FARMINGTON, Utah - Blood-thirsty Lagoon visitors are eating the much-anticipated Cannibal roller coaster alive Thursday.

Lagoon officials said the ride is finally open to the public with a preliminary "limited soft opening" for testing.

"We didn't make any special announcement, we just opened the gates and in people came," said Julie Freed, who is the Director of Special Events at Lagoon.

The amusement park opened the coaster just after 3 p.m. Thursday.

"They have worked 7 days a week for a very long time to get this ride open to the public," Freed said of their efforts.

Authorities said visitors can ride the newest roller coaster through the holiday weekend.

Park officials said they plan to keep it up and running from here on out however, riders should expect delays and stops while crews make adjustments through the weekend. Park visitors who spoke with FOX 13 News Thursday said they waited about an hour and a half in line before being able to ride Cannibal. See the video above for more reactions from those who rode Cannibal Thursday.

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