To @pianoman's disappointment, there also used to be a small fountain in front of Festhaus.  

To [mention=10611]pianoman[/mention]'s disappointment, there also used to be a small fountain in front of Festhaus.  

Oh really? I never remember that. Must have been removed before I started going to the park.


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22 minutes ago, pianoman said:

Oh really? I never remember that. Must have been removed before I started going to the park.


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See that floral structure in front?  That used to be a fountain, at least through the mid-late 90s. 

I honestly have been thinking the next coaster after whatever goes in Firehawk's location should be in Oktoberfest. I honestly think they should relocate the latter game. Maybe even relocate Slingshot. I think the coaster could run over the pond near Viking Fury. There are two options I thought of. You could do a Mack Double Launch coaster like Copperhead Strike over the pond and give it a nice Oktoberfest style theme or you could even do a B&M dive coaster there and have an underwater tunnel like Yukon Striker. I don't see Viking Fury going anywhere, but they can work around it. But that would be the big way to start upgrading Oktoberfest. Then maybe some flat rides in that area. My theory is that the whole Coney Mall/Xbase/Oktoberfest area is going to be the main focus over the next several years.

I don't know what what midway Sling Shot would work in though.  I thought maybe back in X-Base but Im sure that doesn't see the same amount of foot traffic.  I would love to see a giant ferris wheel go in its place.

IIRC way back they put in zephyr, new dodgems, and skylab all at once. Love to see an Oktoberfest revamp with a ferris wheel, screaming swing, and wild mouse all at once 

Maybe paint Sling Shot the colors of the German flag to freshen it up a little.

FC Cincinnati is a German inspired soccer team so it would be cool if they added some FCC theming to Oktoberfest- similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kennywood.

 

We can only hope with the current park management emphasis seeming to be on “what is old is new again” (e.g. antique autos), maybe they can restore the Feathaus clock (which would be a show in itself that could be programmed to operate at select hours) and a remodel of the Festhaus (the bathrooms are in desperate need of updates).  It is sad that park management made the decision to stop the clock at the end of the 2007 season.

”The Festhaus clock was working every 15 minutes until the end of the 2007 season at which point the VP's of the park decided that they wanted the attraction turned off due to lack of interest from the public and a way to save money on repair costs. It sat dormant through the entire 2008 season, and the control system was then pulled out before the beginning of the 2009 season. As it currently sits, it has been a forgotten feature of almost everyone from the park's staff. It is truly unfortunate that they want to remove any charm/theming from the park”

 

 

When I was a kid, this was my favorite area of the park besides Hanna Barbera Land.  I loved the theming and the the polka music.  I loved Der Spinning Keggers and The Flying Dutchman (shoes).  Sad what has become of this area.  But with some love I think it could be an actual destination again and not a confusing walk through area.

I'd like to echo what some have said previously, that a little re-theme of Adventure Express could be a good start.  Instead of the Adventure Village theme the coaster now has, which doesn't fit in as we no longer have Adventure Village, maybe a Dark Forest twist to it a la Grimm's Fairy Tales.  

Also replacing slingshot with a German themed Flat.  Not sure where you would put Sling Shot where it would be able to attract riders with the kind of foot traffic it gets now though.  I feel like that is more of an impulse buy when you see other people going on it. 

I think that ambient sounds and music go a long way to help themed areas also and that should not be underestimated.  Oktoberfest, even just walking through the area as it is now could be livened up with some real Oktoberfest/German music.  Same goes for all the areas.  I remember walking through the front gates, walking down International Street and seeing that fountain and feeling the cool mist hit while songs like "Sabre Dance" were playing. Or even the Top Gun and Star Trek Themes after that in the Paramount Era.  It felt larger than life.  Rivertown could play some Splash Mountain type of music.  This has all been discussed before in other areas, but I'm just saying it'd be nice to have this type of music back in this dying area to give it even a little of its old spark back.

I felt like it was a missed opportunity years ago to remove Sling Shot and make the entrance to Banshee there ( even it there were two entrances - one from Oktoberfest and one from AZ that “merged” into a relocate queue.) then retheme Adventure Express to relate to Banshee. Like a ride through the crypts (bad memories) and catacombs of a European cemetery while the spirit (Banshee) soars overhead. They could have shared theming elements. Then that would give a major focal to Oktoberfest. Would also maybe give the ghosts from Christmas Carol a place to hang during winterfest instead of roaming randomly with no explanation. My 4 year old was very concerned this year that the “bad man is creeping on the princess”! 

