brenthodge

It’s beyond pathetic at this point. There’s shabby and there’s blatant neglect. This has reached that point.

Yeah. Sorry saw that right after I asked. Don’t see that as first at all. Seems an odd category. Should almost have “parades and spectaculars” separate from “live shows and seasonal entertainment “ one set, led screens and some “ok” vocals didn’t seem like a first place to me.

Know what took 1st?

See-that’s why you can’t make everyone happy all the time. To hear half of the GP and people around here-the RECAR was like the second coming of Jesus and the park has never been the same since they took it away LOL

Maybe if they redid the whole area backlot could be stripped of its tired theming, be give a better queu experience, and interrogated into the new coaster somehow. Wonder what would make sense for a mid course break rum/launch other than a helicopter machine gun battle? Maybe if it was ever more enclosed and became sort of a coney mall “funhouse” where you go through various tunnels like the mirror maze, the spinning spiral tunnel etc.

Fun thought. What if it was a second generation “racer”. One DESIGNED to run forward and back. Two tracks with lots of intersections. Balanced on both sides of the tower, taking the signature 360 loop one clockwise-one counter. Plays into RECAR history, and the history of that plot having two versions of the same ride with intersecting paths. Two colors OTHER than red and blue.

I actually like the idea behind this. I had been playing around with an idea similar where backlot is removed and a major new coaster takes the back half of that plot. The way you have it on both sides of the pathway frees up more land to do something bigger. I’d love to see it pretty symmetrical to frame the tower, move the floral clock to actually align with the path coming to it and possibly reshape the circle path to be better balanced. Add 2 flat to left and right of the clock and possibly on the other side as well where saltwater was. The flats would be part of “Carousel park” an extension of IS. The coaster would technically be Coney, but would read well in both areas. Make a clean-elegant design-maybe even like CA SCREAMIN’ that is steel “disguised” to look wooden. Maybe even with a large 360 vertical loop that centers behind the tower.

Awesome video. This is like the final “definitive” version. The source audio was great in that you hear hi much detail really went into the theme music. Sone of that was lost in person. Awesome job everyone. I saw the show 5-6 times and sitting here on phone STILL get a bit choked up. They NAILED the emoji piece!

I would just make sure you bring anything in PRIOR to the gate switch at 6 9OR 7 (Whatever time it is). Doesn't sound like this will be an enforced outside of haunt hours. It sucks if you are coming on a Haunt ONLY Friday night though since doesn't the park essentially open with the no-reentry policy on those evenings?

Sone of you people are impossible LOL

Here’s a few more reasons why Christmas preparations begin at Dollywood in the dog days of summer. It takes an estimated 15,000 hours by our 18 light crew hosts (that’s what Dollywood employees are called!) to install the more than 100 miles of Christmas lights. That’s at least half a dozen people working 24/7 in some cases every day of the week to get everything done in time. Approximately a half million staples keep those twinkling lights in place on everything from ride structures to trees to buildings, and the lighting experts utilize around 500 rolls of tape, thousands of black-out caps, specific colored cords and good ole intuition to make everything look just perfect for the opening of the festival on Nov. 5. Who knew that the installation of was so meticulous?! Well, you do now! (and they’re fully removed each year unlike KI) and that’s just the lighting. But if you look at the number of people and the hours committed to this, you can see the scope of event “swaps” that KI is competing against,

Send me hiring info. My comments are (of course) based on what happens at other parks-not at KI. I’m not saying with current staffing it’s doable, I’m saying if they wanted to-it could be done as it’s done at other parks. The comment about being closed 7 days a week was a generalization. I am well aware of buyouts. Maybe I should’ve said 4-5 days a week since you would like the most accurate information possible.

Nope-someone just thinks there’s no reason when the park is closed 7 days a week after today, they can’t wait till then to start the conversion over. Dollywood makes the swap from harvest to Christmas in a week. Sure there’s a lot of prep already done down there but it’s barely visible. RETAIL season creep is totally different than event creep. You have a limited time to sell through product. Christmas has not overtaken Halloween in terms of activity and event- only in terms of sales.

