After a considerable hiatus that sparked quite the online spectacle, the Belle Isle Giant Slide is set to welcome daredevils and fun-seekers back onto its storied slopes. Sliding into operation on Friday, the park offers free rides to all those ready to take the plunge from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., several sources have confirmed. Detroit Free Press reports that the regular service hours will commence the following day, with a $1 price tag per ride through to the end of the season on Labor Day.
Originally unleashed on the public in 1967, the iconic slide became an instant classic among Detroit's recreational offerings. However, it achieved viral infamy in the summer of 2022 when videos showed riders bouncing rather too vigorously down the lanes, leading to a public spectacle – and not in the way the park organizers might have hoped. The amusement gained not just local but national attention, becoming the punchline on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and inspiring Detroit rapper Gmac Cash to release a track about the slide, as detailed by The Detroit News.
Safety, naturally, has been a sizable blip on the radar of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources post-viral saga. The department has since waxed and washed the slide's surface to reduce its speed and replaced the landing surface in June. Additionally, the state's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has conducted a fresh round of inspections to ensure the slide’s readiness for its re-debut, as also reported by The Detroit News.
For the youth looking to test out their gravitational mettle, the slide enforces a 48-inch height requirement. Tom Bissett, urban district manager for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, conveyed enthusiasm for the reopening, stating, "We're excited to open the iconic giant slide for the 2024 season," as per CBS News Detroit.
