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WINTERFEST CAROWINDS


hausty1983
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I don't skate, but if they added some ski areas then we are talking! But I really want an extended season, some friends at Great Adventure are mocking me about a Christmas event

Behind the scenes there are some real hilly parts that people could ski.  I found that out last year while volunteering for the 5K Glow Run by The Beast going into Soak City.  There is one HUGE hill all it needs is snow!

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As much as I would love to see it- don't think it'll happen.  A scaled down version would still need to be "significant" enough to entice people to walk a giant parking lot to the gate.  Much of the parking is quite a distance from the entrance; walking that in 80-degree warmth is a stark contrast to a stiff wind and 20 degrees.

 

I personally think there is a market- having seen the crowds at Cincinnati & Columbus Zoo, but I don't see it happening.

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Well, by your logic, people still have to traverse the parking lots at the Cincinnati Zoo and Columbus Zoo.  The Columbus Zoo parking lot is quite expansive and open, just like Kings Islands.  

 

See also Dollywood with the popularity of their Smoky Mountain Christmas.  

 

Part of the attraction to these events are the Christmas lights and decorations.

 

To me, it would seem like a logical way for Cedar Fair to extend their season and generate some revenue at a time when the parks are normally not generating revenue.  However, in hosting winter events, it condenses the time the park has to do off season maintenance.  This is especially true for any rides that are open.  I know that Dollywood received one of the Ozark Wildcat trains so they can rehab it during the summer, and then only have to rehab one of Thunderhead`s trains in their short three month off season.

 

Additionally, when KI last had Winterfest, their was the weird last weekend where there was Halloween Haunt stuff up, but there were also Christmas decorations throughout the park.

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I know that this topic is WinterFest at Carowinds.  I didn`t specifically state anything about Winterfest at KI, other than the oddity of having both Halloween and Christmas stuff out at the end of the "regular" season in October.  I`m sure Carowinds had this same issue when they had WinterFest in 2005.  

 

It would seem that Carowinds would be a logical park for Cedar Fair to introduce a winter event again.  They have been investing heavily at Carowinds.  If successful at Carowinds, it could help add meaningful revenue to Cedar Fair`s bottom line.  

 

I think if done right, these events could be successful for Cedar Fair, and not just at Carowinds.  (Yes, even KI could.  ;) )

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Christmas time's a comin'

Christmas time's a comin'

And Bart Kinzel is a gone....

2016?

Yes please! I hate Christmas as a holiday but I loved Carowinds Winterfest. I worked the second ever Winterfest at Carowinds, it was slow at first but around Christmas it got busy and stayed that way.

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It makes perfect sense to do it at Carowinds given that the weather down there in December is much more tolerable than it is here (according to Wikipedia, the average low for Charlotte in December is 32 and the average high is 53). Hope it works out well for them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Winterfest just needed a bit more careful planning and it would have taken off again like it did in the 80s.  For KI It would be nice to replace the "cat eyes" from Haunt on top of the tower with the giant Christmas tree coming from the tower  for all to enjoy as they drove by over the holidays.   

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Also worth considering: in the 1980s, Kings Island was a park filled with world class family entertainment, authentic and high quality dining, gorgeous gardens and architecture, real craftsmen selling their impressive wares in Rivertown, and detailed and immersive themed lands. Winterfest was a natural extension of that – the elaborate entertainment, quality food, local crafts, and lovely gardens people knew and loved, now decked out for the holidays! If you love International Street in June, just wait until you see it in Christmas decor and get to explore the shops and restaurants in a whole new way! 

 

In the 2000s, that is not what Kings Island is or tries to be. It is a roller coaster park. The entertainment, dining, and shopping are – by most all standards – mediocre or worse for a park of its caliber. Kings Island is marketed as a thrilling amusement park. Unless it's marketed and angled corrected, a new Winterfest at Kings Island today would just be "Kings Island without coasters." And what does that leave? Mediocre entertainment, sub-par dining, forgettable and repetitive gift shops selling awful sweatshirts? As it is, Kings Island is not a park that can survive on its shopping, dining, and entertainment, and that's precisely what Winterfest was.

