Does anyone think KD would make a Christmas event to compete with Christmastown? . I am guessing that they would open a few coasters, most of planet snoopy, and some flats. FOF could operate in any weather and I can see i305 being open as well as maybe dominater. The fountains at the entrance would look great all Christmasy . The question is though: would it be themed well enough and decorated enough to compete with Christmastown?
Christmas event?
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
Kings Island had a Christmas event running for a few years before it was cut. Since Christmas events are becoming more and more popular, I wouldn't be surprised to see the CF parks bringing Winterfest back.
I can see it happening, but I can't see it being as successful as they would want it. I'm sure I305 would run so much better maintenance wise in the cold because of the wheels. 
Only ride I beg that they don't let people ride but have "operational" is WindSeeker and that's for the light package it has. But I would not suggest anyone ride it in cold temperatures. But back to the topic. I can see Cedar Fair doing it (and doing it to all their parks) but it just not get the crowd that they would want.
Only ride I beg that they don't let people ride but have "operational" is WindSeeker and that's for the light package it has. But I would not suggest anyone ride it in cold temperatures. But back to the topic. I can see Cedar Fair doing it (and doing it to all their parks) but it just not get the crowd that they would want.
KD could do one but they have to put in a lot of effort to make it happen. There is virtually minimal to no theming within the park for them to decorate. BGW has an advantage with the themed buildings and areas which are conducive to creating holiday-themed scenarios. This is severely lacking at KD. They could dress up International Street and some of the wooded pathways around the Eiffel tower and maybe the Old Virginia section but there really isn't much else in the park to do so. Shows would be another issue as the park lacks enough venues to stage them. They have the theatre in Old Virginia and one in Planet Snoopy. They could maybe use the Kingswood amphitheater but that is a bit out of the way.
When you think Christmas, your mind might go to a scene like a cozy log cabin in the woods with wreaths on the door and candles in the window...a candy-maker in a quaint Bavarian village with gingerbread men and gumdrops everywhere...something like that. BG has, like, a built-in Christmas theme. Unfortunately for your idea and KD's holiday prospects, King's Dominion has nothing like that.
That said, if I were doing a KD christmas event, I'd go the complete opposite direction from BG. I'd probably cover the place in lights and spotlights and neon and go the non-traditional, edgy route to play off of the park's existing character...you know, like this:
BGW:
KD:
That said, if I were doing a KD christmas event, I'd go the complete opposite direction from BG. I'd probably cover the place in lights and spotlights and neon and go the non-traditional, edgy route to play off of the park's existing character...you know, like this:
BGW:
KD:
Lights are awesome . I'm doing that to my house next year.
KD's event Would flop. They could never sucessfully pull off a park wide Christmas feel.
. I'm doing that to my house next year. KD's event Would flop. They could never sucessfully pull off a park wide Christmas feel.
KD could do something less Christmassy and more holiday generic and possibly get some interest, but i mostly doubt it.
I think they'd almost definitely have to limit the scope of such an event, but I don't know that that would hurt them. The park is sprawling and poorly laid-out and most of it just exists as real estate to put roller coasters on, which wouldn't work safely in the cold, anyway.
I was thinking of an abbreviated park, for sure.
I was thinking of an abbreviated park, for sure.
As we near the heart of Christmas Town and continue to welcome more and more details pertaining to Kings Dominion's wonderful-looking 40th Celebration next year, I remembered this thread. There are quite a few comments sprawled across KD's Facebook page suggesting a Christmas event similar to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. When Ben/Dwight Schrute first posted this concept barely more than a year ago, Kings Dominion was still more or less thought of as a rides park. However, these changes and efforts Kings Dominion is making certainly confirm its intent on regaining the charm, theming, and family togetherness that made it a world class theme park in the pre-Paramount days.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
As we near the heart of Christmas Town and continue to welcome more and more details pertaining to Kings Dominion's wonderful-looking 40th Celebration next year, I remembered this thread. There are quite a few comments sprawled across KD's Facebook page suggesting a Christmas event similar to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. When Ben/Dwight Schrute first posted this concept barely more than a year ago, Kings Dominion was still more or less thought of as a rides park. However, these changes and efforts Kings Dominion is making certainly confirm its intent on regaining the charm, theming, and family togetherness that made it a world class theme park in the pre-Paramount days.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
What follows is my more-or-less detailed concept on how exactly such a Christmas event at Kings Dominion would be run. I include a name and general theme, but this is perhaps the greatest variable between my concept here and what the park may or may not actually decide to do someday, which, if it were ever to happen, I would not be surprised to see take off within the next few seasons.
