Busch Gardens Tampa Bay dropped the news on July 14, 2026, and if you've got any love for classic B&M steel, it stings a little: Kumba, the Bolliger & Mabillard sit-down looper that's anchored the park's Congo section since 1993, is running its final rides on Sunday, August 2, 2026. That's more than 33 years of service, and the park kept the send-off short and sweet, saying "After 33 years, it's time for Kumba to take its final roar on August 2nd."
Thirty-three years of green steel
Kumba opened on April 21, 1993, and it came out of the gate swinging as the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster in Florida, and it carried the world's tallest vertical loop at the time per B&M's early record book. And honestly, the stats still hold up:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Lift | 143 feet |
| Drop | 135 feet |
| Top speed | 60 mph |
| Inversions | seven |
| Track | 3,978 feet |
| Ride time | a hair under three minutes |
That signature diving loop over the midway is still one of the most photographed pieces of coaster steel in the whole state, and for good reason.
What "Kumba's Revenge" actually confirms
Right alongside the closure, the park teased a successor they're calling Kumba's Revenge, and they're positioning it as part of a bigger $100 million investment. They called it "an extension of an already legendary coaster" that will "allow its spirit to live on." Here's what they did NOT say though: whether Kumba's Revenge is a retrack, a rebuild on the existing footprint, or an all-new ride. No manufacturer, no specs, no opening date, nothing published yet. That "extension" wording does hint at a rework rather than a clean-sheet coaster, but the park hasn't actually confirmed that, so we're not going to run with it.
For the trip planner
If you log your credits, August 2 is the hard deadline to ride Kumba, and eligible annual passholders get an exclusive early session from 8 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 1. Look, this is a loggable 1993 B&M classic coming off the board, so if you've been chasing it, get yourself to Tampa before the gate closes on it for good. And while you're down there, our founder Caleb counts Iron Gwazi, right there at the very same park, among his current top handful of coasters anywhere, so the trip more than pays for itself.