphere that the water park will have.  A big part of the renovation is to open views of the adjacent Lake Erie to visitors, fitting since the beach was such a big part of the Point's history.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Gives a Name to its 2018 Launched Coaster

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been hard at work on their new for 2018 roller coaster since last fall, and today announced that the ride will be known simply as Icon.  The name is simple, but powerful, and helps enforce the park's belief that it will be one of the most iconic roller coasters ever built.  The coaster is the largest project that Blackpool has ever taken on, and it will interact with the park's other rides 15 times throughout its layout.  Blackpool is known for having a great amount of rides packed into a small space, so to build a ride of this size is no small undertaking.

Icon is being built by Mack Rides and will feature two LSM launches, one to start the coaster and one halfway through the ride.  The twisted layout stretches 3,750 feet and features elements such as an Immelman, an in-line roll and two tunnels.  The maximum height Icon will hit is 89 feet above the park, and trains will zoom at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.

To celebrate the announcement of the Icon name, Blackpool has also released a new teaser video.  It shows not only some of the recent construction work, but also hints that the ride may have an Asian-inspired theme when complete.  Check it out below.

Holiday In The Park Opening at Six Flags New England This Winter

Sure, it may only be the start of April, but that doesn't mean we can't think about the upcoming holidays, right?  Six Flags New England certainly has them on their mind, with the recent announcement of their first-ever Holiday In The Park celebration.  Set to take place starting November 24, 2017, Holiday In The Park "will be the largest holiday celebration in New England, delighting guests of all ages with sparkling lights, festive shows, tasty holiday treats, and photos with Santa."

Visitors will find more than 50 rides, shows and attractions open during the festivities, along with roaming holiday characters, storytelling with Mrs. Claus, fire-pits around the park, synchronized light displays, magical snowfall each night and of course Santa himself.

© Six Flags

“Holiday in the Park will be a wonderful must-see spectacle for families to enjoy. We are thrilled to offer our guests the opportunity to enjoy a summer of thrills including New England’s largest water park—Hurricane Harbor, our scariest Fright Fest ever and then complete the year with a trip to the North Pole,” said Six Flags New England Park President John Winkler. “The benefits of a 2017 season pass or membership to Six Flags New England just got better with the addition of Holiday in the Park.”

© Six Flags

A special treat for ride fans, the addition also means that the theme park will have its longest season ever, meaning a smaller off-season!  The park's website for the event lists that coasters including the brand new Joker, Thunderbolt, Mind Eraser and Batman The Dark Knight will be operating.  Pretty nice to be able to experience rides like that during December in New England!

Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon Opens at Universal Studios Florida

Now open at Universal Studios Florida is a brand new simulator-style attraction dubbed Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon.  The host of the "Tonight Show" is taking passengers on a crazy trip through New York City where he races them through the Big Apple, "completely immersing them in the world of America's favorite talk show – "The Tonight Show."  The experience is action-packed, taking riders through the busy streets, past many landmarks, and even up in the skies.

© Universal

The attraction has taken up the space formerly occupied by the Twister experience, and as depicted above resides in a recreation of the NBC Comcast building in Manhattan.  Guests are able to experience a "virtual queue" before the ride portion where they are able to freely roam and play games, take in entertainment, or even meet with Hashtag the Panda.  Color coded groups allow visitors to know when it is their turn to stop playing and take a ride through New York with Jimmy.

© Universal

Jimmy Fallon was on hand this past week for the ride to open, along with a "New York-style ticker tape parade in Universal Studios Florida that featured tons of confetti, a custom float and beloved Universal Orlando characters.  Joining Jimmy on the float were "Tonight Show" house band The Roots, announcer Steve Higgins, and an array of characters from the show, including Hashtag the Panda, the Ragtime Gals barbershop quartet, and even Stepdad Gary from the popular "Ew!" sketch."

For more on Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, check out Universal's website.

New Mardi Gras Celebration Now Underway at Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Six Flags Fiesta Texas, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has kicked off their first-ever Mardi Gras Festival & Parade, a new event for 2017.

The celebration is aimed at bringing more guests to the park during the early season, and what better to do that then a new parade, great culinary treats, and a party atmosphere?  The festival started at the theme park on March 24th and will take place each operating day until April 30th.

© Six Flags

The big draw for the Mardi Gras Festival is a parade featuring eight elaborate floats "handcrafted by world-renowned float designer, Kern Studios. The intricately designed 16-foot tall floats will feature a variety of themes including the Mardi Gras King and Queen, the seasonal festival, Dia de los Muertos, and other celebrations from around the world, like Rio’s Carnival."  Guests are able to line up and watch as the parade passes by, filled with equally colorful performers keeping the crowd pumped.

The new parade will also feature the King William Brass Band performing at two locations along the parade route.  Of course, each float will have plenty of green, gold and purple beads to distribute to the crowds.  Other features of the new parade include stilt walkers and street performers.

© Six Flags

Along with decorations throughout the park, the Mardi Gras Festival will also have authentic culinary treats for visitors to discover.  Items such as gumbo, king cakes, beignets and jambalaya are served, along with adult beverages like New Orleans Hurricanes and Southern Comfort Sweet Teas.  Retail souvenirs will also be available, like jester-style hats and large novelty beads.

The Mardi Gras Festival & Parade is a kick off to what will be an exciting 2017 season.  Later in the summer the all-new Thunder Rapids Water Coaster will open in Six Flags Fiesta Texas's water park section.

Impressive New Vekoma Coaster Going Up at Legendia

© Vekoma

2017 will be an interesting year for new coaster debuts at parks around the globe, and one that I couldn't help but notice recently is the Lech Coaster at Poland's Legendia theme park.  Designed by Vekoma, the ride features a multitude of inversions and extreme elements.

Pictured above is a view of the intense-looking first drop of the Lech Coaster, which turns 90 degrees as it plunges from a height of 131 feet.

© Vekoma

After the ride's first drop the trains will encounter a twisted layout that interacts with several planned themed elements.  In total there will be 2,979 feet of track, two corkscrews, a reverse sidewinder and several helices, according to the statistics posted to Roller Coaster Database.

© Vekoma

Vekoma also shared this photo of Lech's rolling stock - complete with a nicely themed front piece.  While the trains feature over-the-shoulder restrains they look to be the vest-kind that hopefully will provide a comfortable ride experience.  The trains will consist of six cars each with four seats for a total of twenty four riders.

© Legendia

I'm not 100% sure that Lech Coaster's theming will be completed right away, but the park has posted these images of what they have planned.  I love how this building is incorporated into one of the corkscrews, with riders passing through it while upside down.

© Legendia

This larger aerial view not only shows all the theming elements that are planned, but also the coaster's full layout.  Vekoma has long been known for their production model roller coasters, so it's great to see a unique new design going up.  The ride looks well paced and has a nice element mix that has a little bit of something for everyone!

For more photos of the ride and its construction, stay up to date with Vekoma and Legendia's Facebook pages.