Theme Park Scope

Cedar Point has closed Millennium Force after a part came off one of the ride’s vehicles and landed in a guest area.

This is a serious headline for a ride that so many coaster fans and families consider a Cedar Point must-do, so let’s go through what the park has said.

Cedar Point told Fox 8 in Cleveland that “a small bracket became dislodged from a ride vehicle on the Millennium Force and landed in a guest area.” The park added that “the safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority.” Millennium Force is closed, and the ride will stay that way until Cedar Point officials and state inspectors say it can be safely reopened to the public.

That last part is the key piece for anyone planning a trip. It depends on the park and state inspectors both signing off. If a visit to Cedar Point is on your schedule, it’s a good idea to check the park’s website or app for ride status before you go, especially if Millennium Force is the coaster you’re making the trip for.

For anyone who hasn’t ridden it, here’s why this ride matters. Millennium Force opened at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio on May 13, 2000, and it was the first giga coaster ever completed and opened to the public. A giga coaster is a complete-circuit coaster with a height between 300 and 399 feet, and Millennium Force’s highest point is 310 feet. It reaches speeds of up to 93 miles per hour. For a ride that has been thrilling guests for more than two decades, it carries a lot of history for coaster fans and is one of Cedar Point’s signature rides.

It’s also worth saying that closing a ride to inspect it is exactly what a park should do when something like this happens. Rides like this are inspected regularly, and a dislodged part is the kind of thing that gets looked at closely before the train carries riders again. A closure is frustrating when you’ve planned your day around a coaster, but it’s the right call to take the time to get it right.

Nobody wants to see a closure on one of the most famous coasters in the world, but I’m glad the park shut the ride down and is waiting on inspectors before it reopens. A bracket landing in a guest area is not something to brush off, and I appreciate that Cedar Point put safety front and center in its statement. If you’re heading to Cedar Point soon, check the ride status before you go, and plan to enjoy the rest of the park’s coasters while Millennium Force gets looked at.

Do you have a favorite memory riding Millennium Force? Share it in the comments, and keep coming back to Theme Park Scope for updates on this and all the latest theme park news.