SANDUSKY, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and immersive entertainment, today announced it has earned three honors in Amusement Today’s annual Golden Ticket Awards (GTA). Kings Island in Ohio nabbed the Publisher’s Pick for “Park of the Year” as it wowed guests during its 50th anniversary.
In addition, Schlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels, Texas, has been recognized as the “World’s Best Water Park” for an unprecedented 24th time. And Carowinds in North Carolina took home the highly coveted “Best Steel Coaster” for its giga coaster Fury 325, marking the seventh time it has won a Golden Ticket.
Presented annually, the prestigious GTA recognizes excellence in the amusement park industry. The awards are calculated from an international poll conducted by Amusement Today, an Arlington, Texas-based publication that covers amusement and water park news and trends. A total of 22 rides, attractions and events throughout Cedar Fair’s portfolio of amusement parks and water parks were recognized by the GTA in 2022.
Kings Island’s Golden Celebration kicked off Memorial Day weekend. The summer-long event featured brand new entertainment highlighting special moments from Kings Island’s history, culinary dishes created just for the Golden Anniversary year and the chance to dance the night away at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Plus, guests were treated to “Fun, Fireworks and Fifty,” a one-of-a-kind, 14-minute immersive fireworks and drones show that featured thrilling and heartwarming moments from the park’s first 50 years.
“We’re all about making people happy, and it’s always a tremendous honor and a privilege when our commitment to serving our guests is recognized and celebrated,” said Richard A. Zimmerman, Cedar Fair’s president and chief executive officer. “For the past 50 years, Kings Island has been setting the standard for fun, immersive experiences and winning Park of the Year is a testament to how hard our team has worked to deliver on that promise to our guests.”
Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels is an iconic Central Texas property best known for its unique spring-fed river setting and German heritage. With 51 attractions across 70 acres, Schlitterbahn remains a fan favorite and a one-of-a-kind family water park and resort experience.
Once again, Fury 325 at Carowinds won the GTA for best steel coaster. The coaster has won top honors for best new ride and best steel coaster since its debut in 2015. Cedar Point’s Steel Vengeance and Millennium Force finished second and third in the “Best Steel Coaster” category, giving Cedar Fair a clean sweep of the top three. Other Cedar Fair coasters in the top 25 spots in the “Best Steel Coasters in The World” category were: Cedar Point’s Maverick and Magnum XL-200; Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario; Diamondback and Orion at Kings Island; and Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion.
Five Cedar Fair wooden coasters were again voted into the “Top 25 Wooden Roller Coasters in the World” category, including The Beast and Mystic Timbers at Kings Island; GhostRider at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California; Gold Striker at California’s Great America in Santa Clara; and Shivering Timbers at Michigan’s Adventure in Muskegon.
The company’s parks also earned notable rankings in other categories, including: Kings Island’s “Fun, Fireworks and Fifty” and Cedar Point’s “Come See About Me” for “Best New Show;” Kings Island and Knott’s Berry Farm for “Best Kids Area;” Knott’s Scary Farm for “Best Halloween Event;” and Carowinds’ WinterFest for “Best Christmas Event.”
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.
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, including the timing of any debt paydown or payment of partnership distributions, or that the Company's growth strategies will achieve the targeted 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 timing of any debt paydown or payment of partnership distributions, and the Company's growth strategies, 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 a result of new information, future events, information, circumstances or otherwise that arise after the publication of this document.
This news release and prior releases are available under the News tab at http://ir.cedarfair.com
