Cedar Fair Unveils Exciting Plans for 2022 Operating Season

[Browntggrr]

https://ir.cedarfair.com/news/news-details/2021/Cedar-Fair-Unveils-Exciting-Plans-for-2022-Operating-Season-Including-Upgraded-Safari-Village-Area-at-Kings-Dominion-50th-Anniversary-Celebration-at-Kings-Island-Fun-Filled-Seasonal-Events-and-Upgraded-Lodging-and-Dining-Venues/default.aspx

Cedar Fair Unveils Exciting Plans for 2022 Operating Season, Including Upgraded Safari Village Area at Kings Dominion, 50th Anniversary Celebration at Kings Island, Fun-Filled Seasonal Events and Upgraded Lodging and Dining Venues

August 12, 2021

 

SANDUSKY, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and immersive entertainment, today announced exciting plans for the 2022 operating season across all of its properties in the U.S. and Canada. These include a new themed area at Kings Dominion in Virginia, the reopening of two newly refurbished resort properties at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, and the 50^th anniversary celebration at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. In addition, Cedar Fair plans to introduce several new and upgraded dining venues and to expand its popular festival and event calendars to include something for everyone in the family throughout the year.

“We’re in the business of making people happy, and we are actively investing in our parks to help us deliver the type of fun, immersive experiences that our guests crave and our associates love to provide,” said Cedar Fair President and CEO Richard A. Zimmerman. “Based on positive recent trends and our renewed confidence in the recovery of the business, we now plan to invest between $175-$200 million for the 2022 season to improve the guest experience at our parks. These investments include ongoing renovations at the Castaway Bay and Sawmill Creek resort properties at Cedar Point, as well as the addition of new rides, attractions and guest amenities across our parks in the U.S. and Canada.”

Zimmerman said consumer research continues to reinforce the significance of food and beverage (F&B) and the high-quality menu options Cedar Fair parks offer as essential components of delivering a memorable park experience. As such, the company is investing aggressively for the 2022 season as part of the next phase of significant development in its F&B lineup. Under this plan, Cedar Fair is upgrading and expanding F&B facilities across its portfolio, with new chef-inspired restaurants opening at several parks. The focus is on providing signature menu and beverage items that tap into consumers’ interest for unique flavors and experiences they can’t find anywhere else. In 2021, Cedar Fair has added approximately 20 chefs to its park teams to accommodate the continued growth in its culinary program. In addition, these capital investments will improve the capabilities, technologies and efficiencies of the parks’ food preparation and delivery systems.

Among the highlights of Cedar Fair's capital program for the 2022 operating season:

• Kings Dominion is renaming and upgrading the Safari Village area of the park and introducing a new roller coaster in 2022. The new area, Jungle X-Pedition, is set to an exotic archeological dig site and research facility, where explorers can visit the base camp for a bite to eat at a new signature restaurant and shop at an immersive retail location. Around the corner, guests can climb aboard Tumbili, a thrilling roller coaster that suspends riders on either side of the track as the cars flip continuously throughout the ride.
• Kings Island will celebrate 50 years of fun, memories and traditions. Guests will join the park in commemorating the landmark anniversary with limited time events, enhanced food offerings and all-new live entertainment – each telling the stories of Kings Island’s first 50 years and sure to delight all ages and create lasting memories. The park will announce more anniversary details in the coming months.
• Cedar Point’s full lineup of entertainment returns in 2022 with the popular Frontier Festival at the start of the season, Cedar Point Nights and the Celebrate Spectacular Parade during the heat of the summer and HalloWeekends in the fall. In addition, the park’s Frontier Town will introduce a new chef-inspired signature restaurant that is sure to delight guests throughout the season. On the resort front, the re-imagined Castaway Bay Indoor Waterpark hotel will welcome back families with all-new guest rooms, enhanced amenities, kid-friendly activities and a new take on dining, all intertwined with a whimsical theme that connects sea, land and air. Sawmill Creek by Cedar Point Resorts, located just a short drive from Cedar Point, will be reintroduced as a natural escape ideal for a retreat from the ordinary. The resort will showcase a full renovation of guest rooms, eclectic dining options, golf course upgrades, outdoor amenities and an enhanced convention and meeting space experience. Castaway Bay and Sawmill Creek are scheduled to debut before the 2022 summer season.
• Canada’s Wonderland will have four seasons of world-class experiences, events and entertainment for guests of all ages, including a new International Food Festival featuring a diverse menu of culinary tastes, treats and drinks from around the world. In addition, the park will be expanding its culinary offerings in 2022 with the introduction of a multi-level, rustic lodge-restaurant that will be the park’s largest dining facility to date.
• Knott’s Berry Farm’s full Seasons of Fun lineup will return in 2022, kicking off with the return of the Peanut’s Celebration, an extended Boysenberry Festival in the spring, the return of Knott’s award-winning summer experience, Ghost Town Alive!, and the festive Knott’s Spooky and Merry Farm closing out the year. The Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel will also undergo a major renovation to its 300+ room onsite resort.
• Cedar Fair continues to invest millions of dollars into its two Schlitterbahn Waterpark properties in New Braunfels and Galveston, Texas. The enhancements for the 2022 season will focus on infrastructure and aesthetics throughout the park, including upgraded food locations and attractions. The planned projects will continue to improve the overall guest experience, while maintaining the unique character and iconic Schlitterbahn tradition that guests have treasured for more than 40 years.

