DarKoaster (also billed as DarKoaster: Escape The Storm) is an indoor launched roller coaster located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in James City County near Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. It replaced the former Curse of DarKastle attraction, with the ride experience building on its predecessor's storyline and reusing its building. DarKoaster opened on May 19, 2023.[1]
History
Background
Curse of DarKastle was a dark ride that opened as a part of the park's Oktoberfest area in 2005. The attraction closed on January 23, 2018, ostensibly to house a new Howl-O-Scream haunted house named "FrostBite".[2] DarKastle's closure was assumed to be temporary by many; however, the ride failed to reopen after the event and was instead re-utilized for a Christmas Market. When interviewed in November, the park's Vice President of Marketing, Dan Dipiazzo, admitted that the attraction was still operable, but the park still needed to decide on its return. On January 24, 2018, Busch Gardens officially announced that Curse of DarKastle had been retired after 13 years of operation and subsequently reused its building for a new event space.