Kings Island Theater

Opened: 1972

Closed: 1977

Location: International Street, current location of Tower Gardens

Former Names: Also referred to as Air Theater, and at times misidentified as Kings Island Theatre

Manufacturer: Bird-Air Structures, Inc.

Dimensions: 137-feet long, 87-feet wide, 40-feet high

Capacity: 1,100 seats

Cost: $250,000

Description: Kings Island Theater was a large vinyl structure supported entirely by air pressure. It resembled a large pillow from the outside.

History: Kings Island Theater was the largest show venue at Kings Island when it opened with the park in 1972. The theater played host to Something New!!, a musical review of the park’s themed areas, its first year. Later shows were Give My Regards to Broadway (1973), Make Your Own Kind of Music (1974), Strike Up the Band (1975), and Follies (1976 and 1977). 

On December 1, 1974, the park experienced a heavy snowstorm that caused the theater to collapse under the weight of the snow that had accumulated on the top of the structure. The damage was priced at $250,000. The theater was rebuilt for the 1975 season, although now with a blue exterior.

The theater’s last year was 1977. It had been made redundant with the opening of American Heritage Music Hall (today known as Kings Island Theater) in 1976 and International Showplace in 1977. In 1978, the area was repurposed as Tower Gardens.