With each passing week, more parks around the Six Flags chain (and other chains in general) announce their opening day for the 2025 season. Kings Dominion's company of unannounced parks is dwindling. I am not trying to spread misinformation, or rumors, but by pure speculation alone, I think Kings Dominion's season start will be later than the last several years, and possibly into late April, rather than mid-to-late March.
Despite the cost-cutting measures chain-wide, there are a lot of projects going on within Kings Dominion's boundaries, in preparation for their 2025 season. These projects vary in effort (large to small) and also are at various steps of completion:
Not all of these projects will necessarily be ready for opening. However, taking on all of these projects, large and small, is no small feet, and the I'm sure the park would like to have most of them completed or nearly completed by opening. What really concerned me about a March opening this year, was back in August when the Rapterra Report mentioned they hoped to have the coaster open by opening day. Although this coaster took form very quickly over the summer, it lead me to believe that the park would be looking to open later to cater to the coaster opening, rather than get the coaster ready by mid-march. True, Tumbili opened in mid-March, and if I remember correctly, it even snowed slightly during it's opening weekend. Rapterra, though, will hopefully draw more crowds than a Tumbili opening will, and the park wants it running its best, in good weather, to give it's best impressions from the start.
An employee who was laid off recently said that the park was waiting to announce opening date as they were still trying to decide whether or not to hold Winterfest this year. I find this hard to believe, as the park has never announced hours beyond August this early anyway. If they do (and I hope they don't) they could very easily cancel Winterfest after the season has started. If I understand correctly, those who were recently laid off could apply for a seasonal job, but could not work for 13 weeks. That would line up with an April date, and gives even more credence to an April opening.
Everyone wants the park to open earlier, and in time for spring break, but I think even if they open a few weeks later, there are many reasons to look at a later opening. It would not necessarily be doom and gloom for the park. If true, hopefully it does not hold true for years to come, but there's no denying that when we do finally return, many parts of the park will look very different.
Thoughts?
Despite the cost-cutting measures chain-wide, there are a lot of projects going on within Kings Dominion's boundaries, in preparation for their 2025 season. These projects vary in effort (large to small) and also are at various steps of completion:
- Rapterra, construction and theming. With testing well under way, the coaster itself has been complete for a while, with construction of various thematic elements, theming of station, and landscaping, connecting the current plaza to the ride.
- Volcano building transformation. Converting the current "Research Center" into the entrance/exit queue, possible Funpix location, and store.
- Rapterra locker facility. Permits have been filed with Hanover County about a "Rapterra locker slab." This will most likely be separately ticketed lockers (as opposed to free provided lockers like TT). Plans filed with the county have not indicated exactly where these new lockers will be, but somewhere near the entrance plaza is most likely.
- Pantherian repaint and retheme.
- Flight of Fear repaint? Nothing is confirmed is this ride is being renamed, rethemed, or shocker, just removed. We have, however, had confirmation that the entrance building has at minimum, been repainted and themed to fit better into the Jungle Xpedition area.
- Anaconda removal. They are moving at a quick pace to demo the ride, with nothing to replace it in the near future. Once demo is complete they may cut down the trees between the former entrance area and Lake Charles. Perhaps remove the fence from Pantherian to Lake Charles. For all we know, these areas may have already been cleared to make way for the demo project.
- Berserker removal.
- Former Border Burrito building renovation. We do not know what the plan is for this space. All we know that the building itself needed major upgrades. The park also announced an area somewhere in the park to celebrate the park's history. Perhaps these projects are one in the same, or different projects completely.
- Food upgrades. Permits have been filed with Hanover County to upgrade the interiors/exteriors of Chicken Shack, Pizza Parlor, and one of the Funnel Cake buildings. These upgrades are most likely kitchen upgrades, with minor cosmetic upgrades as well.
- Dominator repaint. With test paint showing up last year, and rumors of the coaster being power washed last week, this will most likely also get a repaint once Pantherian is complete.
- New video screen signs throughout the park. At least two were seen in Candy Apple Grove and Old Virginia.
- Reopening of Eiffel Tower. Although they've been working on it for years, the hope is that it reopens at some point for their 50th anniversary.
- Night show upgrades. A night show has been confirmed for this summer. We have no details regarding this show, and I find it hard to believe that it will include drones, or the same type of International Street upgrades as Kings Island's 50th anniversary show necessitated. At minimum, though, I would expect to see lights installed throughout International Street and possibly on the Eiffel Tower itself.
- Rumored repaints, refreshes of International Street, and possibly various other locations within the park.
Not all of these projects will necessarily be ready for opening. However, taking on all of these projects, large and small, is no small feet, and the I'm sure the park would like to have most of them completed or nearly completed by opening. What really concerned me about a March opening this year, was back in August when the Rapterra Report mentioned they hoped to have the coaster open by opening day. Although this coaster took form very quickly over the summer, it lead me to believe that the park would be looking to open later to cater to the coaster opening, rather than get the coaster ready by mid-march. True, Tumbili opened in mid-March, and if I remember correctly, it even snowed slightly during it's opening weekend. Rapterra, though, will hopefully draw more crowds than a Tumbili opening will, and the park wants it running its best, in good weather, to give it's best impressions from the start.
An employee who was laid off recently said that the park was waiting to announce opening date as they were still trying to decide whether or not to hold Winterfest this year. I find this hard to believe, as the park has never announced hours beyond August this early anyway. If they do (and I hope they don't) they could very easily cancel Winterfest after the season has started. If I understand correctly, those who were recently laid off could apply for a seasonal job, but could not work for 13 weeks. That would line up with an April date, and gives even more credence to an April opening.
Everyone wants the park to open earlier, and in time for spring break, but I think even if they open a few weeks later, there are many reasons to look at a later opening. It would not necessarily be doom and gloom for the park. If true, hopefully it does not hold true for years to come, but there's no denying that when we do finally return, many parts of the park will look very different.
Thoughts?
