A famous Detroit park attraction is now set to reopen once again after being temporarily shut down in response to viral footage showing riders catching some serious air due to advanced speed.
As you may have seen on TikTok, Twitter, and elsewhere in recent days, the so-called Giant Slide at Belle Isle reopened earlier this month after being a no-go for two years due to the pandemic. The reopening date, per MLive, was Aug. 19. The state’s Department of Natural Resources was reported to be providing staff for the relaunched slide as part of a collaborative effort with local amusement center Healthy Kidz Inc. At the time, the ride (the original version of which dates back to the late 1960s) was slated to be offering slide-based enjoyment through Labor Day weekend.
Swiftly shared footage following the reopening, however, showed some riders being met with rides at a speed that officials later cited as cause for a temporary pause in its availability. Indeed, as WDIV Local 4 reports, the Giant Slide attraction was closed mere hours after it was reopened.
Over the weekend, a video shared by the official Belle Isle Park FB page included word that the attraction would indeed be opening again, with the current plan being that it will remain open on select days for the next two weeks. The cost for the ride, amazingly, is $1.00. And as for those speed concerns, a rep noted when sharing a how-to clip on intended ride safety that officials have been scrubbing the surface of the slide “and started to spray a little water” on it to control speed.
“It seems to be working well,” the post read.
Below, see a sampling of recent Giant Slide footage showing some truly wild rides. Notably, others have taken a more lighthearted approach to the conversation surrounding the widely shared clips by arguing the ride has always been the site of such shenanigans.
