The Big Wave closes during severe storm at Plopsaland
During a severe storm in November 2023, Plopsaland kept almost all outdoor rides closed, including The Big Wave. Gusts of up to 110 km/h caused damage and forced entertainment changes.
More context
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.