Is Paramount Really to Blame for Winterfest's Demise?

[Gordon Bombay]

Apparently not according to an interview with then Manager of Marketing Communications, Carolyn Boos.

Winterfest, maintains Boos, was on its way out anyway. The holiday attraction was one of a kind when Kings Island introducted it in 1982. Enter the holiday display wars: competition from the Cincinnati Zoo, Sawyer Point and almost every community. The park watches attendance figures nosedive from the 337,436 peak nine years ago. "It's something that had been under review for several years," explains Boos. "We decided we should extend the season and discontinue Winterfest and [Paramount] supported our decision.

From Cincinnati Magazine, April 1993.

[The Interpreter]

If Carolyn Boos said it, you can take it to the bank. She's good people.

[DBInternational]

This is just my opinion but i think winterfest has been gone for such a long time now that people miss the attraction because it was something they did as a kid. I think Cedar Fair should do their best to recreate the winter extravaganza that winterfest once was.

[BB1]

Did my topic make a topic? BB1, who just met inception within himself.

Thanks for the find Gordon, I have been doing minor research on responses over the past day after the topic initiation so this helps effectively.

[Oldiesmann]

This is just my opinion but i think winterfest has been gone for such a long time now that people miss the attraction because it was something they did as a kid. I think Cedar Fair should do their best to recreate the winter extravaganza that winterfest once was.

It's highly unlikely that Winterfest will return. They tried it in 2005, and although it was just a way to dress up the park for potential buyers, it still failed miserably. There are likely multiple reasons (the biggest being the cost - season passes didn't get you in and once you paid to get in, there wasn't much to do for free), but it didn't work. Even Holiday Fest at The Beach, which I worked during the winter of 2006-2007, was mostly dead most nights.

Festival of Lights at the zoo is a bit of a different situation. The experience isn't that much different than what you'd get if you went to the zoo on a "normal" day - it's at night and in the middle of winter, but you still get to walk around and take in many of the exhibits. There are also plenty of indoor exhibits where guests can get out of the cold for a while. The biggest factor is that once you get in, you can enjoy most of what Festival of Lights has to offer without having to pay extra. There's still a small cost for riding the train, but again, that's completely optional.

[Vortex]

Winterfest was going to comeback for 2006 but Cedar Fair canceled it.

[The Interpreter]

Uh huh.

CBS knew full well the new owner would decide what to do about Winterfest.

Herschend, for example, probably would have made a very different decision. And Mr. Ross would likely have been part of that.

[disco2000]

I would like it to come back as much as some others have posted here, but I suspect Winterfest never brought in a fraction of what Haunt brings in (even adjusted for inflation. And let's face it, a longer operational season is nice for those wanting to enjoy rides.

Given the option of having a Kings Island operational season Memorial to Labor day with a Winterfest and no Zoo Festival of Lights, or the "April" to October (and sometimes first or second day into November) Operating calendar of Kings Island with a Zoo Festival of Lights, I choose the latter (and the zoo doesn't stink as much in winter )

Given the options that exists today, the economy, and other factors, it would be a near impossible task to pull it off and make money in the process, especially if included with a season pass.

Doesn't mean we can't wish it would return though....I have fond memories of it as well...

[myklhicks]

I know that Don said (in the history of Kings Island video) that a big reason it's not coming back is due to our sporadic weather.

[RollerNut]

Carowinds had to refund presold tickets for Winterfest 2006, Cedar Fair cancelled it within days of the sale closing. Park maps and signs were changed or altered to reflect ASAP. Most likely, the decision was made long prior to the sale being final, Cedar Fair's presence was there in March, we called them "Spies" cause they were guests nicely dressed with clipboards and ties. Then we found out they weren't guests, they started wearing Paramount Parks nametags but none of the Park managers knew Any of them. Then Paramount Parks managers went from wearing Paramount Parks polos to suits and ties. Then Knizel himself was spotted at Carowinds wearing a Paramount Parks nametag...rumors abound. Two weeks later, news broke...we had been brought by Cedar Fair pending SEC approval.

[XGatorHead 8904]

Uh huh.

CBS knew full well the new owner would decide what to do about Winterfest.

Herschend, for example, probably would have made a very different decision. And Mr. Ross would likely have been part of that.

... And Herschend definitely knows how to do a winter event (which I get to experience in a little over 44 hours, even though the weather won't be too "wintery", as the forecast says it will be 63 and sunny)!

[The Interpreter]

Say hello to Mr. Ross, should you see him.

[silver2005]

I have a couple questions about Winterfest.

-How successful was it when they first ran the event in the earlier part of Kings Island's history?

-If Winterfest did continue post-Cedar Fair buyout, would it have lasted long?

-What were the differences about the park and surrounding winter attractions that were different when it was first implemented then (in the 80's) than they are now?

[BoddaH1994]

-It was very successful at first, bit dwindled over the years. Other Holiday-oriented options put a lot of strain on the product.

-Who knows? They sunk a ton of money into it for the initial investment, but it wouldn't have coated as much after the first year. How successful it could have been depends on the business model Cedar Fair would have employed.

-Mainly there were less of them. I never did the original Winterfest, but I have always heard that the quality dropped over time. This would make it very difficult to compete with other options. Paramount also learned a valuable lesson about how Winterfest inherently interferers with the very profitable Halloween season. This is not good for the bottom line.