NEWS
FIND OUT ALL THE LATEST NEWS HERE
Welcome to the news section of our website. Here we will be sharing all the latest and greatest news from parks around the world!
Thanks for visiting hope you enjoy!!
Cedar Fair and Six Flags to Combine in Merger of Equals!
Cedar Flags??
Combined Company Will Benefit from Expanded and Complementary Portfolio of 42 Iconic Parks and 9 Resort Properties Across 17 States, Canada and Mexico
Diversified Geographic Footprint with a More Balanced Presence in Year-Round Operating Climates
More Robust Operating Model and Technology Platform to Drive Improved Guest Experience and Park Efficiencies
Strong Financial Profile and Cash Flow Generation Expected to Facilitate Investments in Park Upgrades, Expansions and New, Innovative Offerings
Approximately $200 Million of Annual Synergies, Including $120 Million of Cost Savings Anticipated Within Two Years Following Close
Expected to be Accretive to EPS for Cedar Fair Unitholders and Six Flags Shareholders within the First 12 Months Following Close
Companies to Host Conference Call Today at 8:30 a.m. ET
BEAST TO BREAK ITS OWN RECORD?
THE BEAST IS GETTING LONGER AT KINGS ISLAND!
The longest wooden roller coaster in the world is getting longer. U.S.A amusement park Kings Island in Ohio announced today that The Beast has grown in the offseason from 2243 meters to 2243.63 meters thanks to offseason track work and reprofiling. The 43 year old wooden roller coaster received more than 600 meters of replacement track in the park’s offseason, and steeper first drop that has cemented its spot in the record book as the reigning champion for world’s longest wooden roller coaster.
Please check out our photos page to see more photos of this "beast" of a project.
Click the button below to see video of Beast's construction provided to us by Kings Island.
Kings Island
RACER BEING PAINTED ORIGINAL COLOR!
3-9-22
Hey guys Kings Island made a blog post on their site revealing that Racer is being painted its original colors!
See the photo on the right from Kings Island website.
Stay tuned for coverage of everything at Ki this year for the 50th anniversary.
Read the full story below!
Kings Island
EIFFEL TOWER TO CLOSE!!
8-12-21
One of Kings Island’s original attractions is closing after this weekend. Today Kings Island announced that the park’s Eiffel Tower will close following this weekend’s operations, for the rest of the 2021 season. Over the next several months, the iconic tower will be repainted as the amusement park prepares for its 50th anniversary in 2022. For those that want to take part in next year’s anniversary celebration, Season Passes for the 2022 season went on sale today and also includes admission for the rest of 2021. More information is available at www.visitkingsisland.com.
Hershey Park
NEW FOR SPRING:
New for spring 2021, Hersheypark will debut two new culinary experiences in the new Hershey’s Chocolatetown region. Inspired by the vision of chocolate entrepreneur and founder, Milton S. Hershey, Milton’s Ice Cream Parlor and The Sweeterie Confectionery Kitchen will open on April 2, 2021. The Chocolatier Restaurant, Bar + Patio will open on Memorial Day Weekend, with more sweet details to come.
Milton's Ice Cream Parlor located in the new region of Hershey’s Chocolatetown is inspired by Mr. Hershey's early ventures in sweetness that came before his famous chocolate factory. Expert Ice Creamologists will craft custom creations from more than a dozen 100% local dairy house-made ice cream flavors, including Candymonium, Reese's Peanut Butter, Toasted Marshmallow, and Malted Memories, which is a flavor created using a Spartan Ice Cream recipe developed by Milton Hershey School students, to name a few.
Other offerings include a King Size Sundae served in a souvenir Hersheypark dish with 5 scoops of house-made ice cream, confetti cake, unlimited toppings, fresh whipped cream and a cherry; a "warm" ice cream sandwich; chocolate, strawberry and vanilla milkshakes; and two ice cream floats.
Guests looking for a savory option can grab a bite from the shareable menu featuring house-made potato chips, buckets of fries and chicken bites in Hersheypark souvenir buckets served with a choice of dipping sauces like beer cheese, smokehouse BBQ, chocolate mole, garlic parmesan, and more. Additional savory menu items include a Signature Grilled Cheese with parmesan-crusted sourdough bread; Chicken N Waffles, one of Mr. Hershey's favorite dishes; and more. To view the menu, click here.
The Sweeterie is an all-new confectionery kitchen located in the new region of Hershey’s Chocolatetown. Experience a curated collection of mouth-watering confections including chocolate-dipped treats, decadent desserts, signature hand-crafted fudge, and more.
Guests can sweeten up their visit with Hersheypark-themed treats, including the Comet coaster bar, Kissing Tower mousse cake and Chocolatetown cheesecake. To view the menu, click here.
INFO:
Tickets for the April seasonal event include more than 40 family-friendly rides and thrilling attractions like Candymonium coaster, weather permitting; photo opportunities with Hershey Characters; and visits to ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park when accessing the zoo through the Hersheypark bridge during posted park hours.
Guests can save 40 percent on 1-day tickets when they purchase online with the current Best Price Of The Year offer through Mar. 31, 2021. For the first time ever, tickets purchased during this sale will be valid any 2021 public operating day through Jan. 2, 2022. Current 2021 Season Pass Holders can enjoy unlimited visits to Springtime In The Park as part of their year-long perks. To manage attendance, every guest with tickets or group tickets is required to make a Park reservation for each day of their visit.
