Grand Carnivale - June 15-July 7

[flightoffear1996]

I was unable to get a picture of it but If you look at the last float on the back it’s toward the bottom of the float where the bumper would be it says Giga. 

 

Spoiler

Made ya look!

 

[upstop]

1 hour ago, Ben43065 said:

I’m sure someone remembers his name but I recall at the start of this year a music artist (Who I thought did work with Disney?) tweeted out that he was working on a project with Kings Island and that project has turned out to be the parade music. 

Rob Pottorf

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, Ben43065 said:

I’m sure someone remembers his name but I recall at the start of this year a music artist (Who I thought did work with Disney?) tweeted out that he was working on a project with Kings Island and that project has turned out to be the parade music. 

Scott Erickson.

[upstop]

Sorry, I thought it was Rob... 

[IndyGuy4KI]

We saw at the last two nights, we loved it. Anyone else see it at least two times?

[Waltny]

2 minutes ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

We saw at the last two nights, we loved it. Anyone else see it at least two times?

I’ve been a bead thrower twice on a float and my son and I have done the parade 6 other times. He really enjoys it and I have to admit to having a good time also.

[DonnaFan]

How long does it last in the evening? Would a 4 year old like it?

[Benjamin22]

2 hours ago, DonnaFan said:

How long does it last in the evening? Would a 4 year old like it?

A 4 year old would love parade, the parade starts at 8.

 

edit - Thanks for the clarification Bodda, the event starts at 5.

[ldhudsonjr]

32 minutes ago, DonnaFan said:

How long does it last in the evening? Would a 4 year old like it?

My four year old and her seven year old brother LOVED it. Especially the part where they get to join in and dance. There's also an opportunity for kids to get on the bandstand stage and dance, which both of my kids just loved.

[BoddaH1994]

1 hour ago, Ben43065 said:

A 4 year old would love the parade! The parade starts at 8 and I think the event starts at 6.

The opening ceremony begins promptly at 5:00 on the Bandstand with an edict from the king and queen ordering the commencement of the event.

[MDMC01]

13 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

We saw at the last two nights, we loved it. Anyone else see it at least two times?

Yep. Seen it twice, got to throw beads during my recent visit. While following/watching the parade is awesome, throwing the beads was so much fun!

Speaking of stilt walkers, the chief with the mustache is extremely talented. Normally, those Fortnite dance moves all the kids (and some adults- looking at you Phil from last year’s version of Gravity!) are doing are so cringy, but this guy can pull off that fist-pump one... on stilts! That takes talent and I told him how impressed I was last Saturday. I’m planning to go next Saturday to enjoy Carnivale one last time before it leaves us.

Also, I seem to recall a Haunt commercial/ advertisement with a stilt walking clown, but I don’t think that type of character has ever happened here.

[ldhudsonjr]

14 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

We saw at the last two nights, we loved it. Anyone else see it at least two times?

Yeah we went two days back to back, lol. Would have seen it three times but the first time we went we basically gave up after waiting almost two hours for the rain to stop. Kids loved it. The first time we were pressed up against the Build-a-Bear and it was super uncomfortable with people trying to push past us the whole time. Second time we set up shop near the front of the Fountain across from the main entrance and enjoyed it way more. Surprisingly good show either way.

[MDMC01]

Only got to experience Carnivale for about an hour or so tonight, but it was a blast! After the Opening Ceremonies, I tried the Crepe Monsiuer (I think that's what it's called) and it was actually pretty good- it was like a pancake with ham and gooey cheese! When I first heard the idea that ethnic food would be a part of Carnivale, I dismissed the options as I'm such a picky eater, but I'm really glad I was adventurous tonight! Also saw the drumming and got a quick dance lesson in the India pavilion, which, entertainment-wise, is my favorite. I'll be going once again Saturday for my last time and I think what I'll miss most about Carnivale when it sets sail for Worlds of Fun is that the park may not see this level of roaming entertainment until Haunt. Yes, there are the awesome shows (Gravity, the 80's show and the Country Show comes to mind), but there are no roaming characters until Haunt.

