Will things be busier on National Rollercoaster Day (8/16)?

[chadcf]

I work remotely for a company in Ohio and will be heading back to the office 8/7 - 8/17 for my quarterly visit. I'm bringing my kids this time and would like to take them to Kings Island this year (we did Cedar Point last year). I figured 8/16 would be a good date since it's closer to school starting (I guess some schools in Ohio even start before then) and Sundays are usually less crowded but I see that Kings Island says this is National Rollercoaster Day. Is this actually a big deal that will make the park more crowded? If so I might shift my plans to go the previous sunday (8/9). I'm thinking I'll buy Fast Lane passes for my kids since it's likely to be fairly crowded this time of year (we lucked out at Cedar Point last summer, there was almost no one there and we got on almost every ride in less than 15 minutes, but I don't think we'll get that lucky again). Or would the Fast Lane pass be less useful on a sunday?

[rhyano]

I think it will be crowded considering ACE is invited in the park for a Beast walk back

[jcgoble3]

Enthusiast events generally do not contribute to increased crowd levels.

I would guess that it will be lightly crowded that day, but trying to predict crowd levels this far in advance can be difficult as weather plays a large role. Days with a forecast for rain are usually less crowded than sunny days. The latter will be even more crowded if there was rain the previous day, because of people who postponed their trip based on the weather.

I would definitely say, however, that you should NOT buy Fast Lane in advance. Wait until you get to the park and see the crowds for yourself; chances are that you won't need it. Also, know that Sundays are usually nearly dead in the mornings, with crowds picking up in the early afternoon after people leave church.

[The Interpreter]

Coaster enthusiasts generally make up about a tenth of a percent of a large Park's attendance on a public day. If that. At a huge coaster event, which this is not, it may reach a percent. Rarely.

I'd not sweat that event. At all.

[jsus]

However, the public might buy into the hype of National Roller Coaster Day and concentrate visits around that time.  They're a much larger percentage of park attendance (to use Terpy's figures, essentially 100%), so that's what you should be worried about.

[The Interpreter]

...but...they won't.

I'd be much more concerned about the weather.

[jsus]

You mean it's not a major holiday where everyone in the Greater Cincinnati Area™ comes out to the park?

 

So they lied to me?  Say it isn't so!  

[The Interpreter]

At the moment, I'm trying to convince myself it's no different in New Jersey.

That is, given August 13 goes well.

We'll see.

I hope.

[WindingSon]

I'm still trying to decide between Holiday World or Six Flags Great America for my trip this month. Never been to either.

[Son of Beast 89]

I hope to see everyone in KI Central there

[homestar92]

I'm still trying to decide between Holiday World or Six Flags Great America for my trip this month. Never been to either.

Both parks are excellent! I really cannot recommend either of them enough.

 

Holiday World is an easier park in which to experience all of the attractions in a single day. Thunderbird is stellar. Voyage is a very critically-acclaimed ride, though many here are not the biggest fans. Very "love it or hate it". Legend is a lot of fun, but very rough. Raven is, in my opinion, nearly the perfect wooden roller coaster, but it unfortunately loses a lot of points due to its disappointing length. It ends right when it starts to get REALLY good.

 

SFGAm is also great. They have a huge collection of world-class rides, including my personal favorite B&M hyper and B&M invert. They also have my personal favorite Arrow Looper that isn't named "Vortex". Plus you've got Whizzer, which is a very rare breed of coaster and is a surprisingly fun little ride. Not to mention Goliath, American Eagle, Viper, Dark Knight Coaster... I could go on and on. SFGAm is huge. If you aren't going on a weekday (and possibly even if you are) you will likely need two days or a Flash Pass (ideally of gold tier or higher, bearing in mind that only the platinum one includes Goliath, and only two rides on it) to ride everything. If you opt to stay two days and are covering the cost of parking by yourself, I believe it is a bit cheaper to buy a season pass than to buy admission and parking for two days. You can also opt for a membership pass to alleviate the initial cost, but keep in mind that when you buy a membership, you are agreeing to make payments for 12 months.

 

Whichever park you choose, you're sure to have a great time. Holiday World has my second-favorite "new for 2015" ride, but Thunderbird isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Now, as SFGAm goes... My enthusiast's intuition tells me that American Eagle likely doesn't have much time left, so I'd personally make it a priority to ride that if you choose that park. I could be wrong, of course, but given the condition of its paint, I don't have the warm fuzzies about its future...