Slangen, Tivoli Gardens's family roller coaster, closed on 21 September 2003 to make room for Dæmonen. Once the roller coaster was demolished, construction for the new roller coaster commenced. By the beginning of December, most of the brake run and station portions of the track were erected. By the new year, the lift hill was topped off. The first drop was completed by the end of January 2004 and the last piece of track was placed in February. On 14 July 2007, Dæmonen got stuck during a ride, and the passengers would have to wait an hour before they could be released by the fire department. On 20 July 2008, the ride stopped 25 meters above the ground, and 24 passengers were evacuated via build-in stairs. The latter incident was caused by a loose connection in an electronic sensor, which triggered the emergency brakes. On 6 April 2017 an optional, up-charge virtual reality experience was added to the ride. Utilising Samsung VR headsets, the graphics depict scenes of dragons, demons, and other elements from Chinese mythology. The ride is currently sponsored by Mazda.
Ride experience
After riders have boarded and the station floor is retracted, the train begins to climb the chain lift hill. Once at the top, the train makes an approximate 180-degree downward left turn followed by an upward right turn. Following the turn, the train enters the main drop reaching a top speed of leading directly into a vertical loop. The train then immediately goes through an Immelmann loop. Next, the train makes a slightly banked right turn into a zero-gravity roll. After an upward left turn, then another right turn, the train rises up leading into the final brake run. The train then makes a 180-degree left turn leading back to the station. One cycle of the ride lasts about 1 minute and 46 seconds.
Characteristics
Track
The steel track of Dæmonen is approximately long, and the height of the lift is high. The track was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard and is filled with sand to reduce the noise made by the trains. Also, the track is painted red while the supports are silver.
Trains
Dæmonen operates with two steel and fiberglass trains. Each train has six cars that can seat four rides in a single row, for a total of 24 riders per train; each seat has its own individual over the shoulder restraint. This configuration allows the ride to achieve a theoretical hourly capacity of 1,200 riders per hour. The structure of the trains are colored orange; the seats and restraints are black. Also, unlike traditional steel roller coasters, Dæmonen has no floor on its trains.
Reception
Mia Christensen and Andreas Veilstrup from B.T. said that the ride was fantastic and that it has lived up to its name. Ethan Williams from Daily Mail said, "the fun didn't last long enough for me", and gave Dæmonen two out of five for speed and surprise factor, three out of five for fear factor, and a three out of five overall. After the first year of the roller coaster's operation, Tivoli Gardens announced that a record 3,346,000 guests attended the park in the 2004 season; however, attendance dropped 186,000 the following year. Dæmonen has never placed in Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards.
