Carowinds 2026 General Discussion

[RollyCoaster]

Just about everyone buying a KD pass these days also gets admission to Carowinds, so I figured it made sense to have a general discussion thread for this year. I also didn’t want to derail the KD thread with Carowinds talk, so I’m pulling in and responding to a few quotes from That Thread here.

KD did not announce their event lineup today, but some interesting tidbits did come out of Carowinds’ announcement that KD could also partake in.

Carowinds is putting on a Scream Break event (selected Haunt mazes open during Spring Break), though there are conflicting reports on if this is only the Conjuring maze or if it includes select regular mazes, also (the website says only Conjuring, FYI). They are also moving their Oktoberfest event to after Haunt ends. This is a change from last year where they ran their Oktoberfest from mid-September to end of November. Winterfest is also returning, for what it’s worth.

That Scream Break is….terrible.

Also moving Oktoberfest to what isn’t historically Oktoberfest is just….bad.

Are they still upcharges?

I believe so…

Wow… shitty shitty cash grab. If they were gonna do this at least open the rest of the mazes… only having conjuring is a major no-go for me honestly…

I actually disagree quite a bit. I think having Conjuring available in the off-season for people who want to experience it is a great idea. It may be a lower-capacity attraction, but it’s also a really high-quality one, and keeping it open helps showcase one of the best experiences Carowinds has put together in recent years. From what I understand, a lot of people didn’t even get the chance to do it last year because it was so popular.

It also works as solid promotion for the main Halloween event later in the year. Spring break brings in a lot of out-of-town guests, and if someone enjoys Conjuring during that visit, there’s a good chance they’ll want to come back later for the full Halloween lineup.

At the end of the day, it’s optional. For the people who want to do it, it’s just another unique experience available during the spring season—and having more things to do at the park is a win in my book.

 

[MrBradferd]

I agree it's awesome theyre doing it. Gives my wife a chance to expierence it since I have 0 plans to ever go back to Scarowinds.

 

[chknwing]

So right now Six Flags Georgia has the Gold pass for $65 while carowinds has it for $89? Gold pass gets you into any of the south east parks. And I missing something or is Carowinds just ripping people off?

 

[CoasterBroCam]

So right now Six Flags Georgia has the Gold pass for $65 while carowinds has it for $89? Gold pass gets you into any of the south east parks. And I missing something or is Carowinds just ripping people off?

I think you have to use the pass for the first time at the home park you choose, and since Caro is prob higher quality (no offense) than Georgia thats why it's more expensive.

 

[nyxmike]

Since the 2026 ride was pushed to 2027, I really wish they did something last minute for 2026 even if it was getting something from Six Flags America, like the Zamperla Giant Discovery. Carowinds has a good lineup of flat rides now, but it really needs a large, thrilling flat ride like that...

 

[Vipergts500]

CP is my home park and I've been renewing my pass every year with them. Ill be going to Carowinds first this year and their all year fast lane is cheaper than CP's. Should I renew my pass thru CP and get the all park passport (to use FL at all parks) and then buy the all year fast lane at CW in person or but everything in person at CW?

 

[S23X]

You can only do add-ons for your pass at the park you bought it at. So if you choose to get the Cedar Point pass, you would have to get your add ons through the proper ticketing channels at Cedar Point. Vice versa with Carowinds. The add ons (for the most part) are valid wherever your pass is valid at. So if you got regional access with a gold pass, its add ons including fast lane are valid there too. Same if you get a pass with the all parks passport upgrade.

Also worth noting that Cedar Points all season fast lane is already sold out for the season. Carowinds still has it on sale. If you don't mind skipping out on the PassPerks for Cedar Point, then buying everything through Carowinds might be the best option for you.

 

[GASM]

On that note, am I able to do a single day Fast Lane at other parks with my KD pass? Planning on it for my SFGAm and Carowinds trips this year and that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

 

[AmyUD06]

On that note, am I able to do a single day Fast Lane at other parks with my KD pass? Planning on it for my SFGAm and Carowinds trips this year and that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

You should be able to. Single-day add-ons have never been tied to a pass.

 

[CarolinaDog]

The Charlotte Observer has posted an article regarding a brief Q&A they had with the new GM.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article315523094.html

Nothing terribly juicy, lots of your typical corporate speak. But I found the below intriguing enough, particularly the storyline bit.





Curious about what coaster they'll decide on from the survey.

 

[Tacky3663]

The Charlotte Observer has posted an article regarding a brief Q&A they had with the new GM.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article315523094.html

Nothing terribly juicy, lots of your typical corporate speak. But I found the below intriguing enough, particularly the storyline bit.

View attachment 42369

View attachment 42370

Curious about what coaster they'll decide on from the survey.

