Wakala

After months of planning, construction, testing and waiting, Wakala reached the point where guests were finally almost able to ride. Looopings published an onride video shortly before the 1 July opening. It gave the public a clear look at the experience: a 21-metre-high, 660-metre-long family coaster built by Gerstlauer and styled around a Canadian theme.\n\nThe article stressed that Bellewaerde could still present a major new attraction despite the coronavirus crisis. The 7.5 million euro investment featured two lift hills, three trains with twenty seats each and a top speed of 50 kilometres per hour. The dead-end section over the water, the backward motion and the switch track back to the station gave Wakala its own signature.\n\nFor visitors, the opening offered an extra reason to return to Bellewaerde after lockdown. For fans, the article closed a long build-up: from Canadacoaster and permit discussions to test footage and the first full onride. Historically, it marks the shift from construction project to operating attraction. Wakala became not only a new coaster, but also a symbol of an unusual theme park year in which a major investment could finally welcome the public.

With the first test footage, Wakala was finally visible as a moving attraction. Looopings highlighted a YouTube video in which a drone captured the layout of the new family coaster. Onride footage was also included, allowing fans to see how the lifts, turns, backward section and switch track worked together in motion.\n\nThe ride's key facts were confirmed again: Wakala stood in the Canadian themed area, was 21 metres high and 660 metres long, reached 50 kilometres per hour and was built by Gerstlauer. What made the coaster especially distinctive was its non-closed circuit. The ride does not simply return to the station, but uses a backward spike and switch track to complete the route.\n\nThe timing remained unusual. Bellewaerde should have reopened in early April, but the park was still closed because of coronavirus. As a result, fans saw the coaster digitally before regular visitors could board it. The article captures an important interim moment: Wakala was technically running and testing was underway, but the public premiere still depended on the park's reopening.

The arrival of a train is often the moment when a coaster project starts to feel real for fans. That was also true for Wakala. In April 2020, Looopings reported that Bellewaerde had received a first train for the new Gerstlauer family coaster. The attraction, which had until then mostly been seen as structure and specifications, now had a recognisable face.\n\nThe article placed the train within the broader story of the ride. Wakala was located in the Canadian themed area, featured two lift hills and a backward freefall, and carried a theme inspired by the Kwakiutl. The actual opening remained uncertain, however, because Bellewaerde was still closed due to coronavirus measures.\n\nFor visitors, the train delivery mainly meant that the opening was moving closer, even without a date. For fans, it was another sign that the 7.5 million euro addition was nearly ready for its first rides. In Wakala's history, this article marks the shift from construction to commissioning: the track was standing, and now the vehicle that would carry guests through the experience had arrived as well.