Also, speaking of India, did you know there are two versions of the song "Jai Ho" (from the movie Slumdog Millionaire)? There is the version with some famous singers (which is played at the park- the name of the girl group was censored by the site for some reason) and then there is the original by A.R. Rahman and others:

 

Also, here's another good Bollywood song that I wish they'd play at the park:

-MDMC, who once went through a "Bollywood phase"

[IndyGuy4KI]

The Grand Carivale page is now up on KIC with almost 300 pics of the event!

https://kicentral.com/kings-island-2019/grandcarnivale/

[upstop]

Saw the Spectacle of Color parade at night last night and it was so different after dark. The float lights are in sync with the music . It was fantastic! I hope next year that the parade ends with the floats surrounding the tower. Folks near the end only see the end of the parade and not the whole thing.

[DonnaFan]

My son and I really enjoyed the juggler in Italy. He was so funny without saying a word! It was about 91° out and he was pouring sweat but still gave a great performance.

[brent]

3 hours ago, upstop said:

Saw the Spectacle of Color parade at night last night and it was so different after dark. The float lights are in sync with the music . It was fantastic! I hope next year that the parade ends with the floats surrounding the tower. Folks near the end only see the end of the parade and not the whole thing.

Yeah, wish it got a bit darker earlier here. So much effort and detail that didn’t really get noticed in coney. Even if it stepped off at 8:30 it would make a big difference. The lighting was very impressive in the way it actually worked with the music. I was also very impressed they synced the float track with the area PA so even when there wasn’t a float right in front of you, there wasn’t much of a drop in the music. Dollywood really needs to do that with their Christmas light parade. There are a lot of “silent” moments while you wait for units to catch up. CF really put thought into toys event (and $$$$$) 

[SnakePlissken]

5 hours ago, upstop said:

Saw the Spectacle of Color parade at night last night and it was so different after dark. The float lights are in sync with the music . It was fantastic! I hope next year that the parade ends with the floats surrounding the tower. Folks near the end only see the end of the parade and not the whole thing.

I was there last night and I thought the parade got canceled due to the rain that popped up right at 8pm. I heard the announcement saying it was being postponed. But there was too much chaos and noise for me to really hear what was said later during the second announcement. Also why do people think its a smart idea to gather under the tower and stand there during a storm?

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I wonder how long it'll take to take all the decorations down. They really went all out with detail and decorations.

[brent]

29 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I wonder how long it'll take to take all the decorations down. They really went all out with detail and decorations.

Some stuff may have to come down quick if it’s being transferred to the next park. Not sure how much is “corporate” and how much is sourced locally. A lot of the graphics said “Kings Island” and KD on them so they did do a lot localized to each park. Also wonder (and hope) a lot of the international flags are now part of the ISTREET decor package going forward. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

I am really going to miss this event and I hope it comes back next season. One of the best events I have ever seen at KI.

[BoddaH1994]

The floats were in the parking lot near premium parking immediately filling the parade ready to be shipped off to Valleyfair. 

[KIghostguy]

Out of curiosity, how does International Street look? Was everything taken down overnight?

[ldhudsonjr]

1 hour ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

I am really going to miss this event and I hope it comes back next season. One of the best events I have ever seen at KI.

Same. My kids especially just loved it. Looking forward to it next year though I won't miss the big crowds on weeknights.

[upstop]

Wouldn’t it be cool if there were more parades for the summer and of course fall and winter?

[DonnaFan]

7 hours ago, ldhudsonjr said:

Same. My kids especially just loved it. Looking forward to it next year though I won't miss the big crowds on weeknights.

Is it coming back? I thought someone said here it won't be in 2020.

[ldhudsonjr]

4 minutes ago, DonnaFan said:

Is it coming back? I thought someone said here it won't be in 2020.

I don't think anyone knows that. 

[starlitfire]

9 hours ago, KIghostguy said:

Out of curiosity, how does International Street look? Was everything taken down overnight?

Food tents are still up, the tape has peeled off while leaving marks on the pavers, and you can still see streamers in the trees, but otherwise it looks like nothing happened.