In addition, other Cedar Fair parks will offer a full lineup of seasonal events. The wildly popular Grand Carnivale celebration will return to a half-dozen parks next summer, including Carowinds, Dorney Park, Valleyfair and Worlds of Fun. In the fall, parks will offer Halloween-themed special events that are sure to delight adults and kids alike. Six parks will host Tricks & Treats events, with two others hosting Family Halloween. And as the weather turns colder, WinterFest will return to Carowinds, California’s Great America, Kings Dominion, Canada’s Wonderland and Kings Island. This immersive holiday experience is filled with millions of lights, enchanting themes areas, ice-skating, live holiday entertainment, sweet and savory treats, and a variety of additional activities for the entire family.

“Each season we introduce a full slate of new rides and attractions, limited-time special events, and upgraded food and beverage programs,” Zimmerman said. “As we’ve seen across all our parks this summer, consumers are hungry for more, and with season passes now on sale for 2022, we are ready to satisfy their growing appetites for entertainment and family fun.”

For more information about 2022 season passes, please visit www.cedarfair.com and click on your favorite park property.

About Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), one of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world, is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. Focused on its mission to make people happy by providing fun, immersive, and memorable experiences, the Company owns and operates 13 properties, consisting of 11 amusement parks, four separately gated outdoor water parks, and resort accommodations totaling more than 2,300 rooms and more than 600 luxury RV sites. Cedar Fair’s parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Texas and Toronto, Ontario. The Company also operates an additional theme park in California under a management contract.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements contained in this news release that are not historical in nature constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements as to the Company's expectations, beliefs, goals, and strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements may involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct, or that the Company's business optimization and growth strategies will achieve the target results. Important factors, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, general economic conditions, adverse weather conditions, competition for consumer leisure time and spending, unanticipated construction delays, changes in the Company’s capital investment plans and projects and other factors discussed from time to time by the Company in its reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) could affect attendance at the Company’s parks, as well as the Company's business optimization program, and cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations or otherwise to fluctuate or decrease. Additional information on risk factors that may affect the business and financial results of the Company can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the filings of the Company made from time to time with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, information, circumstances or otherwise that arise after the publication of this document.

[DiamondbackFan]

Cedar Fair Unveils Exciting Plans for 2022 Operating Season

[KIghostguy]

Looks like Cedar Fair itself has leaked Kings Dominion’s Free Spin! Still half an hour before Kings Dominion’s announcement.

[Captain Nemo]

3 minutes ago, KIghostguy said:

Looks like Cedar Fair itself has leaked Kings Dominion’s Free Spin! Still half an hour before Kings Dominion’s announcement.

This project has to be one of the most badly kept secret in CF history.

[FUN&ONLY!]

I am surprised it doesn’t say that Grand Carnivale will return at Kings Island for next year. Maybe the park will see its own anniversary celebration like Cedar Point. Also, I wonder if we are going to get a new restaurant because it sounds like Cedar Fair is going to be opening many new restaurants. At this point, I am very excited for Kings Island to release the details on their 50th anniversary celebration.

[medford]

Finish retracking and repaint The Racer, ideally with the original scheme, but just repainting it white would be satisfactory.

Redo boo blasters (I'm actually fine with the attraction concept, just needs revamped, refreshed and consistently working guns).  I know many want a return to phantom theater, which would be great, but I have trouble envisioning that going thru.  I'd actually prefer a boat ride like they had years ago, but don't see that as possible either.  Kids love boo blasters, so here's my idea:  most important, all the guns need to work and work well.  Revamp all the rooms to a different background.  Pay some homage to phantom theater and even previous incarnations like the smurf boat ride (if possible w/o infringing on trademark licenses) at various points.  Load up on easter eggs that pay homage to the parks history, present and perhaps even future.  Make several items in each room easily interchangeable so that each day the ride is slightly different than the last.  Even better if it could be done automatically while the ride is operating, but that would seem troublesome with each room constantly in vision of one or more cars.

