The star of the show will be the park's new winged rollercoaster, Rapterra. It will soar 145 feet into the sky, travel at 65 mph, and feature a dive loop, flat spin corkscrew, and heartline roll (the park calls it a raptor roll).
The celebration will also feature various special events, entertainment, and attractions. Visitors can expect new live shows at the Kings Dominion Theater, a high-energy roaming street party, and the return of the famous Clown Band. A standout feature will be the park’s Eiffel Tower, lit with special effects synchronized to a golden anniversary soundtrack.
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“Last year, these three Cedar Fair parks generated quite a buzz when they announced their decision to remain open on weekends during what was formerly their off-season.”
The park, at 16000 Theme Park Way in Doswell, is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.
The Soak City water park inside Kings Dominion is open on weekends from noon until 7 p.m. The daily hours for both parks expand on June 10, when Soak City opens for daily summer operation.
New this year is the restored Grizzly rollercoaster, a 41-year-old wooden rollercoaster that the Gravity Group replaced two-thirds of its track.
Kings Dominion: “The Gravity Group has created an alternative track system that is being utilized in the retracking of The Grizzly. The new track system from The Gravity Group is entirely made of wood – preserving the integrity of a wooden roller coaster. The newly engineered precut track is by design up to thirty times stronger than the traditional wooden roller coaster track. The track is precut at The Gravity Group facility by precision equipment to the exact shape determined by the ride design.”
The fan-favorite show which debuted in the park’s Jungle X-Pedition area last year, “Let’s Get Wild,” will also return this year.
In April, Coaster 101 readers named Kings Dominion the best theme park in the U.S.
Coaster101: “We started with 70+ parks from across North America. After more than 56,000 individual votes cast, we’re ready to crown our 2023 Champion: Kings Dominion!”
“Kings Dominion proceeded to knock off SeaWorld Orlando in Round Two and their neighbors to the east, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in Round Three, before taking down a pair of past Park Mania champions in Kings Island (2018) and Hersheypark (2019) to match up with Cedar Point in the finals.”
“Kings Dominion was able to ride their social media wave all the way to the Championship and the much coveted Park Mania Trophy!”
The park in Doswell, Virginia, will open from 5 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., with rides closing at 10 p.m. as the New Year's countdown party begins under the Eiffel Tower and concludes with a fantastic firework show planned at the stroke of midnight.
The New Year's Eve celebration is also one of the last two operating days for the WinterFest event at the park for 2022. WinterFest has millions of Christmas lights, nearly 1,000 Christmas trees, and festive décor displayed throughout the 400-acre park. The iconic Eiffel Tower is transformed into a 300-foot-tall Christmas tree, and the well-known International Street fountains are turned into an ice-skating plaza known as Snowflake Lake.
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The iconic 315-tall Eiffel Tower will be transformed into a 300-foot-tall Christmas tree, and the well-known International Street fountains will become a large, ice-skating plaza known as Snowflake Lake.
Each night of the event, the WinterFest Wonderland Parade will provide an experience brimming with displays, performances, and decorated holiday floats with themes such as gingerbread houses, wrapped gift boxes, and toy trains. More than 100 singers and dancers will join the procession to perform on the parade route, and Santa Claus will join the Christmas festivities.