Good. That’s one thing that always bugged me when they “haunted” too early. I like how they are focusing on the sets for shows right now. Personally I wish none of this appeared till after this weekend. I know it’s a staffing thing, but I really think the park looks much cleaner without the mixing of seasonal stuff.

in concept yes, but the execution is a "modern" church, tons of concrete and a few Spirit Halloween tombstones with disco lighting that stopped working a year or two after opening. If there was a themed break run, sure. If there was a themed queue, sure. As it stands NAMING something scary is WAY different than theming something scary. You could just as easily call Banshee "EaglesFlight" and it would be the same experience. The "theming" adds little to the overall experience (which is unfortunate as it had one of the best teaser videos ever, and the gift shop was an eventual waste of space that could've been used to help finish the story as you left, or been configured to use it as the entrance instead of the exit.

I wouldn't say "heavily themed" per se. Heck - even when the park opened you could call most of the "theming" decor since it had little to do with the actual rides. It was more just area theming. I think what CF has done had been a step over what EARLY CF did when they first bought the parks. I see their sweet spot as a more "stylized" theming. Its like "modern farmhouse country design". It's minimal, yet clear what the inspiration is. Its not fussy and its easier to maintain, and it fits with current design treads. Heck, even DISNEY is moving away from such lavishly "themed" interiors with their hotels, retain and food locations. Its like what Dollywood is doing with the Emporium or some of their new restaurants. Its a lot fresher, but it still has clear DNA in a mountain/country vibe.

The name would stay the same with the tag Festhaus - International Food Hall. The name literally means Festival House, and there’s nothing more festive than an international food festival (like Carnivale). There’s NOTHING German about it now - no German food, not entertainment (most of the times it is country), no banners, no decor. I'd say lean more into the INTERNATIONAL idea with flags of the world, bring back the banners and streamers. Maybe even do a cool "globe light" for the center ring. Really bring back color and fun to the space. I'd LOVE it if they would make the first 1/4 of the main floor closest to the stage bench seating with no tables if you are there to only see the show/ I think it would cut down on the "chow hall" feel, or if the show itself was "international" in feel and make more of a "full immersive" experience. I've often wondered if they could add a small (like the back 1/3) balcony above the main floor with more tables to make up for the loss of seating below. It would also be cool if there was some type of entertainment even when the live shows weren't on - like a large screen comes down and something is shown on it.

LOVE IT!!!

