Summertime Fun Gone Wrong: Detroit Giant Slide Sending People Airborne!

Bouncing down a giant slide isn't exactly the summertime fun Detroit residents were looking for, but it's the summertime fun they got. The Belle Isle giant slide in Detroit, Michigan reopened on Friday after being closed for years, but something just wasn't the same with the longstanding beloved slide. Instead of a smooth, breezy ride down the 40-foot tall slide, people were literally bouncing down the slide in a bumpy and sometimes painful way. Detroit Free Press reported that the cause of the super fast and bumpy ride was the slide being freshly waxed, according to staff members. Missed all the action? Don't worry, many TikTokers made sure to capture it all on video.

Detroit morning radio show, Mojo in the Morning posted a video on TikTok of the slide in action captioned, "Hard pass for us." The video shows people going down the metal slide in potato sacks but they're not exactly "sliding" down smoothly.

Of course, people had some things to say about this insanity. The comment section is where the magic lives. If while watching the many videos on TikTok showing the slide in action and you laughed, you're not alone.

"Slide name: 'THE LAW SUIT'"

"I like seeing multiple TikTok’s showing people going down the slide. Yet it didn’t stop people from going next."

"I've seen 8 different vids of this, gets funnier each time LMAO."

"Gen X has entered the chat: I'm all in on this."

"I fractured a Fallopian tube just watching this!"

"This slide was the best thing to happen to tik tok this weekend."

"This should be a tv channel, just this 24 hours a day."

"Looks like something that would be at Action Park."

And the funny comments just keep on coming!

Another TikTok account, @crimeinthed, posted a video of "sliders" coming down the slide with appropriate music in the background. Some of them appear to be tossed down the slide, bouncing their way to the bottom and beyond.

Another TikToker, @donlife, also posted a video of how some people were making it from the top to the bottom with his commentary. Comments on his video included, "They need to interview the survivors," "I live across the country but somehow have made it to Detroit slide tok and I can’t stop laughing. I hope everyone is safe," "this is 90's playground approved," "bruises, burns, and broken bones build character lol they be aight lol," as well as many others.

The slide isn't new to Belle Isle Park; it's been there since the 1960's but closed during the pandemic. The slide first reopened Friday but then closed down a few hours later after many sliders were bouncing to the bottom painfully. On Sunday, a video was posted on the park's Facebook page with a Department of Natural Resources employee explaining step-by-step instructions on how to properly go down the slide.

During the demonstration video, the employee goes down the slide without bouncing or flying. He explained that first you sit at the top of the slide and then put your legs and body inside the potato sack. Then it's important to gather the excess bag in your lap so you have something to hang on to while sliding down the slide. He then explains a very important part of sliding properly is you must lean forward the entire ride while holding on to that excess bag.

According to Fox 2 Detroit, the slide prompted a song from Detroit rapper GMAC Cash about all the possible things that can happen if you take the risk of trying out the slide, such as "break your back" or "lose a tooth." And while the jokes are all around, there have been no reports of any serious injuries thus far.

For anyone in the Detroit area who is brave enough to give this slide a try, they will be open for business on Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Labor Day. Giant Slide rides are $1 each, and riders must be at least 48 inches tall to slide (hopefully not bounce.)