Kings Island 2025 Special Events

[Timchat2]

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/events

Grand Carnivale and Food & Wine Festival are both returning for 2025.

[SmartCat7162]

I forget do they typically announce if they are doing fireworks every night during regular operation at this time as well?

[Timchat2]

Last year the special events and most of the live entertainment were posted on the same day. The entertainment page (which usually includes the fireworks) hasn't been updated yet.

[Orion-XL200]

No lie, this is kind of disappointing. Grand Carnivale has ran it's course imo and the Food/Wine Festival did not have stellar reviews. An additional celebration day for 4th of July is good...but other than that, nothing new, nothing real exciting.

[Imperial79]

Glad to see both Grand Carnivale and the Food & Wine Festival returning, hopefully they get the word out more about it this year.  Also, we can see WinterFest is on the table so that's great to see! 

[beastfan11]

Super hyped for Food and Wine returning. Had a great time last year and looking forward to enjoying it again. Hopefully these events only get better with time. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Looks like KI is the only park doing Grand Carnivale this year. Fingers crossed they are able to pour more money into it this year as they have more resources with the other past Carnivale parks not doing it. Please please please KI and Corporate bring back the 2019 version!!! 

[BB1]

I’m just happy Winterfest is back! 2025 will be the year to come out and participate in events to make sure they keep coming back. The numbers, at the end of the day, will probably influence the likely hood of future productions.

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I'm excited to see that Food & Wine, Grand Carnivale, Haunt, and Winterfest are all back this year! If the wealth of resources does get shared around, I think it would make the experience better overall. Hopefully F&W and GC both get more advertising this year (and hopefully something that is not just posts with 25% event details / 75% season pass promo). Maybe the tasting cards will come back as well

More details or changes for Tricks and Treats, Halloween Haunt, and Winterfest will probably released closer to August/early September, so I'm curious how those will look now that events and experiences are being shared between parks. This will be the 25th year of Halloween Haunt too, so I'd like to see if the park does something cool for that! 

 

[rlentless]

I know the events had already been listed but here is a news story in the Journal-News today.

https://www.journal-news.com/lifestyles/kings-island-announces-special-events-coming-to-the-park-this-summer/PU7MNSBWERCQHE5DQ34K6WYDLY/

[DJSkyFoxx]

I kind of wish they would do something completely new and different. I agree that Grand Carnivale has run its course. I unfortunately did not get to experience it the first year when it apparently was actually good. The event left a lot to be desired the last two seasons that I have been. Hopefully since they are bringing it back this year they actually devote more resources into making it what it once was. As for the Food and Wine Festival, that's not really my vibe personally. Glad other's enjoyed it though. 

A refresh of events next season would be nice to see though. 

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I feel Carnivale is here to stay just because it's an International themed festival and KI and KD have International Street. I think Carnivale will return to KD in 26 as just like KI in 22 they're taking a year off to celebrate their 50th. I'd be okay with it as long as they expand on it and keep adding to the event and not cutting back like they've done the last few years. One way to do that is to bring back a Carnivale themed bandstand show (ie Royal Rhythms) and not just have Retrospect as the show. It just didn't have that "International Festival" feel to it. 

I'm glad they chose to keep Food and Wine as it has a lot of potential to be a staple at the park. It also really works well in that Tower Gardens/Eiffel Tower base area. However, I really wish instead of late May through June, they did it in late April through May. Have it be that springtime early season event instead of Summer. 

Now my main wish (obviously like we saw with Food and Wine last year where they added it last minute) is we see some type of Soak City event. That's literally where your new capital for 2025 is. Take advantage of it! Do some late ERT on the new attractions as part of like a "glow nite" event like you used to do. It felt like a major missed opportunity to not do some sort of "kids event" in Camp Snoopy last year to help promote Camp Snoopy and no the showing a new "camp snoopy" movie in Beagle Scout Acres doesn't count.

I also would keep our eyes on Timberwolf this year. With Skyflyer being removed and Spirit Song mysteriously going silent last year after coming back one year post Covid (2023) with no signs of it coming back as well as no signs of KI hosting anymore concerts after the 2022 concert series flop, I feel like the time to pull the plug on it would be now especially if Congo, Invertigo, Drop Tower, and The Bat are all potentially on the chopping block. That would open up a large plot of land at the front of the park for something massive! Now that's the conversation of another thread lol.

As for live shows this year, I'm willing to place a bet that Trailblazers Xtreme and Country Crossroads are returning. I'm about 50/50 on the gazillion bubble show as it looks like KD is potentially getting it, but they show at multiple parks so KI could still get it, but honestly I could also see KI getting Brad Ross as he did a 2 year stint at Carowinds and he was very popular there. The main question is about the bandstand show. Usually KI runs their shows for 2 years. Retrospect has ran for 2 years. However, Off the Charts ran there for several years. However, I really hope they do a live band show there again or at least change up the songs.

Finally, not really live entertainment/special event related, but please please please PLEASE NO MORE JAZZ ON I-STREET!!! I know I sound like a broken record here, but the jazz has been playing for 3 seasons now and imo just does not fit International Street. Now, I could get behind the jazz during food/wine fest and Carnivale as it fits those events well, but outside of when those events are going on, I want to see orchestral music playing again! International Street is meant to be grand and revealing not laid back jazzy!