Heidi The Ride

In 2024, Heidi The Ride entered a new chapter in its maintenance history. The wooden coaster had been closed since 30 September for major work, and the expected reopening was pushed back to 26 October. That meant the downtime overlapped with part of the Walloon autumn holiday and affected visitors during Plopsaland’s busy Halloween period. The park explained that the coaster was undergoing a retrack: sections of the wooden running rail were being replaced to guarantee the train’s speed. For fans, this is a familiar theme with wooden coasters. GCI rides such as Troy, Joris en de Draak and Wodan regularly need significant upkeep because wooden track changes with use and weather, affecting both comfort and performance. For visitors, the practical result was simple: one of the park’s key coasters was unavailable for a notable stretch. Historically, the article matters because it shows Heidi The Ride moving beyond its opening and permit story into the classic life cycle of a wooden coaster: maintenance, preservation and performance.

During Winter Magic, Heidi The Ride faced an incident with direct visitor impact. On 26 December 2018, the wooden coaster stopped on the lift shortly before 3 p.m. Riders remained stuck in the cold for more than an hour before everyone was evacuated around 4:15 p.m. Looopings reported that several cast members from Campus 12 were also on board. They still made it just in time for the 5 p.m. Plopsa Parade. All riders received a hot drink as compensation, while the coaster stayed closed for the rest of the day. For visitors, the story shows that even a relatively new headline attraction can be vulnerable to technical problems and weather conditions. The context made the incident feel sharper: the park was open for its winter event until 7 p.m., while other attractions also dealt with cold-related closures or evacuations. Historically, it is an important operational chapter in Heidi The Ride’s story, alongside the earlier permit and noise issues.

A little over a year after opening, Heidi The Ride gained an unusual fan story. A replica coaster car appeared on a Belgian auction site, complete with a piece of track. The object had previously been used for promotional purposes and, according to the listing, matched the size of a real car. The news showed how quickly the attraction had become visually recognisable to fans. For regular visitors, the auction changed nothing about the ride experience, but for theme park enthusiasts it is exactly the kind of side story that gives an attraction texture. Looopings also placed the replica in the wider world of coaster memorabilia and collector objects. Heidi The Ride was still young, yet already familiar enough for a promotional prop to attract attention. The proceeds were reportedly intended for charity. In the broader history of the ride, this article marks the moment when Heidi The Ride existed not only as an attraction in Plopsaland, but also as a fan object outside the park.