You can finally board ‘Fast & Furious’: Hollywood Drift right now—maybe

If you were driving through the Valley this afternoon and thought you heard the sound of screaming, you weren’t mistaken. Universal Studios Hollywood surprised theme park goers today with the chance to be among the first to board Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift—as evidenced by footage of huge crowds mobbing the entrance.

The long, long-awaited thrill ride—the park’s first outdoor, high-speed coaster—was officially announced three years ago and was slated to finally open this summer, without any official opening date attached. And while the ride isn’t officially open to the public (and, in fact, there’s still no full-blown opening date yet), it’s in “technical rehearsals” mode, which basically functions like a soft opening.

So, should you stop what you’re doing, head to the theme park and shell out the price of admission ASAP? Well, not necessarily. We reached out to Universal about the soft opening and confirmed that the ride is indeed in technical rehearsals as of this afternoon—though if you visit sometime between now and the date of the ride’s still-to-be-announced official opening, there’s no guarantee that it’ll be running all day, every day. If you just can’t wait—or you’re an annual passholder—it might be worth a try, but if you want some assurance before buying a ticket, you’re probably better off waiting until the ride is officially open.

This isn’t the first time that the theme park has quietly unveiled an eagerly anticipated attraction via previews. Super Nintendo World, the most recent major addition to Universal Studios Hollywood pre–Hollywood Drift, welcomed visitors about a month before its official opening date in 2023, using the same technical rehearsal method, as well as pass member previews, to fine-tune operations.

Regardless, the fact that Hollywood Drift is up and running at all is big news and is sure to attract huge crowds—and a ton of screams. Though the theme park promised the ride would be “constructed with sound reduction technology” back when it was first announced, just this month, reports surfaced of Toluca Lake residents complaining about hearing the sound of screams from the very first test rides. Rumors even claimed that the conflict might push back the opening further. Luckily, it looks like those were unfounded, according to the L.A. Times, though it’s still TBD how that drama will play out.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has been enticing park goers and passersby for years now, with its construction progress taking place in plain sight, crossing over and under the series of escalators that take visitors between the upper and lower lots. Last summer, I got a first look at a ride vehicle, a Dodge Charger, which has since been joined by Mazda RX-7, Nissan Skyline GT-R and Toyota Supra models—all based on cars from the Fast & Furious franchise. The vehicles spin 360 degrees while on the track to create the “drift” sensation—quite an engineering feat for a roller coaster—while traveling 72 miles per hour.

The park’s only other high-speed coaster, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, opened back in 2004 (RIP E.T. Adventure), and it still holds up and is pretty much perpetually packed. And the family-friendly Flight of the Hippogriff, while too brief at less than a minute long, is still a great coaster. So I have high hopes for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. Stay tuned for official opening date news.