Losantiville Mining Co.

I agree that Kings Island's hands might be tied by Six Flags corporate when it comes to seasonal events and such. They see the status quo at KI as fine enough and what other parks should be living up to, so investment will be put into the parks that "need it". (Kings Island definitely needs to continue to be invested in, but it's unfortunately not near the top of the list IMO.) I think the lack of event and ride upkeep is some of what JANA Partners was talking about in their letter when they said that Six Flags (and honestly Cedar Fair to an extent as well) have been mismanaged for years. The company likes the status quo too much and are too scared to change or fix things the "right" way, which manifests itself in the ways we've posted about. It's also what has led to the chain having less investment money compared to its competitors, also leading to what we've seen. Around the same time today that Kings Island quietly changed Star-Spangled Nights to a one night celebration, Cedar Point added their own version of the Food & Wine Festival in the new Barrels and Bites. This could be another addition to offset the fact that they're not receiving a new ride, but it still stings. To me the likelihood that a sizeable number of guests stop purchasing season passes is low. There would need to be a more-than-major dive in quality for guests to abandon the regional park their family has grown up at, at which point I don't know if the park would be able to easily recover.

The two arches on the left have been uncovered now that the park is working to de-winterize the fountain. I think one reason they're covered in the Winter is to block them off from the ice skating rink, but I'm not certain. The rest of the fountain appears to have been partially cleaned as well. Another thing I noticed on the webcam is that they've finally removed all of the artisan sheds from around the Eiffel Tower. I wonder why it took so long to remove them? Maybe they were using their normal "home" space for something else. On my recent trip to Kings Dominion for their Opening Day, I saw that they might actually have a space that is the closest you can get to the Royal Fountain out of the three parks that have one. I think it was at most 1.5ft from the rim of the fountain to the curb of the path where those tables are. The 2019 jut-outs at Kings Island might get that close, but it looked like the KD one got closer.

The crane that was parked in front of Monster is now gone, even though none of the arms have been put on. I wonder why it was there?

I was thinking this as well. A lot of seasonal events at those parks have been going for 10+ years with some barely seeing big changes since 2020. While those events change up their menu items and entertainment offerings, I don't think Cedar Fair/Six Flags have seen much reason to change up event offerings like that — especially under their "the status-quo is fine" era. This will be Grand Carnivale's 6th year (skipping 2020 and 2022), the Food & Wine Festival's 3rd year, and Star Spangled Nights is being made into a week-long celebration. Carnivale definitely needs something to revitalize it, but if this is indeed the event's last year then I hope we'll get something new and improved in 2027 that isn't just a cookie cutter event already found at other parks. The fact that Halloween Haunt, Tricks and Treats, and Winterfest are not yet shown on the events list does worry me. Carowinds and Cedar Point both posted their entire 2026 festival calendar while some other parks are in similar situations to Kings Island. I don't think this is a sign that those events are cancelled, it just upsetting that the park hasn't released the information in (what I'd consider to be) a timely manner. Comparing the 2026 events list to the 2016 list, then yes it is indeed smaller. On this day in 2016 Kings Island had the following events posted to their website: (* exclusive to Gold or Platinum Passholders; ** exclusive to enthusiast club members) Opening Day (4/16) Banshee Brew Festival (5/06, 5/07, 5/13, 5/14) Exclusive Night Rides for Banshee, The Bat, and the Blackout maze* (5/13) Coasterstock** (5/20-5/22) Soak City Gold Pass Preview* (5/21, 5/22) Memorial Day Weekend Free Military Admission (5/27-5/30) Food Truck Festival (6/03-6/05) Dive-In Movies (6/03, 6/10, 6/17, 6/24) JDRF One Walk (6/04) Exclusive Night Rides for Diamondback, Woodstock Gliders, and Woodstock Express* (6/16) SpiritSong (6/23-6/25) Fourth of July Holiday Free Military Admission (7/02-7/04) Sundaes & Slides* (7/03, 7/10, 7/17, 7/24, 7/31) Exclusive Night Rides for Racer, Monster, Scrambler, and the Grand Carousel* (8/11) National Roller Coaster Day (8/16) Fire and Safety Days Free Admission for Active Fire and Police (8/26-8/28) Glow Run 5k (10/21) Run & Ride (10/21, 10/23) Compared to the current 2026 Events calendar: Perks & Play Season Passholder Preview* (4/17) Opening Day (4/18) Soak City Opening Weekend (5/23) Food & Wine Festival (Fri-Sun 5/29-6/21) Star-Spangled Night (7/4) Grand Carnivale (7/18-8/02) Something I just noticed while typing this up is that the week-long Star-Spangled Nights event has been quietly updated to only be one night long on July 4th. I thought that kind of thing would've been important to get right before publishing to the website, but apparently not.

