Festival-goers at a major musical event found themselves in a startling situation when a popular ride abruptly stopped, leaving several people suspended upside down.
This unexpected incident took place early Thursday morning at Boardmasters, an annual surfing and music festival in Cornwall, England. The Apollo 13 ride experienced a blackout around 1 AM, as noted in a video recorded by attendees and confirmed by event organizers.
A video uploaded to TikTok showed riders stuck in mid-air for approximately 20 minutes. One TikTok user described the scene as “Mad,” while others made light of the situation, joking about how the wind affected the ride’s motion.
Another person on the ride commented, perhaps rather casually, that it was “just cold.” The Apollo 13 ride, which travels to festivals across the UK, takes its name from NASA’s doomed 1970 mission when an oxygen tank exploded onboard.
This thrill ride features spinning arms and can accommodate up to eight passengers, with half of them swinging 180 feet into the air. Reports indicate that a few riders were flipped upside down during the malfunction.
Despite the dramatic imagery, organizers asserted that safety measures were effective. A spokesperson for Boardmasters stated, “As a precaution, boarding was automatically halted. The ride operator acted swiftly to assist all guests safely within 20 minutes.”
“At no point were guests in danger,” they added. After conducting a complete safety inspection, the ride resumed normal operation.
The Apollo 13 ride is set to launch in 2024, and its operators will share updates and maintenance insights on their official Facebook page. In an earlier post, they detailed the rigorous checks performed before each event, which include inspections of gear and other safety measures.
The four-day Boardmasters festival is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, August 10th.
