This Week In Theme Parks

After months of construction updates, enormous statistics and plenty of anticipation, one of 2026's biggest new rollercoasters finally has an opening date.

Six Flags Over Texas has confirmed that Tormenta Rampaging Run will welcome its first public riders in a matter of days, bringing six claimed world records and a 309-foot lift hill to the park.

Elsewhere, Disneyland's original Autopia vehicles are facing a firm deadline, Norway has opened an ambitious new family dark ride and the first major pieces of Chessington's Minecraft rollercoaster have started to reveal what the attraction could look like.

Here is everything you may have missed in the theme park world this week.

Tormenta Rampaging Run Opens On June 26

Six Flags Over Texas has officially confirmed that Tormenta Rampaging Run will open to the public on Friday, June 26.

The enormous new Bolliger and Mabillard dive coaster has been one of the most closely watched projects of the year, and it is not difficult to see why.

Tormenta will stand 309 feet tall, reach speeds of up to 87 mph and send riders down a 285-foot drop at a 95-degree angle.

Six Flags says the attraction will break six world records, becoming the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster ever built. It will also feature the world's tallest vertical loop on a rollercoaster, standing at 179 feet.

The ride forms the centrepiece of Rancho de la Tormenta, a new Spanish village inspired by the running of the bulls.

That surrounding area should help the coaster feel like more than a collection of impressive statistics. Spanish-style architecture, music and a new restaurant will create a proper entrance experience around a ride that already dominates the park's skyline.

The idea of a giga dive coaster still sounds slightly excessive, but that is part of the appeal. Dive coasters are built around anticipation, height and the moment riders are held over the edge before being released.

When that edge is more than 300 feet above the ground, the pause is likely to feel considerably longer than it actually is.

Disneyland's Gas-Powered Autopia Vehicles Face A Deadline

Disneyland must retire the current gas-powered vehicles used on Autopia by February 1, 2027.

The deadline follows an agreement with the California Air Resources Board after the attraction's modified engines were found not to comply with state emissions requirements.

Disney has already confirmed that it is developing electric vehicles for the attraction, although the resort has not yet announced when Autopia will close for the conversion.

Autopia opened alongside Disneyland itself in 1955 and remains the only original Tomorrowland attraction still operating in the land.

The basic experience has remained remarkably familiar. Children and adults steer small cars along a guided roadway, creating one of the few Disneyland attractions where younger guests can feel as though they are genuinely controlling the ride.

The petrol smell and engine noise have also become inseparable from the attraction, although not necessarily in a good way.

Moving to electric vehicles feels long overdue for a ride located in an area themed around the future. It should create a quieter and cleaner experience without removing the simple appeal of letting guests drive their own car.

The biggest unanswered question is how extensive the refurbishment will be. Disneyland could simply replace the vehicles, or use the closure as an opportunity to rethink the ageing scenery and surrounding track.

Either way, the current version of Autopia is now entering its final months.

Rally Flåklypa Opens At Hunderfossen

Norway's Hunderfossen Adventure Park has officially opened Rally Flåklypa, a new indoor family dark ride based on the popular Flåklypa universe.

The attraction places guests inside a high-speed rally alongside inventor Reodor Felgen and several familiar characters from the Norwegian stories and films.

Rather than watching the race from the sidelines, riders become part of the action as the vehicles travel through a series of scenes filled with competing racers, unexpected obstacles and suitably questionable tactics.

The attraction is linked to the new film Flåklypa - From Paris to the Pyramids, allowing the park to expand a locally loved story rather than relying on an internationally recognised franchise.

That makes Rally Flåklypa particularly interesting.

Hunderfossen may not have the global profile of Disney or Universal, but it can offer something those resorts cannot: an attraction rooted directly in Norwegian culture and characters that generations of local visitors already know.

Family dark rides are also valuable additions for parks with seasonal weather. An indoor attraction provides something substantial to experience when Norway's famously dependable sunshine inevitably disappears.

It may not have the height or speed of Tormenta, but Rally Flåklypa looks like exactly the sort of distinctive, story-led attraction that gives a regional park its own identity.

Chessington's Minecraft Coaster Starts To Reveal Its Secrets

Major track deliveries at Chessington World of Adventures have offered the clearest indication yet of what its upcoming Minecraft rollercoaster could involve.

The newly arrived track appears to reveal a launch section and a possible vertical spike, suggesting the attraction may travel both forwards and backwards through part of its layout.

The outdoor track uses earthy brown supports and rails, allowing it to fit naturally into the blocky Minecraft landscape expected around the attraction.

Chessington has not yet published the complete ride layout or full technical details, so some interpretation is still required.

However, the arrival of substantial track pieces marks an important moment for a project that has largely existed through planning documents, construction work and speculation until now.

Minecraft is an enormous addition for Chessington. The game appeals to children, teenagers and adults who have grown up playing it, giving the resort a franchise with a far broader reach than many traditional family park brands.

The challenge will be turning a deliberately blocky digital world into a convincing physical environment without making it feel like a collection of oversized cubes.

A launched coaster with backward movement would certainly give the land a strong headline attraction. It would also sit comfortably between Chessington's gentler family rides and more substantial experiences such as Mandrill Mayhem.

Final Thoughts

This week's headlines range from one of the largest rollercoasters ever constructed to a Norwegian family dark ride built around a much-loved local story.

Tormenta Rampaging Run will understandably attract most of the attention. A 309-foot dive coaster opening in a matter of days is difficult to ignore, particularly when it arrives with six claimed world records.

However, the less dramatic stories may prove just as important to their respective parks.

Autopia's electric conversion could modernise one of Disneyland's oldest experiences. Rally Flåklypa gives Hunderfossen something unique to Norway and Chessington's Minecraft project is beginning to show its true scale

Some attractions are built to redefine a skyline. Others succeed because they belong exactly where they are.

This week has delivered a little of both.