I still believe a Tilt Coaster would do wonders here….

But me thinks they’ll go with a B&M Dive

 

[harry580]

But me thinks they’ll go with a B&M Dive

and it would go into nighthawk space and xtreme skyflyer and it would be named centurion so this video can be viewed as prophecy:

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[CarolinaCoasters]

Anyone else realize how Six Flags social media pages have only featured Carowinds for like the past month! I think they forgot about there other parks

 

[SixFlagsIssues]

Well it is also the park closest to their headquarters

 

[CarolinaCoasters]

Well it is also the park closest to their headquarters

Yeah I get that part but they need some variety!

 

[AmyUD06]

Anyone else realize how Six Flags social media pages have only featured Carowinds for like the past month! I think they forgot about there other parks

Yeah I get that part but they need some variety!

Please stop blatantly lying for some sort of dramatic effect or engagement farming.

1. The last 9 posts on the SFEC Instagram page, Facebook page, and Xitter page have featured SFOG, SFFT, KD, Bugs Bunny, Carowinds (only in the video, the post is generic for all parks), SFoT, Fast Lane, Pass Upgrades, Carowinds (again, generic topic featuring a video of a Carowinds ride).
2. The only posts in the last 3 months on the SFEC YouTube page have been about the Texas regional pass and Rapterra at KD.
2. The SFEC BlueSky page hasn't posted anything since 2024.

So exactly what SFEC "social media" are you referring to?

You also know that each park runs their own social media presence as well, right? Are you sure you're not just only following the Carowinds pages?

 

[CarolinaCoasters]

Please stop blatantly lying for some sort of dramatic effect or engagement farming.

1. The last 9 posts on the SFEC Instagram page, Facebook page, and Xitter page have featured SFOG, SFFT, KD, Bugs Bunny, Carowinds (only in the video, the post is generic for all parks), SFoT, Fast Lane, Pass Upgrades, Carowinds (again, generic topic featuring a video of a Carowinds ride).
2. The only posts in the last 3 months on the SFEC YouTube page have been about the Texas regional pass and Rapterra at KD.
2. The SFEC BlueSky page hasn't posted anything since 2024.

So exactly what SFEC "social media" are you referring to?

You also know that each park runs their own social media presence as well, right? Are you sure you're not just only following the Carowinds pages?

On the main SFEC Instagram page, from April 18th to April 29th, the only posts featured Carowinds—they posted nine times in a row about Carowinds. This was followed by three posts featuring Great America, Kings Dominion, and Over Texas, then another Carowinds post, and a general Holiday in the Park advertisement. I was not intending to offend you; I was simply stating my opinion.

 

[AmyUD06]

On the main SFEC Instagram page, from April 18th to April 29th, the only posts featured Carowinds—they posted nine times in a row about Carowinds. This was followed by three posts featuring Great America, Kings Dominion, and Over Texas, then another Carowinds post, and a general Holiday in the Park advertisement. I was not intending to offend you; I was simply stating my opinion.

Fine, you want to do this, we can do this. Lets go back through their last 30 posts.

HitP returning to SFoG and SFGAdv.

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At no time, during the last 30 posts (Insta doesn't mark specific post dates after a week old so how you got those specific dates is anyone's guess), did they post ABOUT Carowinds even two times in a row, let alone nine as you claim. Yes, there was a series of 8 posts in a row (again, not nine as you claim) where the content featured may have been filmed at Carowinds, but that does not make the post ABOUT that park. The general market for Instagram likely has no clue what park the content is filmed at unless its their local park, and most of the posts were generic ABOUT the chain as a whole. They are treating all of the parks equally in terms of attention.

Had you initially said "Hey, maybe they want to find somewhere else to film" you would have had a (semi-) valid claim, but a full review of the past month of posts shows that they do film at other parks, and you happened to come across a series where they filmed a bunch of content at once and made several posts from it. That's just smart business sense in terms of allocating recording resources.

Your "opinion" is factually false, and besides, nowhere in this statement...

Anyone else realize how Six Flags social media pages have only featured Carowinds for like the past month! I think they forgot about there other parks

...was any sort of opinion expressed. You made a claim, which is demonstrably not true.

Stop lying and stop trying to make a point that doesn't exist for dramatic effect. The world will be a better place with less sensationalistic misinformation in it. You didn't "offend" me, your blatant misinformation (in a world that is all too full of it) annoyed me.

 

[CarolinaDog]

This is insanity, what does it matter? So much effort put into something so pointless.

 

[AmyUD06]

This is insanity, what does it matter? So much effort put into something so pointless.

Truth matters in this world, no matter how inconsequential. If you let it slide on the little things, you're bound to let it slide on the big things too, which is how the US (and much of the rest of the world) has found itself in the state that its in.