another LONNNG post, but all my ideas distilled here - some new intros, some vintage returns, MAINLY aesthetic improvements that add to the overall experience of the area and opportunities for in-park spending on enhanced food and beverage: New entry archways off of International Street by the KI Theatre, Festhaus, Bier Garden Redress backside of Festhaus to continue front architectural detailing - Add waterfall feature into the landscaping and enlarge the outdoor seating on the backside of Festhaus New fountain at entrance to Festhaus - “Village Style” Festhaus becomes “International Food Hall” with better dining options and clearer separate stands for different types of food - Hanks concept moves in here along with Italian, Chinese, Rotating other international options. “American” (chicken, burger) Banners inside return for more color and “festival” atmosphere Rework queue of Viking fury to open up path behind IS block again - Vine tunnel here to hide back of buildings - entrance to Viking Fury come off of this new path with signage for it at both ends of the vine tunnel. Exit to Viking Fury is by funnel cake building. Seating area by viking fury is better laid out with paving change to delineate seating/bar area. Bar opened as a seasonal beverage location - possible “Beers of the World” to tie into “international Food Hall” retime of FestHaus Der Spinning Keggers returns to original layout and design with banners - Airbrush shop removed - possible relocate product to area in former ActionZone? Move “coaster Connection” ride specific product to Banshee Shop - Airbrush goes into Coaster Connection as part of an overall apparel shop “FestBest” Adventure Express - no major changes. Lighting in first tunnel and refurbish snakes - add projection mapping or fire effect lights in “lava” tunnel, refresh temple tunnel. In queue - add framed photos of German explorers to justify a jungle trick in Oktoberfest. Tell the story of Humbolts Latin American expedition - add additional travel props etc to the station. Overall refresh on a budget. Hanks food concept has moved into FestHaus or Food Factory - this area is returns to full BierGarden with German cuisine and beer options Bridge is re-established to connect more directly to FestHaus area. Larger Flat ride is added to area where SlingShot was - themed to spirits, ghosts, cemetery etc to tie into Banshee right behind it. Possible Zamperla Gryphon - Can be programed for different ride sequences for re-ridability. Beer Stein Topiary moves to former ActionZone round seating area - becomes "SteinPlatz" All flats/coasters of ActionZone are incorporated into Oktoberfest. Possible name tweaking to bring German influence (DropTower -> Falltrum, Chicken Shack -> Hähnchen Haus, CongoFalls -> Rheinfalls, IceCream -> das Eis, Invertigo -> Achterbahn Pole mounted banners and pennants are reintroduced throughout the entire area to bring additional life and color. Possibly even incorporate lighting for evening excitement (see EPCOT lighting banner pole) Small stages added in BierGarden and SteinPlatzor mini performances to add to the festival atmosphere Possibly add 2-3 additional flats with lower (36-48 max) heights to give younger rider options throughout the park. Possible by KI theatre or in former Action Zone Redo all paving to introduce different materials and colors to better define seating areas, traffic flow and provide visual breakup. Bring more mid-level landscaping to former ActionZone, but most of she comes from overhead banners and sunshades to Bring more color to the area. Midways are lined with “streamer ceilings”.

ummm, what? It seems like you are making the gloomy woods EXACTLY what you say they don't need to be... haunted. What construction site are we taking about? What is the horror theme coaster? There's a coaster named after a Celtic spirit with a few tombstones - nothing is exactly saying "horror" to me. I think thrills are one thing, but an entire "horror" area I don't ever see happening.

Why are they "gloomy"? i'd almost prefer they add a flat or two back there to make them LESS gloomy and desolate if they aren't really committed to a scary theme. There's nothing about The Bat that is scary in its theming or design. It wasn't scary in its first incarnation other than the frightening downtime and vaguely Gothic loading station. I don't understand why people keep trying to make the concrete jungle the dark woods when theres really no infrastructure other than a couple of fairly generic names of rides to give it that vibe. I don't see the park ever investing the amount of work needed to make a "haunted woods" that would actually have more limited appeal to the family demographic who might be afraid the theme was "scary".

That would be wonderful, but a massive amount of infrastructure work I don’t ever see the park doing. I also don’t know how you would fit Adventure Express in there without major queue rerouting which we know they will never do. While I think “anything goes” ideas are cool, I thinks it’s more challenging to try to think of realistically grounded things the park would actually do with their existing resources to improve the experience. There’s really never been a “horror theme” in that area other than one ride “lightly themed” to a cemetery, and another ride named after an animal people associate with horror stories but nothing about it other than the name conveys “horror” unless you are scared of concrete and long walks.

totally agree - good IDEA - bad execution. Truthfully ALL of th midway based performance areas need to be revisited if they are going to keep doing it - Busker Jam suffered last year from hordes walking through every performance, and even the IS Bandstand is a terrible place to watch the level of show they are putting on there now. I really wish the two front quadrants of grass and weedy mulch would be paved over and made into tiered seating with benches (not mall food court round tables). To break it up they could have 2-3 trees pr side in tree wells and large urns of flowers. Just think all of the performers deserve more than they are getting as a stage to work on. While a much grander execution, these idea from DCA are what I was thinking - image the bandstand where the water is and Eiffel Tower where Little Mermaid ride is.