[CoastersRZ]

I find it interesting that Worlds of Fun, which held Winterfest prior to the pandemic, is not listed as having Winterfest again in 2022.  Interestingly, the five parks they mention having Winterfest at are all former Paramount Parks...  So did Winterfest at Worlds of Fun not attract the crowds and revenue that it did at the other parks?

Hopefully KI has some kind of parade.  My kids really enjoyed Grand Carnivale`s parade.

[Browntggrr]

The issues with BB have been going on for some time now.

I makes me wonder if there is a reason why repairs have not been done.

EV- 1972 to 1983

SEV- 1984 to 1991

(20 years with same layout)

PT- 1992 to 2002

SDatHC- 2003 to 2009

BBoBH- 2010- ?

(30 years with same layout)

When KI opened in 1972, EV was the most expensive attraction for the park at $1.5 million.

[medford]

agreen browntggrr.

We've been talking about a boo blaster reboot for at least as long as I've been here, and probably well before then  

 

Ironically, just looked at my registered date, and it was 2011, so happy 10 years to me, but perhaps we haven't been talking about a reboot of boo hill for that long. Then again, people were probably talking about a reboot back to phantom theater when boo Blasters go rethemed back in 2010.

 

anyhoo, its time.  I'm happy with the concept, just needs improved functionability and theming.

[Vortex]

So what’s going on for the 50th? You think they could at least say something. 

[SonofBaconator]

59 minutes ago, CoastersRZ said:

So did Winterfest at Worlds of Fun not attract the crowds and revenue that it did at the other parks?

I'm not a Worlds of Fun expert but it wasn't an original Paramount park so there might have not been as much of a demand for a winter event and thus maybe lower crowds.

[King Ding Dong]

4 hours ago, Vortex said:

So what’s going on for the 50th? You think they could at least say something. 

Probably the exact same thing CP did.   A parade and show, virtual park history tours, some contests like the Ticket for a Lifetime and a VIP experience that is hugely popular and coveted. 
 

Look at the throngs of guests last night at CP at the cash bar and watching TV instead of riding coasters.

 

There are 2 guys chatting under that tent. Never seen more than 6-7 people in a VIP area at CP all season.  The concept sounds great but in reality, Backstage passes, Exclusive Access and VIP Experiences can be boring AF if not done right.  
 

I have couches, TVs, free water and a stocked liquor cabinet at home.  What I don’t have is flats and coasters.  

[brenthodge]

They’ve really been into “skid inspired” construction this year haven’t they LOL. 

[Vortex]

Saw the VIP area at Cedar Point this summer no one was in them. Still on the fence with renewing for next year. 

[silver2005]

I have a feeling SIX is about to drop an anvil on CF when they do their announcements. 

[BoddaH1994]

2 minutes ago, silver2005 said:

I have a feeling SIX is about to drop an anvil on CF when they do their announcements. 

SIX could announce the world’s tallest coaster for every park and it wouldn’t be a blip on Cedar Fair’s radar. They don’t compete directly in most markets. Now, Cedar Fair would be held accountable if one of their peers greatly outperformed them but let’s be honest here, SIX is going to screw it up. 

[jimlaheyscar]

Rumors suggest there is no big SIX announcement this year.  Fiesta and MM are getting coasters, Over Texas is getting the Mack splash that was planned for 2021.  

 

 

[SonofBaconator]

I believe Six Flags is moving away from joint-announcements. Cedar Fair really only competes with a handful of Six Flags parks so I don't think there's much radar blipping like a lot of people believe there is. Cedar Fair and Six Flags compete in the sense of they both have the largest collections of parks in North America.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

10 hours ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

 Also, I wonder if we are going to get a new restaurant because it sounds like Cedar Fair is going to be opening many new restaurants. At this point, I am very excited for Kings Island to release the details on their 50th anniversary celebration.

I know there was a thread awhile back talking about a survey of a potential new indoor dining cafeteria with entertainment in Planet Snoopy. I can't confirm anything though and I don't know anything. 

[Bansheelover]

At the Cedar Fair board meeting. 

 

CF, "Everyone cool with whats going on next year?"

CP, KI,, CW , knotts, Carowinds, "yea we're good thanks"

VF, WOF, CGA "yea thanks for including us! We will make you proud thank you so much for thinking of us."

