The Zambezi Zinger coaster is about to open. Worlds of Fun announces when you can ride

Joseph Hernandez
·1 min read
2

The Zambezi Zinger’s opening date is right around the corner.

Worlds of Fun announced Thursday that the reimagined roller coaster will open to the public at 11 a.m. May 26, the amusement park’s opening day.

Before then, 32 winners will get to take the First Rider Expedition on May 25. These winners were drawn from nearly 1,000 entrants who donated $10 or more to Big Slick Kansas City, the Children’s Mercy fundraiser hosted by Kansas City celebrities Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Eric Stonestreet, David Koechner, Rob Riggle and Heidi Gardner.

Riders will climb a spiral lift hill made of galvanized steel and wood hybrid frame before being dropped into a low-to-the-ground track on the new re-imagined Zambezi Zinger.
Riders will climb a spiral lift hill made of galvanized steel and wood hybrid frame before being dropped into a low-to-the-ground track on the new re-imagined Zambezi Zinger.

Season pass holders will get to ride the Zambezi Zinger next,during a preview from 6 to 10 p.m. May 25. Most of the amusement park’s attractions will be open as well.

The ride is built on a hybrid structure of galvanized steel and wood and is a nod to the original Zambezi Zinger, which was one of the park’s three coasters from opening day in 1973. It was torn down in 1997 and sent to Parque Nacional del Café in Montenegro, Quindio, Colombia, where it operates under the name La Broca.

Worlds of Fun brought the ride back to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary.

The old Zambezi Zinger.
The old Zambezi Zinger.

One thing that’s not coming back from the original: the bobsled-style seating. The new roller coaster will feature side-by-side seating and stands 74 feet high at its tallest point. That’s nearly 20 feet taller than the original coaster.