Nothing says "Festhaus" like Panda Express and Larosas! 

They do have German foods at Winterfest.....

On 1/9/2019 at 6:15 PM, Winterfestguy said:

We can only hope with the current park management emphasis seeming to be on “what is old is new again” (e.g. antique autos), maybe they can restore the Feathaus clock (which would be a show in itself that could be programmed to operate at select hours) and a remodel of the Festhaus (the bathrooms are in desperate need of updates).  It is sad that park management made the decision to stop the clock at the end of the 2007 season.

”The Festhaus clock was working every 15 minutes until the end of the 2007 season at which point the VP's of the park decided that they wanted the attraction turned off due to lack of interest from the public and a way to save money on repair costs. It sat dormant through the entire 2008 season, and the control system was then pulled out before the beginning of the 2009 season. As it currently sits, it has been a forgotten feature of almost everyone from the park's staff. It is truly unfortunate that they want to remove any charm/theming from the park”

 

 

Phrophetic words!

Except that it seemed by the end of the season it was back to being broken. Did I just miss every “show”? 

16 minutes ago, brent said:

Except that it seemed by the end of the season it was back to being broken. Did I just miss every “show”? 

It was working during Haunt in Sept. I was standing there with a beer in my hand when it started. 

If theming somehow became important again to the powers that be, I'd like to see all of what used to be known as Action Zone absorbed into Oktoberfest with a full retheme.

30 minutes ago, KI Guy said:

If theming somehow became important again to the powers that be, I'd like to see all of what used to be known as Action Zone absorbed into Oktoberfest with a full retheme.

Did you visit the park this year? Theming is (thankfully) very important once more. Orion will be one of the most heavily-themed rides in Kings Island’s history.

4 hours ago, KIghostguy said:

Did you visit the park this year? Theming is (thankfully) very important once more. Orion will be one of the most heavily-themed rides in Kings Island’s history.

I'm not sure Orion has any theming at all. The new Area 72 might. We won't really know if they are doing any real theming for a while.

2 hours ago, SnakePlissken said:

I'm not sure Orion has any theming at all. The new Area 72 might. We won't really know if they are doing any real theming for a while.

I have been told by those who would know. I don’t have specifics, but it will be something to write home about.

2 hours ago, SnakePlissken said:

I'm not sure Orion has any theming at all. The new Area 72 might. We won't really know if they are doing any real theming for a while.

Cedar Fair as of late has been theming their queues quite a bit (Copperhead strike, Yukon striker & Mystic), I doubt Orion would be an exception. 

I think a point that we all can agree on is that Oktoberfest NEEDS to stand out from the other areas of the park rather than to look like boarder zone between AZ, CM, and IS.

16 hours ago, SnakePlissken said:

It was working during Haunt in Sept. I was standing there with a beer in my hand when it started. 

Cool. Maybe I just was off on my timing. 

Well, Viking Fury got a repaint. Do we seen any more cosmetic tough ups coming to Oktoberfest? One I would like to see is the return of the German restaurant that Hank's shack occupy. And maybe something with the Bier Garden. 

44 minutes ago, Klabergian Empire said:

Well, Viking Fury got a repaint. Do we seen any more cosmetic tough ups coming to Oktoberfest? One I would like to see is the return of the German restaurant that Hank's shack occupy. And maybe something with the Bier Garden. 

I don't think we will see the return of German food. They tried it a few years back and it was short lived.

1 minute ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I don't think we will see the return of German food. They tried it a few years back and it was short lived.

They could pull another Festhaus. German styled building and atmosphere but with mainly non German food.

I don't think there's all the big a demand for German food in a theme park seeing outside of parks more specialized in European theming like BGW and EPCOT. 

42 minutes ago, Klabergian Empire said:

They could pull another Festhaus. German styled building and atmosphere but with mainly non German food.

Like the Chinese restaurant that folded and became a Mexican restaurant and did some CF style retheming?

 

They are bringing oktoberfest back to what it was (Except for the burrito place)

On 5/18/2020 at 8:06 PM, silver2005 said:

I don't think there's all the big a demand for German food in a theme park seeing outside of parks more specialized in European theming like BGW and EPCOT. 

With Carnival a German restaurant would be a nice addition.  In fact any variety  beyond burgers and fries is a welcome addition.  I would love to see a German sausage place with kraut and all the fixings, maybe even some schnitzel sandwiches.   Fest house has so much potential and it is wasted on the typical park food.