another LONNNG post, but all my ideas distilled here - some new intros, some vintage returns, MAINLY aesthetic improvements that add to the overall experience of the area and opportunities for in-park spending on enhanced food and beverage: New entry archways off of International Street by the KI Theatre, Festhaus, Bier Garden Redress backside of Festhaus to continue front architectural detailing - Add waterfall feature into the landscaping and enlarge the outdoor seating on the backside of Festhaus New fountain at entrance to Festhaus - “Village Style” Festhaus becomes “International Food Hall” with better dining options and clearer separate stands for different types of food - Hanks concept moves in here along with Italian, Chinese, Rotating other international options. “American” (chicken, burger) Banners inside return for more color and “festival” atmosphere Rework queue of Viking fury to open up path behind IS block again - Vine tunnel here to hide back of buildings - entrance to Viking Fury come off of this new path with signage for it at both ends of the vine tunnel. Exit to Viking Fury is by funnel cake building. Seating area by viking fury is better laid out with paving change to delineate seating/bar area. Bar opened as a seasonal beverage location - possible “Beers of the World” to tie into “international Food Hall” retime of FestHaus Der Spinning Keggers returns to original layout and design with banners - Airbrush shop removed - possible relocate product to area in former ActionZone? Move “coaster Connection” ride specific product to Banshee Shop - Airbrush goes into Coaster Connection as part of an overall apparel shop “FestBest” Adventure Express - no major changes. Lighting in first tunnel and refurbish snakes - add projection mapping or fire effect lights in “lava” tunnel, refresh temple tunnel. In queue - add framed photos of German explorers to justify a jungle trick in Oktoberfest. Tell the story of Humbolts Latin American expedition - add additional travel props etc to the station. Overall refresh on a budget. Hanks food concept has moved into FestHaus or Food Factory - this area is returns to full BierGarden with German cuisine and beer options Bridge is re-established to connect more directly to FestHaus area. Larger Flat ride is added to area where SlingShot was - themed to spirits, ghosts, cemetery etc to tie into Banshee right behind it. Possible Zamperla Gryphon - Can be programed for different ride sequences for re-ridability. Beer Stein Topiary moves to former ActionZone round seating area - becomes "SteinPlatz" All flats/coasters of ActionZone are incorporated into Oktoberfest. Possible name tweaking to bring German influence (DropTower -> Falltrum, Chicken Shack -> Hähnchen Haus, CongoFalls -> Rheinfalls, IceCream -> das Eis, Invertigo -> Achterbahn Pole mounted banners and pennants are reintroduced throughout the entire area to bring additional life and color. Possibly even incorporate lighting for evening excitement (see EPCOT lighting banner pole) Small stages added in BierGarden and SteinPlatzor mini performances to add to the festival atmosphere Possibly add 2-3 additional flats with lower (36-48 max) heights to give younger rider options throughout the park. Possible by KI theatre or in former Action Zone Redo all paving to introduce different materials and colors to better define seating areas, traffic flow and provide visual breakup. Bring more mid-level landscaping to former ActionZone, but most of she comes from overhead banners and sunshades to Bring more color to the area. Midways are lined with “streamer ceilings”.

Absorb it into Oktoberfest with consistent, festival theming and banners throughout. Minimal retheming (adjust building paint colors to look a bit more in line with the rest of Oktoberfest) and bust out a lot of concrete for varied paving treatments and additional landscaping. Don’t try to get a cohesive story other than “hey it’s Oktoberfest- it’s a fun, big festival”. Increase overall ride count a bit throughout the entire unified area with some lower height limit (36-48) flats. I think the ship sailed on an easily executed cohesive theme years ago. I also think CFair is looking to create areas that tie into local or park history (like the boardwalk or local flight history) so I think a “manufactured theme” like “haunted forest” is harder to justify. Overall it just needs a major clutter cleaning up and softening. I think 1-2 permanent small stages (instead of the crappy high school band concert stages they dropped there and in Coney this year) would also help convey the Oktoberfest theme. There should be local acts playing almost every evening around the park. I’m sure they could hatch a deal for nominal payment in exchange for the promotional exposure.