I think the only ones who could have had a chance at stopping the merger would have been the stockholders. It felt like the higher-ups from both companies wanted the merger to happen. If they hadn't merged I think there's a world where some of the lower-tier legacy Six Flags parks would've been in danger of closing instead of being purchased by a chain or operating independently. Either way, the merger is already done and we're beating a dead horse. (I also think the Cracker Barrel rebrand was always planned to be reversed in some way, but that's neither here nor there.) After my last post I watched a Green Tagged video about this letter from JANA Partners and they mentioned a few things that I hadn't remembered hearing. It was said that they want the board to replace Marylin Speigel as Chairman and to reorganize/replace other board members either in an effort to bring in fresh ideas and move away from the old guard or to replace them with board members who align more with JANA's goals. Allegedly the Travis Kelce x Six Flags brand partnership might not have paid off like they wanted so this letter was the next move. It was also mentioned in the letter that they like John Reilly and what he's trying to do for Six Flags. Generally it seemed like they might see certain board members as road blocks to making this vision a reality so I'm inclined to agree with JANA if this is the case. That said, there is a chance that they want to replace board members in a private equity-esque manner. Going back to the use of legacy branding (especially on social media) I'm convinced that this is still used because of some board members trying to hold onto that brand despite it being synonymous with poor quality. If I had my way I'd try replacing board members with non-Cedar Fair or Six Flags veterans (but still amusement/theme park company veterans), and see how that goes before thinking more about splitting the company. If that doesn't work then I'd split the company into two independent operators based on location and what I think they'd be best suited for. I've written about my wishes for a new KECO on here before so I'll keep this to just my lists for now. You may not agree with my choices but I think they could work well. Company 1 (Thrilling Theme Parks): Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds, SF New England (renamed Riverside Wonderland), Great Adventure, Fiesta Texas, Knott's Berry Farm, Darien Lake, and Chicago's Great America Company 2 (Themed Amusement Parks): Cedar Point, Discovery Kingdom, Frontier City, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Over Georgia, Dorney Park, Magic Mountain, SF Mexico, SF Qiddiya City, and the park-independent Hurricane Harbor locations

Yes! I'm not entirely a "This merger was a mistake and should never have happened" guys, but I do think splitting the company up would help in the long run. The fact that they took on the Six Flags name still baffles me. They chose brand recognition for a bad brand over making up a new name and trying to start somewhat fresh. Six Flags also still uses the legacy branding on their social media accounts despite having a new logo and a whole other set of branding conventions that they could use from the Cedar Fair side of the company.

I think they could even get by with adding a big temporary planter or two and putting up some standing decorations like they had at the back of International Street in 2011. Anything that would give the area something to look at without being terribly permanent. I still think Kings Island should straighten out the end of Coney Mall to align with the rest of the midway. That could refresh the land while they wait for the new coaster. A (second) new vine tunnel would be nice to have, just not on the path between Rivertown and Coney Mall. That's one of the last areas of the park with a big tree canopy and I'd hate to lose it. I would much rather see the park demolish and replace the Planet Snoopy Grill in a manner that would allow for a new tunnel to go right where the original was. Most of the path is still there, albeit covered in tables and a service area for the Planet Snoopy Grill.

I think I'd rather lose an event than lose the nightly fireworks, but that's just me. It wouldn't surprise me if they were sending the fireworks and drone show money up to Cedar Point since they're allegedly getting a big nighttime spectacular for their America 250 event. Since we don't have a 2026 KI Dining topic yet, I'll post this here: A mobile ordering tag has been added to the following dining locations on Kings Island's website Auntie Anne's Coconut Cove Cafe Jukebox Diner Potato Works Sand Bar The Mercado The mobile ordering button was put in the new Six Flags app back in November, but wasn't usable since there were no locations that accepted it. To use it you'll need to be in the park (with location services turned on). I don't know how it'll work with dining plans, but I hope that's something they're including functionality for. I really wish Six Flags would update their "All Park Location" feature to also include the names of each area of the park like they do for some legacy SF parks. Right now the only options are "Kings Island" and "Soak City Water Park".

I suspect some of the blaster effects were turned off to cut down on the maintenance and make it one less thing to fix on each blaster. The ride at Kings Dominion still has the sound effects and has laser pointers to show where you're aiming. Kings Island probably didn't ever get the lasers because how how the ride cars were set up (nobody wants a laser pointed at them from another ride vehicle). Maybe they're being given to those folks who won the giveaway (I keep reading that they only ever received one email about it and nothing else after the old social media team left.) More likely, I think they might be used as spare parts for the other Boo Blasters.

It's also looking like Ragin' Cajun and the other relocations are getting at least a little bit of a refurbishment before fully arriving at Great Adventure. The track is certainly being painted and some parts were spotted heading to the Zamperla (?) location in New Jersey. I don't know what they could do for any of the rides they didn't manufacture, but that's just what I've heard from people in NJ. I've been thinking that Great Adventure needed a wave swinger and flying scooters for a while so I'm glad they're getting some basically for free. As for if KI should've gotten RC: I don't think we need it. The ride would've been nice to see occupy the Xtreme Skyflyer plot, but I feel like it would just hinder whatever revitalization/reorganization Action Zone desperately needs. If anything, I wish they would at least find a way to reroute The Bat's entrance to go through Skyflyer's plot.

Are we allowed to know that reason? I assume it has something to do with either Great Wolf Lodge or Cedar Fair's handling of hotels, but I'm genuinely interested either way.

Does anyone know if someone has made an Enchanted Voyage ride layout like we've seen with Phantom Theater? I haven't been able to find one and would love to see the path it took through the building, especially since it was subdivided after Smurfs Enchanted Voyage.

There was a glitch that did that to a few items earlier in the day. One of the knights allegedly rose to $10k before getting put back down to the actual top bid price. I certainly don't think any of these items will go for above $10,000 — though some of them might have an even lower bid cap than that. We looked through some of the items around 10pm and the difference in prices was interesting to see. I wonder if there are any other items that also have old SDatHC props hidden under them besides the two ghosts from the beginning of the ride.

I think that is 100% what they'll be doing, it's just upsetting that they can't figure this kind of stuff out to be released in January. I'd love to see a big America 250 celebration as well. Someone either here or in one of the Facebook groups claimed that a higher-up or spokesperson said this will be the last year for Carnivale, but I think it'd be easier to revitalize the entire event (while keeping the name and theme) than to bring in a whole new one. I saw someone else say that Kings Island just brings the same back every year; but isn't that how seasonal festivals usually work at regional parks like Kings Island? As for the Passholder Preview hours, that email said they won't be published because the park isn't open to the general public. I believe they might make it "official" on the events page. If I saw correctly, Dollywood required their passholders to make a reservation for the 2026 Passholder Preview. I don't think that's what Kings Island should do, but they do need to find a way to make it less hectic and/or bring the crowds down. Maybe only have it open to those who purchased their pass in the first month of sales? That would make it more exclusive while rewarding those who purchase early. The Bands In Residence concert series would be very as long as they don't take away from the existing entertainment to do it. KI needs more entertainment offerings, not less. Bringing back stuff like the races and some exclusive events would be easy money for the park.

I've heard that one I-Street jazz song too many times. Even instrumental patriotic music (for the 250th) all season would be better at this point. Speaking of the 250th I wonder when they'll release the events and festivals calendar. It was released on March 4th two years in a row, but now I'm thinking they might still be ironing some details out. Some other parks don't even have events posted past Star Spangled Nights so far. Something else I noticed on the webcams last night was at least 10 cars driving through the park between 3:30-5AM (I work second shift so my sleep schedule's crazy right now). They all went to the building between Alien Abyss and (what I believe to be) a water tower. Does anyone know what that building is? I thought the maintenance and security offices were up near the front of the park, but maybe there's more back there?

Another sign of Kings Island waking up to start the season is here: the lights in the Royal Fountain have been turned on and are synced up with the tree uplighting along International Street. Tonight they are cycling through four solid colors and then twelve bouncing chase sequences. I suspect the fountain will be filled around the same time as it is every year. It will be nice to see what decorations are installed and when the park sign will finally go back up! We've been seeing the Kings Island medallions on each light tower since 2022, so maybe they'll change something up for 2026? Not too much, but I think some new decorations on the light towers would be nice.

