Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm honored with prestigious industry awards

Themed Entertainment Association's Thea Awards recognize company's commitment to innovation and highest standards of excellence

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Cedar Fair Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cedar Fair Entertainment Company's (NYSE: FUN) Knott's Berry Farm and Cedar Point parks have been recognized by the international Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) with two prestigious Thea awards – the Award for Outstanding Achievement, granted to Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif. for its Ghost Town Alive! immersive entertainment experience, and the Classic Award, bestowed upon longstanding flagship park Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The awards were announced today at the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions' (IAAPA) Attractions Expo conference in Orlando, Fla.

Cedar Fair's President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Zimmerman said, "We are honored to receive this recognition for both Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm from our industry peers. The teams at all of our parks work diligently every day to delight our guests with new and innovative experiences through thoughtful design of rides and park spaces, unique culinary offerings, and immersive live entertainment. These awards underscore our team's commitment to excellence in providing memorable experiences for our guests of all ages."

The Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement recognizes projects or live events that represent the highest standards of excellence and innovation in the arts and sciences of the creation of compelling places and experiences. According to TEA's Thea Awards Committee, "Ghost Town Alive! is an outstanding achievement in immersive entertainment and an entirely new experience for Knott's visitors." The Thea Classic Award is given annually to a project which has continuously engaged and entertained for more than 20 years, and recognizes achievements which have by their quality of experience and longevity helped to establish the highest standards of excellence. According to the committee, "Cedar Point is a unique American amusement park and resort paradise, a world-class entertainment destination, and a mecca for thrill-seekers and families alike. With great rides and attractions, live shows, special events, food and hospitality and of course its famous beach and boardwalk, Cedar Point is truly a place like no other."

Ghost Town Alive! at Knott's Berry Farm is an immersive Wild West entertainment experience that engages thousands of guests per day in an interactive role-playing adventure. In it, guests are encouraged to become part of a real-time story set in the 1800s in which they join cowboys, bandits, townspeople and other characters to unlock adventures from bank robberies and jail breaks to an old-time western hoedown. The experience engages families to work together using their imagination to become stars in the interactive theatrical production, where the power to influence the story line is in the hands of every guest. Ghost Town Alive! is a time-limited event that takes place during the summertime at Knott's Berry Farm, and will return for 2018 with an all-new story line. Also coming to Knott's in 2018 is HangTime, the first dive coaster on the west coast; the coaster is expected to continue the park's position as the most visited regional amusement park in the United States.

Cedar Point, located on the Lake Erie shorefront, has grown from its beginnings as a beach resort in 1870 to be named the "Best Amusement Park in the USA" in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Today, the 364-acre park is known worldwide as The Roller Coaster Capital of the World!® with 71 rides including 18 world-class roller coasters. The destination also houses the 18-acre Cedar Point Shores Waterpark, an indoor water park, the historic Hotel Breakers beachfront resort, plus cabins, campsites and two marinas. Guests in 2018 can experience the new record-breaking Steel Vengeance, the world's first "hyper-hybrid" roller coaster, and a new five-story addition to the Hotel Breakers on the famous mile-long Cedar Point Beach.

About TEA and the Thea Awards

The TEA (Themed Entertainment Association), based in Burbank, Calif., is an international nonprofit membership association for the creators of compelling places and experiences. Nearly 1,500 TEA members represent roughly 10,000 creative specialists working in 30 US states and 32 different countries. TEA presents the annual Thea Awards to help realize a key mission of the association: bringing recognition to achievement, talent and personal excellence within the themed entertainment industry.

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 become "THE place to be for FUN," the Company owns and operates 11 amusement parks including its flagship park, Cedar Point, along with two outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels. It also operates an additional theme park under a management contract. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan and Toronto, Ontario.