Timchat2

Nothing posted yet. It will be interesting to see whether this year's items are available on the Dining Plan with the move away from tasting cards at special events like Grand Carnivale and Food & Wine.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/tricks-and-treats Tricks and Treats Fall Fest is seeing a few changes for 2024 with the addition of the Spectral Sisters and the Candy Horns, both staples of Tricks and Treats events at other legacy Cedar Fair parks. The Spectral Sisters perform on a balcony at California's Great America. Would that be possible on one of the International Street balconies? I'm not sure if any of them were built to support the weight of a person. Also it appears the costume contest will have a single host instead of the entire Costume Council like previous years.

There are poles and a couple of light towers set up in front of the Kings Island Theater and the sign for the theater has been covered up. It seems likely that Hooked will be in that space along the pathway between International Street and Action Zone.

French Corner is closed with a sign by the door saying that they are "brewing up something special" that will be "coming this fall". The partition in the dining area and the floor have been torn up inside, so it appears to be more than just a change in offerings.

Poles have been set out presumably for the scare zones in Rivertown and Coney Mall, along with whatever is happening in front of the Kings Island Theater. The lights and rigging in Area 72 have been set up as well:

At Festhaus:

Could this area be used for Oktoberfest if Kings Island is hosting the new event like the other parks? Like putting the event on either side of Festhaus?

Last week a number of the poles used for Grand Carnivale were relocated in front of the Kings Island Theater. Have those been used in that area before?

Happy closing to the casts and crews of Country Crossroads and RetroSpect! It's hard to believe that the summer show season has already come to an end. Onward to Tricks and Treats Fall Fest and Haunt!

Some minor prep for NyteWalkers:

The synchronized kites were definitely an unexpected highlight. We loved them!

+100 for having the old fountains back. There must be a way to have the synchronization, lights, etc. while maintaining the grandeur of the original pedestals and fountains.

The show is almost certainly going to return to Kings Island by next summer. I suppose if the scheduling allowed it could even return as soon as Tricks and Treats.

Overall Grand Carnivale feels a bit stronger and more cohesive this year with the rearranged scheduled. Having a couple of the daytime shows (Trailblazers X-treme and Country Crossroads) available after 7PM was nice for us since we generally visit later in the evening. The decor looks great, especially at night. The little alcove between French Corner and Sweet Spot is particularly nice. The new lighting on the floats adds a lot to the energy of the parade. The synchronized building lighting on International Street really ramps up the energy during the show stops too. While it feels a bit strange to not have the big finale dance number with the full cast it was a lot of fun having so many of the performers mingling and taking pictures as the dance party continued at the Bandstand. It was nice having two of the floats out at the dance party after the parade. We noticed the lights on the floats were synced with Under the Stars, which was a nice touch. The tasting cards would have been nice and we still miss having performances in each country but at a time when so much is getting cut we're still happy to have an event of this scale so close to home.

The items we've tried so far have been freshly prepared and generally tasty. Currywurst and Schnitzel Slider: Szechuan Beef Bao Bun & Smoked Duck Fried Rice: