AGREED^ I remember when I went to winterfest when I was younger. I loved just walking around I street and watching the show in the festhaus.

Even with the 06 discount it is still expensive for a young family............It needs to be like 14$ for an adult and kids 10 and under 7$.

I agree. It is too expensive for us to drive down from Columbus and then to pay for all four of us. I guess we will have to just go to the Columbus Zoo lights. It is free since we are members. I wish Winterfest was that way too. Hopefully someone will post pictures so we know what we missed.

Yeah! Its 59$ for a year pass at the Columbus Zoo for my kids and I . It's 64$ just to get us in for one night only at Winterfest , and that is only before the Nov 6th deadline.

Wait... the show is in the FESTHAUS?

I thought it was for the Paramount Theater?

The main show is in the Paramount Theatre, but there is also another show in the FestHaus. Live Entertainment is one of the main focuses of Winterfest, it always was, and it is going to be great seeing it happen again!

Where is PKI getting it's outdoor decorations? Like lights is a company special making the Eiffel Tower lights? Like the lights behind the Swan Lake trees, the snow flakes.

-Jake

Oh how I wish I could make it down to Winterfest! It would be so much fun to celebrate Christmas beneath the Eiffel Tower :-)

I do not know where PKI is getting their decorations from. I know that they have a GE generator behind Wings to power the lights for Holiday Illuminations.

Nice photos hopefully i will have some of my own to share with u guys when i return from my trip on saturday.

What attractions will there be????? are there going to be thrill rides like sled things?

I heard the dippin dots guy say they the were going to freeze over all the slide in Boomerrang Bay and you can slide down them. The Wave pool and the Lazy river will be a high speed skating area only.

I heard the dippin dots guy say they the were going to freeze over all the slide in Boomerrang Bay and you can slide down them. The Wave pool and the Lazy river will be a high speed skating area only.

Not going to happen, If they were we would see something going on at BB.

Not going to happen, If they were we would see something going on at BB.

That was a joke, I'm certain.

Lord, when this Big Boy gets a joke ya have to know it's simple.

coastersrz... you bring up a good point. Where did all the lights/decor come from? I'm guessing that it hasn't been in storage for the last 13 years.

This kind of really excites me, because Paramount is really spending on this.... and i think from what I've read and seen it's going to be incredible.

just out of curiousity... and most on here may be too young to remember, but in the previous Winterfest events had so much preparation been done and standing during the regular operating season?

just out of curiousity... and most on here may be too young to remember, but in the previous Winterfest events had so much preparation been done and standing during the regular operating season?

No, that was always a big thing. You never saw set up for Winterfest until it was done. Teams of us would work on set up. I was normally at college and did not get to work during the week. But I did get to work on weekends doing set up. It was actually a blast and most of it would be completed through October.

The fountain is lookin very very good.

coastersrz... you bring up a good point. Where did all the lights/decor come from? I'm guessing that it hasn't been in storage for the last 13 years.

This kind of really excites me, because Paramount is really spending on this.... and i think from what I've read and seen it's going to be incredible.

I actually asked Jeff about that today and he said that all of the Winterfest stuff is new. When the previous owners ended Winterfest years ago, they threw away the old stuff to ensure that it would never return... boy were they wrong.... MUAHA

Actually, didn`t he say some of it was given to the Cincinnati Zoo? I heard him mention something like there have been 25 semi trucks arrive at the park this week with decorations for Winterfest.

A couple of updates about Winterfest. The nightly parade will begin at 7:30 and start back by The Beast entrance, work its way next to Swan Lake and by the Eiffel Tower, before ending in Nickelodeon Central. It will feature all new floats, similar to the ones used in the Nick Parade. The festive banners that have returned to the Festhaus will stick around next season in the non-Winterfest portion (minus the holiday lights and theming). The large Q-TV screens in the Festhaus are gone for good.

Yeah, most of the old Winterfest Decorations were donated to area cities. I would imagine that the company used it as a write off.

I do remember the whole Winterfest flap back then. It was ugly, and you're right that the powers that be wanted to ensure that everything was done so that Winterfest would not return.

Why did they not want winterfest to return????

The origianl reason to discontinue Winterfest was that the management felt profits would be greater by extending the regular opperating season. This was a convenient if not accurate reason as set up for Winterfest had been started previously the week after the park closed. (ie - set up in October)

Oh, so it was not something like the old management telling PKI that they could never do winterfest then? Like some kind of agreement when the owners switched?

Nope. Paramount purchased all of the rights to the parks. Legitimately, it very well could have been that Paramount had thought that there was not enough time to set up for Winterfest with an extended season being added.

It could not have been a thing that they did not feel that Winterfest was profitable as the event turns a very nice sum of money for the park.

Ah, okay.

I have a added a photo of the spotlight testing on Swan Lake. Take that as a teaser for Holiday Illuminations, and I also added a construction photo from Santa's Workshop. Click here to see our latest uploads.

I am so excited for Winterfest. I do not like the price of the food. I plan on going to dinner at a restaurant somewhere close (Any suggestions?) and then being at the park when it opens on a Saturday. Next year I will get a room at Great Wolf Lodge and make a weekend of it.

I am so excited for Winterfest. I do not like the price of the food. I plan on going to dinner at a restaurant somewhere close (Any suggestions?) and then being at the park when it opens on a Saturday. Next year I will get a room at Great Wolf Lodge and make a weekend of it.

Eat at the Festhaus and take in the show.

I have to tell you that I am more excited about Winterfest returning than I have been about any other change at PKI in recent years. It's not a good time for coaster-buffs, but the older I get, the more I crave unusual and different experiences.

I expect I'll enjoy Winterfest much more as a 33 year old man than I did as a teen or young adult. I'll savor the more memorable experiences such as the decorations and feel...things I paid little attention to long ago.

BTW, it was my understanding that Winterfest was intentionally considered to be a 10-year event. Seems like someone in Park Management told me that back when I worked there years ago and questioned it.

Non-the-less Winterfest petered out in it's final years. The last year they had it I attended and was greatly underwhelmed. I also remember the great discounted gate price they offered trying to drum up business. Seems like it was only like $5-$7... and even so the park was nearly empty.

Holiday events such as this tend to suffer ebss and flows so it's no wonder it bit the dust. I guess we could now question FearFest. I did not attend this year, but I recall in it's first year the place was a mobbed with people. Last year I was amazed at how interest had wained. How well attended was it this season?

Shaggy

I am so excited for Winterfest. I do not like the price of the food. I plan on going to dinner at a restaurant somewhere close (Any suggestions?) and then being at the park when it opens on a Saturday. Next year I will get a room at Great Wolf Lodge and make a weekend of it.

Eat at the Festhaus and take in the show.

Even with the $1 off I get off the price of admission I am looking at $84.95 just to get my family in. Now add food for everyone and add on an extra $74.95. I am looking at $160 to get in and eat. I just bought our season passes..lol I may change my mind but it's doubtful. I know it going to get better and better each year.

It's definitely not cheap. But then, what is cheap these days?

I will love Winterfest this year no doubt, however I am very much looking forward to 2006 when not only can you enjoy the event, but have the option of staying at the Great Wolf Lodge. Yet talk about expensive! GWL is by no means a cheap stay.

BTW, has enyone seen all the clearing/construction of the lodge area? It's HUGE.

Shaggy