New coaster The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge opening May 23 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg will debut a new roller coaster on May 23, 2025, The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge — a sequel to an old favorite.
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Last updated May 6, 2025; original version published Sept. 14, 2024.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2025 coaster
A new inverted roller coaster will open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia, the park announced on Sept. 13, 2024. The coaster, described as family-friendly, will reach a maximum speed of 40 mph. The attraction will have a height requirement of 42 inches.
The park previously stated guests could vote for the name of the new Busch Gardens coaster among three choices: “WölfSturm,” “WölfsReign,” or “GeisterWölf.” The park ultimately went with … none of those, as the official name of the coaster will be The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge.
Located in the park’s Germany area, the new Big Bad Wolf coaster for 2025 won’t displace any existing attraction. Its load station and queue will repurpose those of the long-gone Drachen Fire, which closed in 1998.
The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamgburg will officially open on May 23, 2025, following previews for park members from May 16-18.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg celebrates its 50th anniversary this season, kicking off birthday festivities on May 16.
The story behind the coaster
The backstory for Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2025 coaster is a narrative follow-up to The Big Bad Wolf, with that defunct coaster’s namesake menace returning. (The Big Bad Wolf closed in 2009 to make way for Verbolten.)
Onscreen text in the new coaster’s teaser video reads:
The village was rebuilt.
The celebrations returned.
The warnings were forgotten
until now.
The beast is back.
The chase is on.
The ride’s landing page on the Busch Gardens website elaborates:
Long ago, a wolf swept through a Bavarian town, turning townsfolk to werewolves and destroying the village. 40 years later, it’s time to honor the past during the annual Festival of the Silent Bells. The area is quiet at first, but strange noises are soon heard … footsteps and growling, then bright red eyes appear. The wolf has returned.
Busch Gardens teased the 2025 coaster’s reveal on its social media platforms in August and September 2024 with a series of videos chronicling the lore in further detail (see Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3).
Expounding upon the original Big Bad Wolf, the new coaster continues a trend of new Busch Gardens attractions furthering the stories of retired rides. DarKoaster, which opened in 2023, was a sequel to the now-closed Curse of DarKastle.
Coaster mania
Family-friendly coasters are becoming increasingly popular. In summer 2024, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay debuted the 44-mph Phoenix Rising suspended coaster and SeaWorld Orlando opened the 43-mph Penguin Trek coaster. Meanwhile at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, construction will begin in 2025 for a “Monsters, Inc.” roller coaster themed to the film’s chase through the factory’s doors.
In 2024, Busch Gardens Williamsburg reintroduced the intense Loch Ness Monster coaster with new track segments and theming elements following an extensive refurbishment.
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