Thanks to Kennywood Public Relations director Nick Paradise, we were once again able to visit the park last week to see what’s new and improved for the 2017 season!
The most noticeable project upon entering the park are changes occurring at Kennywood’s newest coaster, Sky Rocket. Painters are hard at work giving the ride a fresh coat of paint, so it will be shining like new on Opening Day! In addition, a dedicated VIP line has been added at Sky Rocket, eliminating the need for VIP Coaster Tour pass holders to make the long walk up the exit ramp. The VIP line merges into the regular line just before it enters the station. Another change is a new room which was built to add on to the operator area of Sky Rocket’s station. What will this room be used for? Well, we have a pretty good idea and there are rumors floating around, but the park has not yet officially announced anything so we’ll keep quiet on that for right now! Be sure to check out the Photo Album below for pictures of all of the changes at Sky Rocket!
Here are some additional changes we learned about at ACE Western Pennsylvania‘s CoasterBash event held last month and during our visit to the park:
- The 4D Theater will no longer be showing Ice Age 4D. The theater will now feature The Lego Movie 4D!
- Racer will be celebrating its 90th birthday and has received some TLC! The park may hold a special birthday event for the coaster.
- All season passes now follow the calendar year and automatically include half-price Phantom Fright Nights admission and free Holiday Lights admission on select dates.
- Season pass processing is being held on April 22nd and 23rd. The first 100 guests will receive lanyards and a $15 buddy ticket! We highly recommend getting your season pass processed on these dates if you plan to visit the park on Opening Day!
- For the first time in many years, Kennywood will open in April… but just for season pass holders! The park will be holding a season pass holder preview weekend on April 29th and 30th with extra entertainment, meet & greets, photo ops, giveaways, and more! If you plan to attend, you must RSVP by clicking here!
- Phantom’s Revenge is receiving a completely new PLC (computer brain that runs the coaster) and control panels! To follow this project, check out Irvine Ondrey Engineering’s page on Facebook! We had the privilege of meeting Brian Ondrey, a Kennywood fan his self, and briefly discuss the project with him. He’s a great guy and Phantom is in good hands!
- The facade of Musik Express has received the LED lighting treatment this year!
- The current plan for 2017 Holiday Lights is to be open from the day after Thanksgiving through December 30th!
- Events:
- Kenny’s Comicon – June 18th
- Brews in the Park – September 23rd
- Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival – September 24th
- Much more… click here for the list!
- Food changes:
- Pedro’s (nachos and tacos) has moved from next to Pirate and is now located in the former Pizza Pavilion location in Lost Kennywood. Pedro’s will have an expanded menu this year and is said to be more “Chipotle-like”.
- Auntie Anne’s Pretzels is a new addition and will find its home in Pedro’s former location behind the Pirate
- Small Fry (located in Lost Kennywood near Swing Shot) will now be an entirely gluten-free stand, including gluten-free chicken tenders.
- Snack-A-Saurus (located in Kiddieland) will have a brand new menu including vegetarian/vegan and organic items. They will also serve coffee, something we’ve been hearing from fans for a while they wish the park had! There will also be tea and other hot drink options available.
- Kennywood will now offer an all-season dining pass for existing season pass holders for $79.99! The dining pass will be loaded onto your existing season pass card, so there won’t be a need to carry an additional card around at the park. The pass will get you lunch and dinner plus one popcorn or cotton candy per visit (summer season only). For more details, check out page 4 of this document.
To view our 2017 off-season photo album, click here!
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to keep an eye on the countdown timer to Opening Day in this post!
Most importantly, Noah himself was a part of the ceremony! Noah was played by none other than Pittsburgh Dad, telling a very comical tale of how the Ark came to be. Be sure to check out the video below for his hilarious speech, as well as the full Grand Re-Opening ceremony!