Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers opens
Credit: Journal News
The 2024 season at KI kicked off with a big addition. Announced in late 2023, Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers is a family boomerang coaster manufactured by Dutch company Vekoma. A part of the new Camp Snoopy children’s area, track for the new coaster arrived in January of this year.
Construction of the track took just more than a month, ending in late February. While the coaster was complete, construction crews were hard at work building the ride’s station and the surrounding Camp Snoopy area.
Just one day before the park opened for the season, Kings Island released a video showcasing the ride’s first test run.
Credit: Kings Island
In the video, Camp Snoopy still looked far from complete, leaving fans to speculate when the area would open. At the time, the park had only announced a general spring 2024 opening.
Kings Island Opening Day 2024
Kings Island opened for the season on a cold, windy Saturday. Despite this, hoards of people made the trek to see the park on its first official day of the 2024 season.
Credit: Alex Cutler
Credit: Alex Cutler
Aside from Camp Snoopy, some of the expected additions to the park were not available on opening day. These include 21 and Colder, a new frozen cocktail stand, and the Gazillion Bubble Show, a new stage show for the summer. However, the park looked clean and refreshed, ready for a season of thrills and fun.
Camp Snoopy opens
Fans of the park didn’t have to wait long for news about Camp Snoopy. On May 14, Kings Island announced the new land would open just 10 days later on May 24.
Alongside the new family coaster, Camp Snoopy featured re-themes of existing attractions, a new children’s play area and a new dining location named Pigpen’s Mess Hall.
Man dies after being hit by Banshee
At around 8 p.m. June 19, 38-year-old Arntanaro Nelson was hit by the Banshee roller coaster after entering a restricted area.
Nelson was reported to have approached one of the ride’s greeters, telling them he needed to get back on the coaster to retrieve a lost item. He was told the item could not be retrieved until after Banshee closed for the night.
After this interaction, witnesses said they saw Nelson wander near the ride, before entering a restricted gate. Nelson was then hit by one of Banshee’s trains.
After the incident, Nelson was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died a few days later.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs went to the park to “conduct a full re-inspection for the ride and an investigation to ensure the ride was operating within Ohio’s laws and rules.”
Banshee was able to reopen without changes a few days after the incident.
Six Flags and Cedar Fair merge
In July, Kings Island parent company Cedar Fair merged with the chain’s largest rival Six Flags in a historic acquisition for the industry.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
The new company, named the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, now controls 27 different amusement and water parks across North America.
After the sale was finalized, the corporation announced a new add-on for its season passes, which will allow guests to visit parks formerly a part of the Six Flags chain.
New attraction for 2025
Just in time for the end of summer, Kings Island announced a new water slide attraction coming to the park next year.
Known as RiverRacers, the slide is the first dual-racing water coaster in Ohio. Manufactured by Whitewater West, the ride is an installation of their “Dueling Master Blaster” model.
A glimpse into the future
In November, the new Six Flags finally detailed its plans for a $1 billion investment into its parks. As a part of this announcement, the chain teased a new addition coming to Kings Island for the 2026 season.
Simply listed as a “new family thrill attraction,” Six Flags gave no information as to what company would be manufacturing the ride or what model it would be.
However, due to the wording on the press release itself, many fans speculate the ride may not be a new coaster. However, no concrete information has been uncovered yet.
Want to comment on your experience at Kings Island? Email reporter Alex Cutler at alex.cutler@coxinc.com.
About the Author
