Cedar Fair issued several updates on pretty much all of its theme parks across the country today in relation to COVID-19. From events being cancelled, to parks closing, there’s a lot to digest, so here’s a breakdown of each park:
Kings Island
Kings Island’s Fall Schedule and New Family Event
Kings Island will continue to operate through Nov. 1 on select days. We will introduce an all-new family event, Tricks and Treats Fall Fest beginning Sept. 26 featuring rides, unique food offerings, entertainment and activities for all ages. This event will enable social distancing and capacity management, and you’ll be hearing more about it in the coming weeks.
Halloween Haunt and WinterFest
We have had to make the difficult decision to cancel both Halloween Haunt and WinterFest this year due to operating constraints in our region.
Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion announced that it would remain closed for the rest of 2020 due to challenges related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Kings Dominion went on to mention that “The safety of our guests and associates is always our top priority, and we have done our due diligence in developing a comprehensive safety plan in accordance with industry and public health standards. However, the state’s Phase 3 reopening restriction of limiting the park to only 1,000 guests has brought us to the difficult decision to keep the park closed for the rest of the year.”
California’s Great America
California’s Great America announced today that it would remain closed for the rest of 2020 due to the ongoing challenges related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The safety of our guests and associates is always our top priority. Although we have done our due diligence in developing a comprehensive safety plan in accordance with industry and public health standards, the continued uncertainty in our region surrounding COVID-19 as well as the diminishing number of calendar days left in the 2020 operating season, has brought us to the difficult decision to keep the park closed for the rest of the year.
Cedar Point
A new “Tricks and Treats Fall Fest” will be introduced starting September 12. This event will take the place of HalloWeekends for 2020 only, and has been designed with unique entertainment, food and activities for all ages. This event will enable better social distancing and capacity management. You’ll hear more exciting details in the coming weeks.
Post Labor Day, Cedar Point will be open Saturdays & Sundays only, with the last operating day of the 2020 season expected to be Sunday, November 1.
Knott’s Berry Farm
Starting August 21, guests can enjoy an all-new outdoor dining and retail experience in a way that only Knott’s Berry Farm could offer, with the all-new Taste of Knott’s. Expanding upon the Taste of Calico experience, Taste of Knott’s will celebrate 100 years of classic flavors from around the park with unique food, drink and merchandise offerings. Guests may enjoy Taste of Knott’s throughout Ghost Town, Fiesta Village and the Boardwalk area on weekends through September 13. We look forward to offering more of these unique dining and retail experiences until we are able to reopen the theme park fully.
Also, on August 21, the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel will reopen for lodging. Guests may learn more about special Taste of Knott’s hotel packages at Knotts.com.
In the meantime, guests may continue to enjoy select offerings from the California Marketplace including alfresco dining on Grand Avenue from Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, Knott’s Chicken-to-Go Restaurant, the Farm Bakery and Berry Market as well as items from our specialty retail stores.
Regrettably, due to continued operating restrictions related to the pandemic, we have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel our highly anticipated 2020 Knott’s Scary Farm event. The unique features of Scary Farm will not allow us to operate within the constraints recommended by the CDC and public health experts. We know that this news is disappointing, but we look forward with great enthusiasm to making 2021 Knott’s Scary Farm our best year ever.
When we can fully reopen the park, we look forward to introducing Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair, our all-new 4D interactive dark ride that celebrates a beloved classic attraction with a reimagined gaming twist. Guests will climb aboard themed vehicles equipped with “jelly blasters” to try to recover stolen boysenberry pies as they travel through whimsical environments such as the Boysenberry Pie Factory, Frog Forest, Fortune Teller Camp and Weird Woods. The ride culminates in a celebration at the County Fair.
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Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @iamcg83