Thrills will come in all sizes with Cedar Fair's most innovative lineup of new rides and attractions in 2016

Cedar Point debuts Valravn, the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster in the world

Wednesday, 04 November 2015

Cedar Fair Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and active entertainment, has announced an array of exciting new rides and attractions for the 2016 operating season – including Valravn (pronounced Val-ray-ven), the newest in the collection of 18 roller coasters at Cedar Point, "The Roller Coaster Capital of the World®."

This innovative steel coaster will carry riders more than 20 stories up – 223 feet – to the top of the ride's first hill, where the train perilously suspends riders over the edge with unparalleled views before plummeting them 214 feet, reaching speeds of 75 mph. Passengers will be flipped upside-down three times, the most on any dive coaster, and enjoy twists and turns during an epic journey above Lake Erie's scenic shoreline. Valravn opens in May 2016 and will shatter 10 world records, including the tallest, fastest and longest dive coaster.

"For 2016, we will have our most innovative lineup of new rides and attractions," said Matt Ouimet, Cedar Fair's president and chief executive officer. "What differentiates our parks from other family fun is an intensity and an immersiveness that can't be matched elsewhere. Our investments for next year will remind families that our amusement parks are the only place that deliver on our unique kind of FUN."

Following are some other major attractions that Cedar Fair's parks will introduce next year:

  • The Company's aggressive investment in Carowinds, its world-class amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, continues as the park debuts an incredible expansion and rebranding of its water park next summer. Carolina Harbor will be the largest water park in the Carolinas. This historic transformation is part of the Company's commitment to expanding a world-class amusement park in a rapidly growing market. The gigantic aquatic playground will feature a combination of thrills, relaxation and fun for the entire family.
  • Carowinds joins sister park California's Great America, in Santa Clara, California, as Cedar Fair partners with Electronic Arts, Inc. (EA) to modernize the amusement park experience with new digital experiences. Carowinds will open the world's first intra-active 3D game experience, Plants vs. Zombies™ Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena, in spring 2016 – adding to the park's family lineup of thrills for all ages.
  • California's Great America will also introduce a dynamic new attraction in its newly renovated Action Theatre. Mass Effect: A 4D Holographic Journey features settings and characters from EA's critically acclaimed Mass Effect™ video game series and is set to open next season. Riders will climb aboard motion-based seating and wear 3D glasses as they are taken on a thrilling adventure through space to a distant planet, face off against bigger-than-life adversaries and ultimately help save the day. A live performer will curate the journey and appear to interact seamlessly with the next-generation 3D visuals. These elements will be integrated with high-tech sound and other 4D effects to create a truly compelling and immersive attraction.
  • Coming to King's Island – Tropical Plunge will soak water lovers on this new seven-story, six-slide water complex joining an expanded water park. This high-adrenaline attraction will be ready by Memorial Day 2016 and will be included with park admission.
  • Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Ghost Town with two major offerings next summer. The centerpiece is the interactive entertainment experience, Ghost Town Alive!, which immerses guests in new stories and adventures each day in the familiar town of Calico. The West is also about to get even wilder when GhostRider, the longest, fastest and tallest wooden roller coaster on the West Coast returns from its nine-month restoration with all new trains that will gallop along over 4,500 feet of new wooden track.
  • Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant will also undergo a complete refurbishment with a grand reopening planned for spring 2016. The project will refresh and preserve the original "tea room" dining room and, for the first time, a new outdoor seating area will be introduced with beautiful and unique views of the theme park's Ghost Town, and newly restored GhostRider roller coaster.
  • Get ready to defy gravity at King's Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Delirium, a powerful, spinning pendulum, will take riders up to 115 feet in the air, giving guests a swirling view of the beautiful park.
  • Riders of all ages will soar to new heights at Canada's Wonderland, in Vaughan, Ontario, with Skyhawk and Flying Eagles. Skyhawk allows passengers to control the action while Flying Eagles will be a photo "must" as little pilots demonstrate their captain abilities.
  • Valleyfair will commemorate 40 years of FUN with a season-long celebration by bringing back the oldies but goodies. Flying Eagles, a family favorite in the Twin Cities from the 1970s, returns alongside a renovated amphitheatre, which will host an all-new extreme BMX sports show.

Additional investments across Cedar Fair's collection of parks will feature new catering pavilions, new family rides and investments in unique, limited-time only events.

"All of these exciting new attractions result from our continued ability to make the investments necessary to enhance the guest experience and improve the profitability of our Company, in line with our long-term FUNforward 2.0 strategy," Ouimet concluded.