That also means Six Flags could be taken over by private equity, just as happened with Busch>SeaWorld>United Parks. Taking a gamble on who owns and operates Kings Island is much riskier when the big operator playing field is so limited. Six Flags and Cedar Fair merged, Herschend is paying off their purchase of the Palace properties, and United Parks is already in the thralls of private equity. Enchanted Parks is also off of the table since they're already taking on the management of 6 Six Flags parks. Are there any other big North American park chains that I'm not thinking of? If this is just going to be an uphill battle then I believe the best way to stave off a potential takeover would be for the company to split itself into 2-3 smaller, more manageable chains. That 2-3 separate chains is also after the sale to Enchanted Parks. Kings Island could be the crown jewel of a new chain if they separated. As jzarley said, we've barely seen what Six Flags looks like under John Reilly and some of the other new leadership. Only 4 parks have been open for more than a few days in 2026 so far. The first couple of opening weekends have seemed to go poorly, but I think that's pretty standard for these parks.

I believe Adventure Port has the new brown metal bins. Camp Snoopy has some metal bins, but they also have some reskinned gray plastic bins. All of Area 72 has gray plastic bins if I recall correctly. Magic Mountain also received some new metal bins in their park entrance area for 2025. Carowinds might have gotten some for their Camp Snoopy. I know Cedar Point got some blue bins for the Main Midway. I meant to mention in my original post, but user Dancegames on Reddit made a digital version of the Worlds of Fun trash can stickers. I'm sure someone could easily put other park logos on it if you really wanted to. Image: u/Dancegames on Reddit.

Please, no more of the Fun & Only ad campaign (sorry to Fun & Only on here). They've gone through a few slogans throughout the years with A Wonderful World of Fun (1970-ish); C'mon Get Happy (1972-ish); Where the Magic of the Movies Meets the Thrills of a Lifetime (thanks Paramount); the Fun & Only (2010?); the Largest Amusement & Waterpark in the Midwest, which isn't really a slogan; and It's Amazing In Here, though I think that one also flopped. Kings Island should either play into the park name with "Where FUN Reigns" or go with something different enough from Cedar Point. I'd love love love for them to use the Wonderful World of Fun tagline again — especially since they have musical snippets of it from Fun, Fireworks, and Fifty. "C'mon Get Happy" would also be nice to see used again, though it might not fit as well as a standalone slogan (it would fit better as a tagline after the park name instead of on its own).

Now I understand what I was seeing. There was something behind the turret that was the exact same color as something below it. It does look like there is something either wrapped around the left turret or something is different (more than just paint) on the right turret. The two spikes near the peak are gone and it kind of looks like there has been some additional work to those top two turrets. I really want to say that the right turret actually looks to be down to the bare steel structure. That could be the different colors playing tricks on my eyes, but where the left turret looks like a white bucket the right one looks like a circular steel plate on top of a cylinder.

I wouldn't recommend doing landscaping in this weather (30F, high winds, and snowy), so I'll go with maintenance; although I thought most KI maintenance vehicles were pickup trucks.

If they choose to withhold construction in favor of the drone show then I could see a potential June or July opening, even if it's a small and lackluster coaster. Something I would like to see stay/brought back is the foliage currently present in Vortex Valley. That or some kind of nice landscaping and hardscaping package would make the area around/under the coaster look much better compared to what was there before. The park could also potentially move the drones to a different flying area depending on the criteria for where they can fly over. I can't imagine they use the entire Vortex plot for the drones when they mostly fly within a relatively narrow rectangle.

What's funny about KI using slogans is that they currently don't have one. Where parks like Cedar Point has "A Place Like No Other", Carowinds has "Where the Carolinas Come Together", and Kings Dominion has "Virginia’s Premier Destination for FUN", Kings Island's website just has the park name. I like the sound of "Where Fun Reigns" (although Six Flags might use the uppercase "FUN").

Adding to this, there are also a ton of white cars in front of the Antique Autos. There were more about 10 minutes ago and they might be SUVs, but either way I don't know what they'd all be right there for.

I feel like a moving walkway would only slow down operations in addition to being a relatively big project. As for the rest of Epic's problems, I don't know that there's an easy way to fix many of them. They could add more shows with simple sets to offset the massively tech-based productions in WWoHP: MoM and the Isle of Berk. A couple of relatively simple stage shows/musical revues would at least give them something to fall back on. One more thing: I understand that they probably have to use the full name Wizarding World of Harry Potter Ministry of Magic because it's probably a copyright/trademark thing, but it's far too long of a name to have for a land. Ministry of Magic is also a bad name for the land on its own, but I suspect that might change once they add a second ride.