Kentucky Kingdom will open its new Vekoma suspended family coaster on 28 May as part of its 2026 season investment.
Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom will open to guests on 28 May 2026, adding a $14m family coaster to the Louisville theme park’s ride line-up. The debut follows Kentucky Kingdom’s 2026 season opening on 9 May and gives the Herschend-operated park a new ride anchor before the summer holiday period.
The new coaster comes from Vekoma and uses the manufacturer’s Suspended Family Coaster format. Kentucky Kingdom lists the ride at 1,380ft in length, with a 65ft maximum height and a top speed of 37mph. Ride time is listed at 63 seconds.
Flying Fox at Kentucky Kingdom centres on Jeb Fox, a fictional crop-dusting pilot created for the attraction. The queue uses a red barn setting, hand-painted murals and audio from the character. The story links the ride to Kentucky’s agricultural identity.
The ride layout gives guests views across Louisville before a tunnel finale. That final element adds a moment of surprise without moving the attraction away from a family positioning. Kentucky Kingdom describes Flying Fox as its first new roller coaster since 2019.
The coaster will become Kentucky Kingdom’s sixth roller coaster. The park says that gives it more coasters than any other theme park in the state. Guests must be at least 38in tall to ride, according to earlier project details.
Herschend’s in-house creative team developed the attraction design, according to EAP coverage. That approach follows the 2025 opening of Discovery Meadow, a six-acre family land at Kentucky Kingdom. The park says more than $30m has now gone into recent experience upgrades.
The park also launched a First Riders Auction ahead of the opening. Proceeds will benefit the Kentucky 4-H Foundation. The campaign adds a local community angle to the ride’s public debut.
Image: Kentucky Kingdom