Basic Information
Name: Winterfest
Theme: Winter cheer, lights, Christmas celebration
Current areas of park open: International Street, Planet Snoopy, Old Virgina, Candy Apple Grove
Areas of the park closed: Safari Village, former Wayne's World section of (Candy Apple) Grove, WaterWorks
Park Areas
Area: International Street
Status: Open
What: Grand entrance area
Reasons for inclusion: Necessary for access to the rest of the park; arguably the most beautiful area of the park; old-world, international architecture; many gift shops/eateries
Description: Lights line the buildings of International Street, as do other more majestic decorations. The fountains are off (duh) and the pool is drained. Strings of lights line the pool bottom much like Pompeii's pool at Christmas Town's Polar Pathway, and large Christmas trees composed of light strings like this stand where the fountains typically blast.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
What follows is my more-or-less detailed concept on how exactly such a Christmas event at Kings Dominion would be run. I include a name and general theme, but this is perhaps the greatest variable between my concept here and what the park may or may not actually decide to do someday, which, if it were ever to happen, I would not be surprised to see take off within the next few seasons.
Basic Information
Name: Winterfest
Theme: Winter cheer, lights, Christmas celebration
Current areas of park open: International Street, Planet Snoopy, Old Virgina, Candy Apple Grove
Areas of the park closed: Safari Village, former Wayne's World section of (Candy Apple) Grove, WaterWorks
Park Areas
Area: International Street
Status: Open
What: Grand entrance area
Reasons for inclusion: Necessary for access to the rest of the park; arguably the most beautiful area of the park; old-world, international architecture; many gift shops/eateries
Description: Lights line the buildings of International Street, as do other more majestic decorations. The fountains are off (duh) and the pool is drained. Strings of lights line the pool bottom much like Pompeii's pool at Christmas Town's Polar Pathway, and large Christmas trees composed of light strings like this stand where the fountains typically blast.
As we near the heart of Christmas Town and continue to welcome more and more details pertaining to Kings Dominion's wonderful-looking 40th Celebration next year, I remembered this thread. There are quite a few comments sprawled across KD's Facebook page suggesting a Christmas event similar to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. When Ben/Dwight Schrute first posted this concept barely more than a year ago, Kings Dominion was still more or less thought of as a rides park. However, these changes and efforts Kings Dominion is making certainly confirm its intent on regaining the charm, theming, and family togetherness that made it a world class theme park in the pre-Paramount days.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
What follows is my more-or-less detailed concept on how exactly such a Christmas event at Kings Dominion would be run. I include a name and general theme, but this is perhaps the greatest variable between my concept here and what the park may or may not actually decide to do someday, which, if it were ever to happen, I would not be surprised to see take off within the next few seasons.
Basic Information
Name: Winterfest
Theme: Winter cheer, lights, Christmas celebration
Current areas of park open: International Street, Planet Snoopy, Old Virgina, Candy Apple Grove
Areas of the park closed: Safari Village, former Wayne's World section of (Candy Apple) Grove, WaterWorks
Park Areas
Area: International Street
Status: Open
What: Grand entrance area
Reasons for inclusion: Necessary for access to the rest of the park; arguably the most beautiful area of the park; old-world, international architecture; many gift shops/eateries
Description: Lights line the buildings of International Street, as do other more majestic decorations. The fountains are off (duh) and the pool is drained. Strings of lights line the pool bottom much like Pompeii's pool at Christmas Town's Polar Pathway, and large Christmas trees composed of light strings like this stand where the fountains typically blast.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
What follows is my more-or-less detailed concept on how exactly such a Christmas event at Kings Dominion would be run. I include a name and general theme, but this is perhaps the greatest variable between my concept here and what the park may or may not actually decide to do someday, which, if it were ever to happen, I would not be surprised to see take off within the next few seasons.