 

Busch Gardens' Christmastown event grows stronger and stronger every single year and sells out many nights. But see, "Busch Gardens without roller coasters" isn't a stretch. The park already has best-of-the-best entertainment, food, and shopping that people travel from afar to experience during the summer. But if, say, Cedar Point decided to put on a Winterfest, many would be left saying, "Why in the world should I go to Cedar Point if none of the rides are open? What is there even to do?" And that's a fair question. Maybe – just maybe – the same is worth wondering for Kings Island. How much would you pay to visit "Kings Island without coasters?" 

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Winterfest just needed a bit more careful planning and it would have taken off again like it did in the 80s.  For KI It would be nice to replace the "cat eyes" from Haunt on top of the tower with the giant Christmas tree coming from the tower  for all to enjoy as they drove by over the holidays.   

 

Besides that^, it's also worth mentioning that the biggest downfalls for Winterfest that year were probably the weather, the pricing, and management in no particular order.

 

Weather because it was unreasonably, bitterly cold. Like, unbelievably so. With tremendous winds. Anecdotal evidence here will support that.

 

The event was also priced pretty steeply for the offerings: $24.99 (and this was a decade ago). Season passholders could purchase tickets for $16.99.

 

It's the understanding of many here that Winterfest was a quick-thinking attempt by then-current management to display the versatility of the Paramount Parks at a time when they were for sale... And not for cheap, either. "Our parks are able to extend their operating season into the winter! Don't you want parks in your portfolio that can generate revenue in November and December?"

 

It worked.

 

And then, once Cedar Fair assumed control and looked through the finances... Winterfest disappeared again. 

 

Maybe that'll change soon. But in my opinion, one or more of the above needs to change dramatically for Winterfest to be a success. The weather is not up to us and management is beyond our control, so it'll come down to adjusting the price, or dramatically improving the offerings. That means good, authentic food that people want to eat, elaborate entertainment, local vendors and craftsmen, and quality merchandise. And even then, it may be that people just don't understand why the park is worth visiting if there are no rides. And again, that may be a fair question for the Kings Island of 201X to consider. 

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...this, along with the move of Mr. Fehnel back to Dorney Park, may far lessen the chances for a holiday event at Carowinds in 2016.

It is to be hoped that California's Great America will provide an environment that ALL can enjoy.

Separately, given it is California, expect the emphasis to be on Holidays, Winter, Santa, elves....but not....

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Here's the thing about holiday events.

 

The upfront cost is high.  Very high.

 

Kings Island spent millions on Winterfest in 2005.

 

They sold almost all of their stuff to EnterTRAINment Junction for next to nothing.  

 

Another shot at it would involve another huge initial investment.

 

Of course, that's Kings Island's story.  We're talking about Carowinds here...

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Much of Kings Island's 2005 Winterfest 'stuff' was not sold. You see, it was rented. That should tell you how much faith the park had that it was putting on a long term event. How much Boo Fest stuff is only rented?

I don't think that's necessarily a testament of faith.  Probably just spreading the over all cost out over a longer period of time.  They still bought a ton of stuff for it.  Much was sold to Junction, some was smeared with "blood" for the original Holiday Horror.

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And honestly, some of the best Haunted Houses that they've had.

 

The Freezer was a great maze under the Eiffel Tower, the makeup was excellent.

 

I remember snippets of the others, but it was just overall well run.  I would put it roughly at the same quality as Land of Illusion.

 

I do believe, however, that even with a season pass it was an upcharge, maybe $15.00?

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And honestly, some of the best Haunted Houses that they've had.

 

The Freezer was a great maze under the Eiffel Tower, the makeup was excellent.

 

I remember snippets of the others, but it was just overall well run.  I would put it roughly at the same quality as Land of Illusion.

 

I do believe, however, that even with a season pass it was an upcharge, maybe $15.00?

I'm wondering, what was The Freezer like and where exactly was it located- was it where Tower Drinks is? Just asking as I was way too scared to be visiting haunts back then. Heck, the main reason I even started going to Haunt regularly (since 2013, at least) was not to be scared, but to go in Slaughter House (the last year it was in Action Zone) and see Sam (well, also because I worked at the park during Haunt, but still...)!

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I never made it up to the original incarnation of Fear Fest in 2000.  

 

And 2003 was the first year that season pass holders received free admission into Fear Fest.  It was a separate upcharge in 2000, 2001 and 2002.  In fact, one of those seasons, they cleared the park of guests before letting in the paying Fear Fest customers.  They used the old season pass holder entrance as the exit for park guests so as to avoid the main gate and the guests coming into the park.

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