Thirty-seventh season to feature best new coaster in the world for 2009

Kings Island’s 37th season will open Saturday, April 18 and feature the most highly anticipated thrill ride in the country for 2009 as its major new attraction.

The $22 million Diamondback roller coaster promises to provide thrills no other roller coaster can match. The steel coaster stands 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle. Riders will snake their way around 5,282 feet of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour!

But Diamondback is just the beginning of the fun-in-store this year. Other additions to the entertainment lineup are three new original live shows: Down Home Country in the Festhaus; Don’t Stop the Music on the International Street Bandstand and Marty’s Party located in Putz HQ in Nickelodeon Universe.

Popular returning shows include Flashback: Totally 80’s! in the International Showplace Theatre; Endless Summer on Ice in the Kings Island Theater; and The County Line in the Festhaus.

The 2009 season will also feature a series of special events ranging from high-flying thrills and concerts to eating contests and meet and greets and question and answer shows with professional sports and college teams.

With the addition of Diamondback to the Rivertown area, an exciting line of merchandise items will be offered at the new DB Trading Post store. There will be T-shirts, hats, glassware, buttons and much more, all displaying the Diamondback logo. General park merchandise, including Beast 30th anniversary apparel and souvenir items, will also be available at the DB Trading Post.

Discount tickets are available online at http://www.visitkingsisland.com/. Group rates for 15 or more people are also available.

Platinum Pass Advisory

You can process your 2009 Platinum Pass at any Cedar Fair park. If you plan to visit Kings Island on Opening Day (April 18), we encourage you to process your pass early! The Kings Island Season Pass Processing Center will be open starting April 1 thorugh Opening Day:

Monday - Friday: 4pm - 8pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10am - 6pm

Beat the long lines in the spring and process early!

Kings Island moving toward Opening Day

Workmen paint the base of the Royal Fountain on International Street Monday at Kings Island. This original park attraction remains one of the nation's largest animated fountains.

Kings Island opens for preview weekends April 18. Daily operation begins May 22.

Kings Island in 1972

Photo of Kings Island on Opening Day 1972

Kings Island opened its gates on April 29, 1972. The star attraction was the Racer roller coaster designed by the legendary John Allen of the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. The Bavarian Beetle, a small steel coaster relocated to Kings Island from Coney Island (the ride was removed in 1979) and Scooby Doo (renamed The Beastie in 1979 and renamed again in 2006 as Fairly Odd Coaster) were the park's other two coasters in 1972.

Other attractions that opened with the park in 1972 included the Grand Carousel, Der Spinning Keggers, Sky Ride, Haley's Comet, Log Flume, Les Taxis, Turnpike, Scrambler, Flying Scooters, Winnie Witch's Cauldrons, Kings Island & Miami Valley Railroad, Rotor and Enchanted Voyage.

My first visit to Kings Island came on June 11, 1972. Der Spinning Keggers was my first ride. I rode the Racer nine times; it was the first roller coaster I had ever ridden.

Do you remember your first visit to Kings Island?

Two words ...

Yard work!

If you like Jimmy Buffett, you'll like this show

Dig out your Hawaiian shirts, shark hats, grass skirts, flip flips and pop tops so you’re ready when “Parrots of the Caribbean” hit the stage on Opening Day, Saturday, April 18 at Kings Island!

Parrots of the Caribbean perfectly replicate the Jimmy Buffett concert experience, with renditions of Buffett’s biggest hits including “Margaritaville”, “Come Monday”, “A Pirate Looks at Forty”, and “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

Parrots of the Caribbean is a show you won’t soon forget and included FREE with park admission and season pass.

Kings Island construction video

Great video showing the construction of Kings Island prior to the park opening in 1972.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2FyFdoT-ck

Say hello to my little friend!

Little Bill's Giggle Coaster is a miniature steel roller coaster complete with great hills and dips for young park guests and their parents at Kings Island. It is one of four great kid's coasters at Kings Island in the eight-time, award-winning Nickelodeon Universe section of the park.

Thrilling entertainment!

Kings Island’s thrills don’t end with the rides. Our live entertainment is amazing too! From high-energy shows featuring the songs and dance that defined the decade of the 80’s and country music revues to incredibly cool ice-skating and character meet and greets, everyone in the family will love our entertainment. It’s nothing less than spectacular!

Brand new and returning stage productions for the park’s 2009 season include:

Down Home Country
New in 2009! – All-new popular song and dance revue celebrating the legends of country music as well as their top charting country classics. You’ll probably want to see this one more than once. At the Festhaus located in Oktoberfest April 18 through September 13. Off on Monday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

Don’t Stop the Music
New in 2009! – DJ pump up the music and let the party start! Get down with today’s hottest hits and chart smashing songs in this all-new revue! Featuring songs by Rhianna, Katy Parry and Kid Rock! At the International Bandstand located on International Street May 26 through June 4 and June 19 through August 23. The show lasts 20 minutes.

Endless Summer on Ice
Come join us as we celebrate Summer Fun and more! You don’t want to miss this amazing ice-skating display that will excite and entertain the entire family. At the Kings Island Theater on International Street June 5 through August 16. Off on Wednesday. The show lasts 30 minutes.

Flashback: Totally 80’s!
Get into the groove and travel back to the days when it was hip to be square! Our singers and dancers pay tribute to leg warmers, mullets, Rubik’s Cube and the songs that defined a decade in this all-new music revue! At the International Showplace Theatre located on International Street June 19 through September 13. Off on Tuesday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

The County Line
Head over to “The County Line” for our entertaining country music revue. This popular show features the songs of all your favorite country stars including Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts. As American as apple pie…this country’s rockin’ down at “The County Line.” At the Festhaus located in Oktoberfest. June 4 through August 23. Off on Thursday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

Marty’s Party
New in 2009! – Your child is invited to Marty’s Party, a rousing, fun-filled show full of excitement. Just the place for kids to take their grown-ups! At Putz HQ in Nickelodeon Universe. April 18 through September 13. Off on Thursday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

Nickelodeon Characters
Located at the Front Gate throughout the day and occasionally wandering through the park are your favorite Nickelodeon characters. Have your camera ready to snap a photo of your favorite pals from Nickelodeon TV shows and movies.

Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo is waiting to say hello to you throughout the day outside Scooby Doo & The Haunted Castle located on International Street.

Fireworks
Throughout the season Kings Island will present its spectacular fireworks display on days the park closes at 10 p.m. This colorful pageant in the sky is something that will certainly cap off a memorable day at the park. You don’t want to miss it!

Math and Science Days at Kings Island fun and educational

Cresting a 230-foot lift hill on the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island is the perfect opportunity for students to experience curriculum in action, as one person’s trigonometry is another person’s terror.

Students from schools in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia will have a chance to observe the speeds and angles of roller coasters and other rides during the 21st annual Math and Science Days at Kings Island on May 1, May 8 and May 15.

Our annual Math and Science Days at Kings Island help students learn that math and science are alive and well in the real world. They take the information and formulas learned in the classroom and see them come to life in real-world applications. It’s a field trip that’s fun but also educational.

Throughout the park, guests see students taking measurements, carrying Ziploc bags with calculators and activity papers, and gaining a new understanding of the practical side of what they learn in the classroom.

For information about Math and Science Days at Kings Island, visit www.visitkingsisland.com or call 800-288-0808.

Racer re-ignited interest in roller coasters

The Racer has been a mainstay at Kings Island, and with good reason. A lot of facts and figures have been bandied about concerning the coaster – top height is 88 feet, the course is three-fifths of a mile long, speed is 53.3 miles an hour and the angle of the first drop is 50 degrees.

And if all that means nothing, the Racer is credited for re-igniting the coaster building boom in the early 1970’s, thus beginning the second golden age of the roller coaster. More than 92 million guests have taken a ride on the Racer since it opened in 1972 with the park.

In addition to being considered an important part of the coaster renaissance of the 1970’s, the Racer was the site of several world record riding attempts and is notable for its appearance in the Cincinnati Kids episode of the Brady Bunch, filmed at the park in 1973. On May 28, 1982, it became the first racing coaster to ever run trains backwards on one side of its tracks. In 2007, the American Coaster Enthusiasts named the ride an “ACE Roller Coaster Landmark,” making it one of only 20 roller coasters in the world with landmark status.

Making a splash!

Kings Island new $22 million Diamondback roller coaster features a spectacular splashdown ending. Diamondback will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster at Kings Island. The ride stands 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle. Diamondback has 10 vertical drops, two helixes and a hammerhead turn. Riders will snake their way around 5,282 feet of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The ride opens April 18.

Kings Island perfect combination of thrills and family attractions

With more than 80 world-class rides, shows and attractions, Kings Island offers the perfect combination of hair-raising thrills and family attractions!

Guests can check out the park’s 15 thrill-inducing roller coasters, including the new Diamondback – the tallest, fastest and meanest roller coaster to ever strike Kings Island – and the Beast – the longest wooden roller coaster in the world celebrating 30 years of terror in 2009.

Families can spend the perfect day together at Nickelodeon Universe, voted “Best Kids Area” in the world for eight years running by Amusement Today.

Plus, admission to Kings Island includes Boomerang Bay, a splashtacular 15-acre waterpark. Boomerang Bay features more than 50 water activities, including 30 water slides, tropical lagoons, rushing rivers, surfable waves, 36,000 square-foot wave pool, three family activity areas and careening waterfalls surrounded by lush landscaping.

Diamondback changes the landscape for thrill seekers

It is getting to be that time of year again. Everyone at Kings Island always looks forward to spring, because that’s when the park comes alive again. And this year, with the opening of the world’s best new roller coaster, Diamondback, we’re more anxious than ever for springtime to arrive.

If you think riding the Beast is an adventure (and it is – it annually ranks in the Top 10 in surveys done by several coaster experts), wait until this year!

Diamondback is the tallest, fastest and meanest roller coaster to ever strike Kings Island. The $22 million steel coaster stands 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle. Riders will snake their way around 5,282 feet of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour!

Diamondback compliments the park’s already impressive lineup of more than 80 rides, shows and attractions, including 15 thrill-inducing roller coasters.

The park's new signature attraction has all the elements which make for a great coaster. The ride has height, speed, twists and turns, incredible airtime and a spectacular splashdown ending.

Diamondback will be nothing short of fantastic when it opens to the public on Opening Day, April 18.

It's almost that time of year again!

The Kings Island Season Pass Processing Center will be open daily starting April 1 through Opening Day, April 18.

Hours for processing are:
Monday - Friday: 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10:00am - 6:00pm

The new Diamondback roller coaster has created a lot of excitement. Beat the long lines in the spring and process your 2009 Season Pass early!