A Giga Coaster Could Be Coming To Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Back in May of 2017, Busch Gardens Williamsburg did the infamous, “balloon test.” This is where a park will send a balloon to the height of a coming attraction or event such as fireworks. It’s a line of sight test in order to see if passerby’s can see it, and to put into perspective the actual height of the new attraction. Since then, super fans have been keeping their eye out for updates.
Finally, we have some good news! A permit has officially been filed for a new attraction with the height of 315 feet. It’s rumored to be constructed in the Festa Field area of the park located between the Rhine River and the Festa Italia.
Rumors have been circling for years about an expansion in the park that would include Spain, but has never actually held any weight. Now, we have an official height waiver application filed to James City County by SeaWorld Entertainment (parent company of Busch Gardens Williamsburg).
Interestingly, the image above of the waiver application isn’t the first waiver. The first time BGW filed there was no mention of Madrid. In fact, The title is Busch Gardens Madrid, but Madrid is a city, not a country. So this may be a creative way to fit Spain into their park or might just be a random code name for the project. It’s also worth noting that the type of project was changed from “structure” to “attraction” by James City County officials on the latest waiver app.
As you can see in the images below, there is actually quite a bit of room in the Festa Italia section of the park that could be home to a new coaster. (bottom left corner of the map behind Roman Rapids).
Although this confirms a new project for Busch Gardens Williamsburg, it still leaves us with more questions than answers… Could BGW finally be adding a Giga-Coaster to the park? (giga coaster = a coaster between 300 and 399 feet tall). Could it be a new Hamlet? It could always be a total curve ball such as a vertical tower type attraction or a giant Star Flyer style swing ride. It does take quite a few years of planning for a new coaster, so, if that’s the case, we could be looking at a 2019 or even 2020 project. Only time will tell.. Stay tuned for more updates as things unfold…
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