Nostalgic Kansas Citians will have something to celebrate next year — the return of Worlds of Fun’s legendary roller coaster, the Zambezi Zinger. The amusement park is celebrating its 50th anniversary by bringing back the fan favorite ride.
People who grew up in the Kansas City area anytime between 1973 and 1997 are almost certainly familiar with the Zambezi Zinger.
When the park opened in 1973, the Zinger was one of the park’s most popular rides. Riders sat in bobsled-style cars and climbed high before free-falling through tight curves that dipped in and out of the tree cover. The ride closed in 1997 when it was sold to a broker and moved to the Montaña Rusa in Parque Nacional Del Café in Montenegro, Colombia.
The reimagined Zambezi Zinger will feature both a modern design — made from galvanized steel and wood — and a connection to the ride’s original design.
According to the Worlds of Fun website, the new coaster will be 2,428 feet long and 74 feet tall — 17 feet higher than the original. The two-minute ride will take passengers around banked turns, up a spiral ascent and drop them through the trees, reaching speeds of 45 mph.
Instead of bobsled cars, riders will now sit in side-by-side seating.
Kansas City roller coaster fans, like Twitter user Audra Spiven, immediately shared their excitement on social media.
I cannot describe how THRILLED I am about this news. The Zambezi was my first roller coaster. I was like 5. And at the time it was the only one I was tall enough to ride, so I rode REPEATEDLY. Only other coasters in the park were Timber Wolf and Orient Express. Circa 1989-90. https://t.co/IgODV6lsMe
— Audra (@audra_spiven) August 11, 2022
The Zambezi Zinger’s reappearance is one of several new events for the 2023 season. The season will kick off with “50 Nights of Fire,” featuring performances of the Top 40 hits from 1973 to 2023 and a pyrotechnics show.
Worlds of Fun opened on May 26, 1973. Along with business partner Jack Stedham, Kansas City Chiefs founder and NFL forefather Lamar Hunt had the vision of building a theme park as a gift to the city.
The park’s theme was modeled after the novel, "Around the World in 80 Days." The continents of the park include Americana, Europa, Africa, Scandinavia and Orient.
For more information on the history of the park and how to purchase tickets for this season, visit theirwebsite.