KD, "OMG thank you so much!!! We can't believe you remembered us, and we love you!"

Dorney, "Hey wheres our new coaster!?!?!"

CF, "Meeting over, no further."

 

MA, "Um hey guys what about us?"

CF, "You're still here? I thought we closed you."  

Intern, "Sir that was Geagua Lake. 

CF, Oh f&^K.

[Captain Nemo]

1 hour ago, Bansheelover said:

At the Cedar Fair board meeting. 

 

CF, "Everyone cool with whats going on next year?"

CP, KI,, CW , knotts, Carowinds, "yea we're good thanks"

VF, WOF, CGA "yea thanks for including us! We will make you proud thank you so much for thinking of us."

KD, "OMG thank you so much!!! We can't believe you remembered us, and we love you!"

Dorney, "Hey wheres our new coaster!?!?!"

CF, "Meeting over, no further."

 

MA, "Um hey guys what about us?"

CF, "You're still here? I thought we closed you."  

Intern, "Sir that was Geagua Lake. 

CF, Oh f&^K.

Meanwhile Gilroy Gardens and Schlitterbahn are at home because they didn't even get invites to the meeting.

[FUN&ONLY!]

2 hours ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

I know there was a thread awhile back talking about a survey of a potential new indoor dining cafeteria with entertainment in Planet Snoopy. I can't confirm anything though and I don't know anything. 

If I were to guess, I think we would see a new indoor dining facility in Planet Snoopy when they decide to add a new attraction there or renovate the entire area. I could see Kings Island adding another new restaurant somewhere else, though, for next year. Weren’t there supposedly markers by the KillMart building last year? Maybe a new restaurant could go there. I think Kings Island could also try to bring back food items from the past for its 50th anniversary.

[King Ding Dong]

26 minutes ago, FUN&ONLY! said:

If I were to guess, I think we would see a new indoor dining facility in Planet Snoopy when they decide to add a new attraction there or renovate the entire area. I could see Kings Island adding another new restaurant somewhere else, though, for next year. Weren’t there supposedly markers by the KillMart building last year? Maybe a new restaurant could go there. I think Kings Island could also try to bring back food items from the past for its 50th anniversary.

You should make a thread asking what food items would you like to see brought back and what food items do you definitely not want to be brought back.  

[Shawn Meyer]

When will more details be announced for the 50th anniversary? I know a lot of fans are hoping they repave the parking lot for Kings Island next year.

[Honorarius]

5 hours ago, Shawn Meyer said:

When will more details be announced for the 50th anniversary? I know a lot of fans are hoping they repave the parking lot for Kings Island next year.

They're trying to get the parking lot to get that "old wooden coaster" feel...

[CoastersRZ]

As was stated in the corporate press release, more details will be revealed in the weeks and months ahead.  I would expect we will not hear much before the end of the regular season (end of October).

[IndyGuy4KI]

11 hours ago, CoastersRZ said:

As was stated in the corporate press release, more details will be revealed in the weeks and months ahead.  I would expect we will not hear much before the end of the regular season (end of October).

I would venture to guess even further. No reason to start until January when we get past the whole 2021 season and get into the 50th anniversary year of 2022.

[super7]

Don’t expect much from Cedar Fair coming in the near future.  They are low on cash and still losing money as of the last quarter 

Selling cheap unprofitable season passes and dining plans whike overcrowding parks is not a good business model.   

Thry are already pushing 2022 passes at rock bottom prices  and giving away a lot of 2021 with them in their desperation for cash.   
 

They have done some great things in the Taft parks recently but they apparently don’t feel they have a valuable product. 

[BoddaH1994]

37 minutes ago, super7 said:

Don’t expect much from Cedar Fair coming in the near future.  They are low on cash and still losing money as of the last quarter 

Selling cheap unprofitable season passes and dining plans whike overcrowding parks is not a good business model.   

Thry are already pushing 2022 passes at rock bottom prices  and giving away a lot of 2021 with them in their desperation for cash.   
 

They have done some great things in the Taft parks recently but they apparently don’t feel they have a valuable product. 

Why are you singling out the Taft parks?  Currently a Gold Pass for Cedar Point: the coaster Mecca, a place like no other, the crown jewel of the chain… is one of the cheapest season passes in the chain. I do agree that the moves strike me as a little desperate though. 

[CoastersRZ]

Keep in mind that they are selling passes to Kings Island for $109.  That is by comparable to recent years, but still more expensive then ten years ago.  I remember when they were $79.99 a person!