Basic Information
Name: Winterfest
Theme: Winter cheer, lights, Christmas celebration
Current areas of park open: International Street, Planet Snoopy, Old Virgina, Candy Apple Grove
Areas of the park closed: Safari Village, former Wayne's World section of (Candy Apple) Grove, WaterWorks
Park Areas
Area: International Street
Status: Open
What: Grand entrance area
Reasons for inclusion: Necessary for access to the rest of the park; arguably the most beautiful area of the park; old-world, international architecture; many gift shops/eateries
Description: Lights line the buildings of International Street, as do other more majestic decorations. The fountains are off (duh) and the pool is drained. Strings of lights line the pool bottom much like Pompeii's pool at Christmas Town's Polar Pathway, and large Christmas trees composed of light strings like this stand where the fountains typically blast.
As we near the heart of Christmas Town and continue to welcome more and more details pertaining to Kings Dominion's wonderful-looking 40th Celebration next year, I remembered this thread. There are quite a few comments sprawled across KD's Facebook page suggesting a Christmas event similar to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. When Ben/Dwight Schrute first posted this concept barely more than a year ago, Kings Dominion was still more or less thought of as a rides park. However, these changes and efforts Kings Dominion is making certainly confirm its intent on regaining the charm, theming, and family togetherness that made it a world class theme park in the pre-Paramount days.
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
What follows is my more-or-less detailed concept on how exactly such a Christmas event at Kings Dominion would be run. I include a name and general theme, but this is perhaps the greatest variable between my concept here and what the park may or may not actually decide to do someday, which, if it were ever to happen, I would not be surprised to see take off within the next few seasons.
Basic Information
Name: Winterfest
Theme: Winter cheer, lights, Christmas celebration
Current areas of park open: International Street, Planet Snoopy, Old Virgina, Candy Apple Grove
Areas of the park closed: Safari Village, former Wayne's World section of (Candy Apple) Grove, WaterWorks
Park Areas
Area: International Street
Status: Open
What: Grand entrance area
Reasons for inclusion: Necessary for access to the rest of the park; arguably the most beautiful area of the park; old-world, international architecture; many gift shops/eateries
Description: Lights line the buildings of International Street, as do other more majestic decorations. The fountains are off (duh) and the pool is drained. Strings of lights line the pool bottom much like Pompeii's pool at Christmas Town's Polar Pathway, and large Christmas trees composed of light strings like this stand where the fountains typically blast. Uplifting, instrumental brass Christmas music plays in the entrance area.
Special Features: Lights show on Center Street, like a holiday version of Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular. 'Epic' Christmas music plays here, like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's version of Carol of the Bells; gift shops filled with Christmas/event merchandise; restaurants selling cider, hot chocolate, etc.
Attractions: Eiffel Tower [may or may not operate due to cold]
Shows: A Charlie Brown Christmas [playing of the classic cartoon, assuming permission to play it is granted] - [Action Theater]
Eateries: Panda Express, Peppermint Pattie's Candy Shoppe, Border Cafe (renamed "Christmas Cafe")
Notes: Pathway to Berserker, Dominator, and the Boo Blasters side of Planet Snoopy is closed off
Area: Old Virgina
Status: Open
What: Country/Old-fashioned Christmas; "Cracker Barrel"-style Christmas
Reasons for inclusion: One of the park's best-themed areas; perfect for charming "old-fashioned" Christmas feel; includes park's only indoor performance venue
Description: Candles light the windows of buildings such as the Country Kitchen; simple red and white lights cover trees and outline buildings; Christmas trees in flower beds; old wooden sleds and props lie beside walkways; old-fashioned country Christmas music plays, setting a calm mood for the area
Special Features: Trio of carolers
Attractions: None [Flying Eagles may or may not be a possibility to run]; [Blue Ridge Tollway most likely is not able to run; if it is, a ride through small nativity scenes could be executed]
Shows: Winter Wonders - The singing and dancing of everyone's favorite Christmas/holiday songs at this wild Christmas party will get everybody in the Christmas spirit at this rockin' show! - [Kings Dominion Theater] - [About 25 minutes, full indoor Christmas party-themed holiday revue]
Eateries:
I'm not going to restate everything that's already said in the above discussion pertaining to whether or not KD could pull off a Christmas event because you can see it yourself, and a lot of what is said there still applies. Kings Dominion would most certainly have to find an approach that either totally parallels or compliments Busch Gardens' event in some way in order for a KD Christmas event to be successful. They may never ever ever ever choose to do a Christmas event, which is understandable. However, with the new theming and character brought on by the park in the coming seasons, perhaps such event would be possible.
