Steel Curtain Closed For the 2024 Season

Kennywood released a video on Facebook today to address the most commonly asked question this off-season: When will Steel Curtain open?

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1008620314159354

Unfortunately, the answer is not for the 2024 season. Kennywood has “worked with third party engineers and the ride’s manufacturer to come up with a long-term solution to increase [Steel Curtain’s] reliability and longevity.” Steel Curtain will be undergoing an extensive modification project throughout this year.

We think this is ultimately good news, since it shows the park’s commitment to finding a permanent fix for coaster’s issues and bringing its fans a reliable attraction.

For information on what’s new at Kennywood this season, check out our previous news post Updates for the 2024 Season!

Steel Curtain to Open on July 13th!!

Kennywood Park just announced a Saturday, July 13th opening date for their highly anticipated Steel Curtain roller coaster!

Steel Curtain will break three records, including the tallest coaster in Pennsylvania, most inversions in North America, and tallest inversion in the world.

Want to be one of the first riders? We suggest arriving very early on the 13th!

Steel Curtain and Steelers Country Construction Tour!

KPConnection was part of a tour hosted by Kennywood and the Western PA region of the American Coaster Enthusiasts this past Sunday, April 7, where we got to see progress on the park’s new coaster and expansion firsthand!

Roughly 100 people took advantage of this opportunity, and as photos from the event start to trickle their way onto the web, we decided to get our own shots to you as soon as we could. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!

Let’s start with our first impressions as we entered the park, where Steel Curtain immediately makes its presence known!

The proximity to Skycoaster Island makes for an interesting dynamic between what are now Kennywood's two tallest rides.
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Of course, Steel Curtain is only one piece of the expansion that is Steelers Country, so a large portion of the tour was spent looking around the new area in progress.

The entrance to Steelers Country will have the coaster towering on either side...quite an impression for first-timers!
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Perhaps the most striking parts of Steel Curtain exit Steelers Country and feed their way into the existing park, so we next got to examine the portion of the ride over the Lagoon.

The zero-g stall is sure to become one of the ride's signature elements.
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Last, but not least, here’s a few other miscellaneous developments we thought you might find interesting…

Kennywood's "Fanatic" souvenir cup has gotten a major upgrade for 2019. Now an insulated tumbler, it is good for use at Kennywood, Idlewild, Sandcastle AND Dutch Wonderland!
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Once again, we’d like to extend a hearty thank you to Kennywood and ACE Western PA for making this event possible. Don’t forget to discuss Steelers Country on our forums, on our Discord server, or on any of our social media. Of course, we’ll continue to keep you all updated as construction progresses, and with less than a month until opening day, be sure to expect more updates then!

NEW in 2019: Steel Curtain Roller Coaster and Steelers Country Themed Area!

On Thursday, July 19th, Kennywood made their much-anticipated announcement to reveal just what “Project 412” will entail! Read on for full details!

We were there broadcasting the announcement live on YouTube to over 900 viewers… wow! Enthusiasts all over the country were excited to hear what Kennywood would unveil! In case you missed the video and wish to view it, it’s available on YouTube here.

“Steelers Country” will be an all new, Steelers themed area of the park highlighted by, of course, a new roller coaster! The new coaster, being manufactured by S&S Worldwide, will have the very fitting name of “Steel Curtain” to pay homage to the ’70s Steelers defensive line. Here’s all of the need-to-know stats on Steel Curtain:

  • 9 Inversions… a North American record!
  • 220 foot maximum height… a Pennsylvania record!
  • 197 foot high inversion… a WORLD record!
  • 24 passengers per train
  • 120 second ride-time
  • 75 MPH top speed
  • 50 degree lift angle
  • 4,000 ft track length

Here’s a few renderings of Steel Curtain to help you become acquainted with what you’ll be seeing at Kennywood next summer!

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Follow this link to view a POV video of the Steel Curtain rendering to get a preview of what to expect from this massive ride!

Steelers Country will occupy the back corner of the park currently home to pavilions 19 through 23. Pavilion 23, the former “Whip” pavilion, will be repurposed and become the End Zone Cafe. The other pavilions will be removed or relocated. Steelers Country will feature games, food, a themed tailgating experience, and exclusive merchandise. Guests will enter Steelers Country via a tunnel, just as the team makes their entrance onto the field at Heinz Field.

Here’s a few renderings of Steelers Country to give you an idea of what the area will be like!

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We look forward to following construction in the coming months, and hope you’ll continue to check back here, on our Steel Curtain and Steelers Country discussion thread on our forums, on our Discord, and our social media to follow the progress and discuss with us!