Timchat2

Those tiny pieces of concept art for the Golden Celebration shows are very encouraging! It appears we'll be getting something in the vein of Celebrate 150 at Cedar Point with the larger-than-life costumes (like a walk-around blue ice cream man!) and performers for the Street Party at the Eiffel Tower. This could be something special!

To paraphrase Muppet Vision 3D, the banner is a salute to all eras of Kings Island but mostly the Cedar Fair one.

The "abandoned" old truck having steady-burning bright blue-white LED headlights has always struck me as odd.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events/haunt The official page shows dates for 2022.

https://www.valleyfair.com/events/tricks-and-treats https://www.cagreatamerica.com/events/tricks-and-treats

Kings Island really shines during their seasonal events so it would be great if the park had something for April-May before the main summer season kicks in. Something like the Peanuts Celebration or Frontier Festival would be nice!

With the recent casting call for a drumline it sounds like Kings Island might be getting something similar to Celebrate 150 at Cedar Point. Hopefully the Golden Celebration will get some original music as well.

Five of the parks that hosted Grand Carnivale in 2021 (Worlds of Fun, Valleyfair, Dorney Park, Kings Dominion and Carowinds) have posted event dates for 2022. California's Great America is now also listing a version of Grand Carnivale called Carnivale at Orleans Place. Kings Island is the only Grand Carnivale park that hasn't posted new dates for the event. With the 50th Golden Celebration likely running all summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) can we assume that Grand Carnivale won't be happening at Kings Island in 2022?

Windish Music recently put a call out for drumline performers as part of the 50th Golden Celebration. They appear to be putting together something similar to Celebrate 150 at Cedar Point.

I hope some version of the pedestals can return to the Royal Fountain sooner than later. There has to be a way for them to coexist with the dancing fountain idea.

I appreciated that the Eiffel Tower tree and International Street were lit up with blue and gold for the finale of the New Year's Eve fireworks to usher in the 50th anniversary celebration. It was a nice touch!

It was still a fun time, although you lost a lot of the up-close character interaction that comes with the stops. That said, I don't think the show stop for WinterFest Wonderland Parade is as strong at the stop for Spectacle of Color at Grand Carnivale. That stop seems to immediately pull in and energize guests in a way I've seen few park parades accomplish anywhere. The flow of music and dance just clicks with the audience. The stop for WinterFest Wonderland Parade is still fun and playful but it doesn't seem like guests click with it as readily. Admittedly the idea of a high-energy Christmas parade is fairly new to regional theme parks so I can understand if guests will take some time to get onboard.

Does Kings Dominion leave their floats out after the last show stop since it surrounds the Eiffel Tower? We haven't been this year to see what happens.

The Jack Frost floats at Carowinds and Kings Dominion seem to have been generating "snow" for their entire runs this season, so it would nice for Kings Island's float to finally join the party. It's a great effect!

If the heavy rain had started up again during the parade that might have actually happened.

There weren't any show stops. The parade ran the entire route and non-float-riding characters did their usual peeling off by the Bandstand after what would have been the last show stop. Otherwise, it appeared to be the same number of performers and the choreography was unchanged.

I appreciate all the little refreshes throughout many of the shows this season. Last night we noticed that Charlie Brown's Christmas Spectacular appears to have a new lighting design that brings some extra life to the show, like during the "sleigh ride" with Sally and Linus. Also, it looks like the stage deck of the Kings Island Theater has been redone. I remember looking fairly worn in previous years. All of this things add up ( like the new Mistletones set as well as the new signage and lighting to draw attention to Sounds of the Nativity) and it is great to see the park putting some extra thought and care into such an important part of what makes WinterFest so special. As others have said, this year's event feels as bright and alive as ever!

A huge THANK YOU to the park for performing a modified version of the WinterFest Wonderland Parade tonight despite the iffy weather. It was such a pleasant surprise!

Another nice improvement is the new set for The Mistletones. The show has always been pleasant and fun but now it feels more like a proper show set (and possibly acts as something of a windbreaker for the performers). Hopefully they can get the little "On Air" sign light to work. That would be a cute touch.

The new Four Drummers Drumming is pretty great! The entire show has a lot of energy and seems to really get the crowd involved. Major props to all involved!

I've been hoping that the newer show "Home for the Holidays" from Knott's Merry Farm will replace Charlie Brown's Christmas Spectacular (which itself is a modified version of a Knott's show) at the Kings Island Theater. While I enjoy the energy of individual dance segments Christmas Spectacular has a slightly awkward pace. If Tinker's Toy Factory can't happen in there for whatever reason it would be nice for the Kings Island Theater to have a proper large-scale holiday production in the vein of Christmas in the Smokies and I think Home for the Holidays could potentially be that kind of show.

I've noticed that too. Some guests seem to treat the vocalists as a TV running in the background, which is a shame since Sounds of the Nativity has perhaps the strongest performers in the park.

Carowinds does seem to be a test to extend the WinterFest season. I'm still not sure why they are deciding to be so conservative with Kings Island's schedule when all of the other parks are starting their WinterFests before Thanksgiving and/or extending to after New Year's Day. Presumably Kings Island is still one of the most-visited parks in the chain so you'd think they would have some confidence in adding dates sooner than later.

Carowinds started their WinterFest on November 13 (the larger show productions start this weekend) with a preview weekend on November 6-7, so apparently Charlotte is as ready for an early holiday season as Canada. Also, Carowinds can pull off the switchover from Haunt AND still have the park operate each weekend. Why isn't Kings Island doing the same? Wouldn't they want the additional operating days generating revenue if they have the staffing? Carowinds, Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland seem to think it is worth the effort to get things rolling.

Is there something about the labor market in Cincinnati that keeps Kings Island from having the staff to do the switchover that other parks are able to pull off before Thanksgiving?