If the family fan base that cares for more than just thrill rides continues to grow at Kings Dominion, then this would certainly be a welcome new event. If they were to do a Christmas event, it would--as HAJiME said--need to hold more of just a "Happy Holidays" appeal and less of a deep, emotional, mildly religious event like Christmas Town (not that there's anything wrong with what it does). And as Pretzel Kaiser put it, a good amount of Peanuts theming would certainly come in to play. Of course, because of Kings Dominion's layout and the character of the park, this event would probably not need to be on as grand of a scale as Christmas Town, meaning most of the park would definitely not have to be open. I would say about a half to two-thirds of the park being open would be enough space to keep guests happy without being overkill for the park to decorate and take care of.
What follows is my more-or-less detailed concept on how exactly such a Christmas event at Kings Dominion would be run. I include a name and general theme, but this is perhaps the greatest variable between my concept here and what the park may or may not actually decide to do someday, which, if it were ever to happen, I would not be surprised to see take off within the next few seasons.
Basic Information
Name: Winterfest
Theme: Winter cheer, lights, Christmas celebration
Current areas of park open: International Street, Planet Snoopy, Old Virgina, Candy Apple Grove
Areas of the park closed: Safari Village, former Wayne's World section of (Candy Apple) Grove, WaterWorks
Park Areas
Area: International Street
Status: Open
What: Grand entrance area
Reasons for inclusion: Necessary for access to the rest of the park; arguably the most beautiful area of the park; old-world, international architecture; many gift shops/eateries
Description: Lights line the buildings of International Street, as do other more majestic decorations. The fountains are off (duh) and the pool is drained. Strings of lights line the pool bottom much like Pompeii's pool at Christmas Town's Polar Pathway, and large Christmas trees composed of light strings like this stand where the fountains typically blast. Uplifting, instrumental brass Christmas music plays in the entrance area.
Special Features: Lights show on Center Street, like a holiday version of Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular. 'Epic' Christmas music plays here, like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's version of Carol of the Bells; gift shops filled with Christmas/event merchandise; restaurants selling cider, hot chocolate, etc.
Attractions: Eiffel Tower [may or may not operate due to cold]
Shows: A Charlie Brown Christmas [playing of the classic cartoon, assuming permission to play it is granted] - [Action Theater]
Eateries: Panda Express, Peppermint Pattie's Candy Shoppe, Border Cafe (renamed "Christmas Cafe")
Notes: Pathway to Berserker, Dominator, and the Boo Blasters side of Planet Snoopy is closed off
Area: Old Virgina
Status: Open
What: Country/Old-fashioned Christmas; "Cracker Barrel"-style Christmas
Reasons for inclusion: One of the park's best-themed areas; perfect for charming "old-fashioned" Christmas feel; includes park's only indoor performance venue
Description: Candles light the windows of buildings such as the Country Kitchen; simple red and white lights cover trees and outline buildings; Christmas trees in flower beds; old wooden sleds and props lie beside walkways; old-fashioned country Christmas music plays, setting a calm mood for the area
Special Features: Trio of carolers
Attractions: None [Flying Eagles may or may not be a possibility to run]; [Blue Ridge Tollway most likely is not able to run; if it is, a ride through small nativity scenes could be executed]
Shows: Winter Wonders - The singing and dancing of everyone's favorite Christmas/holiday songs at this wild Christmas party will get everybody in the Christmas spirit at this rockin' show! - [Kings Dominion Theater] - [About 25 minutes, full indoor Christmas party-themed holiday revue]
Eateries: