{"id":342391,"date":"2026-06-02T03:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T03:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/342391\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T03:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T03:42:21","slug":"after-4-years-of-closure-and-repeated-delays-this-historic-1978-roller-coaster-is-finally-expected-to-reopen-in-buena-park-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/342391\/","title":{"rendered":"After 4 years of closure and repeated delays, this historic 1978 roller coaster is finally expected to reopen in Buena Park this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Montezooma's\"Montezooma's<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0\u2013\u00a0
\n\t\t\t\tSenior Staff Writer\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0
\n\t\t\tJune 1, 2026<\/p>\n

Ever since Knott\u2019s Berry Farm closed its iconic Montezooma\u2019s Revenge roller coaster in 2022, fans of the theme park have waited with bated breath to see the ride finally back in action after repeated delays. <\/p>\n

This past April, The OC Register<\/a> reported that the iconic 1970s-era coaster is finally expected to reopen this summer 2026, per Knott\u2019s officials, although the park has not yet revealed an official opening date.<\/p>\n

Originally called Montezooma\u2019s Revenge, the newly revamped coaster will reopen as \u201cMonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress,\u201d featuring a new backstory and refurbished ride features.<\/p>\n

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress<\/p>\n

Montezooma\u2019s Revenge, which opened in 1978 as the country\u2019s first Schwarzkopf flywheel-launch shuttle loop coaster, holds a coveted designation as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark.<\/p>\n

Knott\u2019s shut it down in 2022 for extensive upgrades, missing the original expected 2023 reopening due to ongoing construction delays. <\/p>\n

\"Montezooma's\"Montezooma'sJeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0<\/a> via Flickr<\/p>\n

Construction involved removing the original flywheel launch hardware and much of the original track, and replacing it with new track that closely matches the old layout. The new coaster also features a modern launch and braking system that allows for randomized forward- and backward-facing launches. <\/p>\n

Riders will discover a new backstory about doomed treasure hunters in an Aztec-themed world, embellished with brand-new station decor, entrance elements, signage, tunnels, and environmental details.<\/p>\n

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress is a principal attraction in Knott\u2019s reopened Fiesta Village area, a colorful themed section of the park dedicated to California\u2019s Spanish and Mexican roots. <\/p>\n

We\u2019ll be keeping an eye on Six Flags\u2019 Knott\u2019s Berry Farm website<\/a> for updates about the summer 2026 opening. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons \u00a0\u2013\u00a0 Senior Staff Writer \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 June 1, 2026 Ever since…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164],"class_list":["post-342391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}