The Big Wave

A severe storm caused major disruption in and around Plopsaland De Panne in early November 2023. Outside the park, a Kabouter Plop statue on a roundabout was blown over, while inside the park a canopy in the Bumba area was damaged and a tree fell near Balloon Race. The Belgian coast was under warnings for gusts of up to 110 km/h.

For The Big Wave, the result was a clear safety measure: the ride appeared on the list of outdoor attractions visitors had to miss. Plopsaland said attractions were operating only on a limited basis because of the weather. Alongside The Big Wave, rides such as Anubis The Ride, SuperSplash, Heidi The Ride, De Draak and Ride to Happiness remained closed, while Mayaland Indoor, Circus Bumba and Het Bos van Plop stayed accessible.

The news underlines how weather-sensitive an outdoor ride like The Big Wave can be. The closure was not about popularity or a technical issue, but about safety in extreme wind. For visitors, the weather shaped what was realistically possible that day; for fans, it is a concrete example of how Plopsaland scales back its outdoor lineup during storms.

Storm Odette caused visible damage at Plopsaland De Panne in September 2020. At The Big Wave, the Zamperla Disk'O Coaster in Wickieland, strong winds tore loose several pieces of scenery. Photos showed artificial grass mats hanging over the faux rocks, a striking image for a ride whose playful coastal and Viking-style setting is part of its appeal.

Because the wind was still strong in De Panne, the family attraction remained temporarily out of service. Looopings placed the damage in a wider storm context: Het Bos van Plop was also affected, and the park had already taken precautions by securing parasols, bins and construction fence coverings.

For visitors, the immediate result was a missed ride, but for fans it became a clear moment in the history of The Big Wave. The attraction is an outdoor installation on the Belgian coast, and the incident showed how vulnerable heavily themed outdoor rides can be in extreme weather. The closure was not about a technical fault, but about safety, damage assessment and repairs after the storm.

At the end of 2015, Plopsaland adjusted its accessibility policy after talks with a scouting group and Plopsa. The change followed an open letter from scout leader Lotte Berghmans to Studio 100 boss Gert Verhulst, in which she criticised the procedures for guests with disabilities. Until then, only a small number of disabled riders could board certain attractions at the same time, which quickly created long waits for groups.

For The Big Wave, the change was very concrete. After an internal risk assessment and consultation with an inspection body, the limit rose from two to eight disabled guests at once. That made the spinning disc ride more workable for group visits and placed it more clearly within Plopsaland's wider accessibility policy.

For visitors and carers, the effect was practical: less waiting and a better chance to experience the ride together. In the history of The Big Wave this was not a technical upgrade, but it was an important operational moment. The attraction became part of a broader shift in which accessibility and organised group visits received more serious attention.