KINGS ISLAND
KINGS ISLAND ADDING NEW $27 MILLION CAMPGROUND FOR 2021!
A Luxury Lodging & RV Resort
Conveniently located just one mile from Kings Island Amusement Park in Deerfield Township near Mason, Ohio, Camp Cedar is a place where families can refresh, reconnect, and escape the grid—without forgoing life’s luxuries. Be our guest and enjoy an urban camping experience, thrilling activities, modern, comfortable accommodations, capacious RV campsites, and delightful amenities.
Click the button for more info!
KENTUCKY KINGDOM
KENTUCKY KINGDOM EXCELS AT WATER SAFETY
Louisville, Kentucky, March 5, 2020: Kentucky Kingdom is proud to announce that seven members of its aquatics team have been certified as Ellis & Associates Lifeguard Instructors. Jeff Ellis & Associates, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as E&A) is an internationally renowned aquatic safety and risk management consulting firm. All of Kentucky Kingdom’s lifeguards are trained in E&A’s rigorous and wide-ranging program, which covers state-of-the-art rescue techniques, first aid, CPR, use of the Automated External Defibrillator, and emergency administration of oxygen. Upon completion of their training, candidates must pass both written and practical tests to receive their final certification. During the operating season for Kentucky Kingdom’s water park, Hurricane Bay, E&A conducts unannounced audits to ensure the lifeguard staff is performing to the high standards expected of them.
Kentucky Kingdom’s seven certified instructors will train the more than 200 lifeguards hired for the park’s 2020 season. In addition to the initial training and lifeguard certification, Kentucky Kingdom always conducts in-service training of its aquatics staff, including visual audits and vigilance awareness tests, throughout the summer.
In January of this year, E&A held its annual International Aquatic Safety School (IASS) in Phoenix, Arizona, drawing hundreds of lifeguard instructors from all over the world. Kentucky Kingdom’s Aquatics Manager, Maddie King, attended and received the E&A Visionary Award in recognition of her passion for the pursuit of water safety. This distinction can be added to Kentucky Kingdom’s many previous recognitions in the area of water safety, including multiple E&A Platinum and Silver International Safety Awards, as well as a Golden Guard Award.
“We take great pride in the development not only of our aquatics team, but of our entire seasonal staff,” said Lesly Birkner, Kentucky Kingdom’s Vice President of Operations. “Our management staff works closely with all of our seasonal recruits to teach them the skills they need to carry out their responsibilities effectively. We believe the skills they learn at Kentucky Kingdom will ultimately help many young people achieve success in their future careers.”
Kentucky Kingdom continues to interview candidates for lifeguards and the park’s many other seasonal positions. Applications for all available positions can be found online at www.kentuckykingdom.com/join-the-team.
KENTUCKY KINGDOM UPDATE 5-26-2020
Kentucky Kingdom Update
Louisville, Kentucky, May 26, 2020: Kentucky Kingdom continues to receive many inquiries about an opening date. The park submitted its “COVID-19 Preparedness Plan” to local and state health officials on May 5, 2020. The plan, with over 200 pages of text and exhibits, is very comprehensive. A summary of the plan is available online at www.KentuckyKingdom.com.
Ed Hart, President and CEO, remarked, “Kentucky Kingdom is an outdoor attraction covering 63 acres. We’ve always had strict guidelines in place regarding acceptable behavior in the park and on all of our attractions, and our more than 1,400 team members diligently enforce these rules. On average, we have one team member for every ten guests, which means we have the personnel to see that guests in the park abide by our rules. Proper social distancing is just another rule that we expect our guests to observe.”
The park’s Vice President of Operations, Lesly Birkner, added, “The public has been practicing social distancing for more than two months now. We expect our guests to continue following Governor Beshear’s guidelines and to observe social distancing and good behavior when they visit Kentucky Kingdom. In addition, we have the staff needed to monitor our guests and enforce our rules and safety protocols.”
Concerning Hurricane Bay water park, Ms. Birkner noted, “We have more than 200 lifeguards, aquatic attendants, and public safety officers dedicated to supervising the water park. They are vigilant in patrolling the pools and water attractions and will be reminding our guests to observe proper social distancing while in the water. All of our pools have specific entry points, allowing us to control the number of guests in the water at any one time. Since chlorine kills the virus and sunlight and proper social distancing provide further protection, Hurricane Bay is the perfect summertime escape for families in our community during these trying times.”
Ramon Finch, Kentucky Kingdom’s Attractions Training & Administration Senior Manager, added, “Our rides and attractions are ready to go. However, we will need three weeks to allow for onboarding, training, and certification of up to 1,400 seasonal team members. We have hired 800 team members who are eager to get started, but they are still awaiting in-person follow-up to complete the onboarding process and begin training. Without a date certain to reopen, it becomes more difficult for us to achieve this.”
Jessi O’Daniel, Vice President of Guest Experience, stated, “We continue to get many calls inquiring when the park will reopen. Since we need three weeks to prepare for opening, the earliest potential opening date is now mid-June. We hope to get a response to our preparedness plan and a firm opening date from health officials as soon as possible. All of us at Kentucky Kingdom look forward to providing safe and healthy fun for families this summer.”