[IndyGuy4KI]

1 hour ago, DonnaFan said:

Is it coming back? I thought someone said here it won't be in 2020.

That was not a reliable source.  I am guessing the park has to evaluate attendance/in park spending vs the cost of GC before making any type of decision. We won't probably know anything for a while if there is a plan to bring it back.

[BoddaH1994]

16 hours ago, IndyGuy4KI said:

That was not a reliable source.  I am guessing the park has to evaluate attendance/in park spending vs the cost of GC before making any type of decision. We won't probably know anything for a while if there is a plan to bring it back.

All of the Kings Island brass I've talked to seems pretty confident that it'll come back.  Of course, as you said, we won't know for sure for quite some time.  I'm certain that they did not realize their attendance, spending, and profitability projections simply because they got pummeled by the rain for the first half of the event.  No one I've talked to wasn't blown away by it.  The crowds to see the parade along I Street were almost an emotional experience.  Island Rhythms may be the best show the Bandstand has seen.  As I said before, the 9:30 show which was augmented to include the fireworks was something incredibly special.  The sheer amount of people between the tower and the bandstand dancing, laughing, and signing along was the perfect embodiment of what Kings Island means to so many people.  To say they hit the ball out of the park is the understatement of the year.  They went up to the plate, smacked it out of the park, ran back, caught it, and gave the ball to an adoring fan.  

On 7/7/2019 at 7:55 PM, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I wonder how long it'll take to take all the decorations down. They really went all out with detail and decorations.

The park has a whole décor team.  This is a relatively recent thing.  They are responsible for the setup of events like this as well as Winterfest and Haunt among others.  They work well into the night to make sure the park looks great.  Some of the hardest working people out there.

On 7/7/2019 at 11:33 AM, upstop said:

Saw the Spectacle of Color parade at night last night and it was so different after dark. The float lights are in sync with the music . It was fantastic! I hope next year that the parade ends with the floats surrounding the tower. Folks near the end only see the end of the parade and not the whole thing.

So I was going to make a separate thread about the amazing technology behind the parade, but I was afraid that people would get bored of the techy info... but here it is.  If anyone was involved in the parade or has technical knowledge and wants to correct or clarify anything I post, feel free.

The fact that the floats' lights are synced up with the music is actually part of a much broader system that allows this entire machine (the parade) to function the way that it does.  It all comes down to timecode.  What is timecode?  It's actually very simple: time code allows every part of the system to be on the exact page and know exactly what it's supposed to be doing at all times.  Think of it like you and your friends agreeing to do something at the exact same time, on the exact same millisecond.  Furthermore, timecode is constantly syncing up your watches to ensure that everything happens correctly.

Want to know how the music, lights, fountains, and fireworks all sync up?  Yep.  Timecode.  Every aspect of that system knowns exactly what it's supposed to be doing at every moment.  The timecode tells it what time it is?  Remember how the Royal Finale was messed up a lot before Grand Carnivale?  That was a computer issue that wasn't allowing each unit to get timecode.  Therefore when, say a light, stops getting time code it simply freezes or turns off.  For the record the Royal Finale went off without a hitch last night (7/8/19) and was amazing!

Anyway, time code can be transmitted through radios.  Each float had a receiver which would tell it which program to run with the lights.  Fun fact: the receivers were made by FireOne - the same company that makes the fireworks equipment that is used for the nightly show.  It's not just the floats.  Everything from the music not starting until the floats are in your area to, the lights, to even the streamers launching all references the timecode to make sure it goes perfectly each time.  The technology truly is a marvel.

Also, the individual lights on the floats can create patterns and shapes.  This technology is called pixel mapping.  A software knows the exact shape of the layout of the lights and therefore can address each bulb for individual color.  It's the same way they did the Eiffel Tower Tree for Winterfest.  My friends and I took an interest in this a few months ago and decided to pixel map our own model Eiffel Tower to figure out how it works.  Here is a crude, early tower with rudimentary lighting.  We created a new, better Eiffel Tower which can be found between the middle and modern periods of railroading at EnterTRAINment Junction.