Rumors of a new attraction being built within Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s former Curse of DarKastle show building have been confirmed — thanks to plumbing and electrical permits.
BGWFans, which has a stellar record of breaking news about new projects at the Virginia park before official announcements, first reported in December that the dark ride’s show building would be reused for a multi-launch family launch coaster built by Intamin. The site reported that, based on leaked plans it had obtained, the coaster would consist of a peculiar multi-lap layout to compensate for the limited space.
A pair of James City County permit applications appear to confirm BGWFans’ initial reporting. A March 2022 electrical permit is described as installation of “electrical system per plans for BG 2023 ride.” The April 2022 plumbing permit makes its location more plain, stating, “Renovation to plumbing within Old Dark Castle Ride for new ride.”
Permits related to Curse of DarKastle replacement (James City County)
The fully-enclosed coaster would not only make use of the heavily-themed DarKastle building that has sat mostly unused since the dark ride’s 2017 demise, but also provide a ride that can operate in the colder months. Busch Gardens Williamsburg moved to year-round operations in 2021.
The “DarKoaster,” as BGWFans has dubbed the project, would be the park’s 10th roller coaster and its third launch coaster, following Verbolten and the recently-opened Pantheon, which was also built by Intamin.