Timchat2

We've felt the same way. Dollywood still feels well above the average regional park but we're a little concerned about how the quick expansion will impact the park and resort experiences. The park has already quietly cut smaller shows like Liquid Beats, Hydro Jive Junction, The Tones and A Cappella Fusion. And while they have invested in new larger productions like From the Heart and Play On, I have a feeling they're seeing a greater return-on-investment with outside shows like Moto Motion and Perondi's Stunt Dogs.

Unless they feel later showtimes would conflict with Hot Rhythm Nights (or whatever is happening at the Bandstand), although the shows tend to coexist during Grand Carnivale.

Yes, they've been performing the shortened "heat version" of the show. However, today's 3:30 performance was canceled, possibly due to technical issues with the screen.

I distinctly remember how grand the theater reveal felt on the original Phantom Theater, particularly with how the music seemed to fill the space.

Hopefully we don't have to wait as long to get the proper Royal Fountains back as it took to get Phantom Theater to return.

If the market around Louisville responds well to what Herschend is doing, Kentucky Kingdom could end up being one of the more surprising turnarounds in recent theme park memory. Things look promising so far.

The Food & Wine Festival Event Guide is available on the website.

Ghost Notes has the classic grape Kool-Aid flavor. I enjoyed it and would get it again.

For those at the park tonight (Friday 5/22), there was an announcement in the Festhaus that Hollywood Hits is having a dress rehearsal at 6PM.

RMC has made some amazing rides with impressive technology but Will Koch and the Gravity Group brought that special spark of creation to make The Voyage such a unique and incredible ride.

https://www.sixflags.com/kingsisland/shows The live entertainment page is listing more shows including the Kings Island Nighttime Spectacular. Trailblazers X-treme (which might not be the new All Wheel Sports show's name) is listed with the 2025 dates though, so the information might not be completely accurate yet.

Lusty Lil's Western Roadshow at the Gossip Gulch stage isn't returning for 2026.

The lack of a full musical underscore throughout the ride is one of the most curious design choices of Opening Nightmare. We should absolutely be hearing a big full version of that iconic theme by the time the ghost notes return to the Maestro's organ as a finale.

All Wheel Sports has been posting casting calls for a production in Ohio, so it seems likely the new show will be from them: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWjcB2OiRk8/?igsh=MXd0cDcxbzM3OXpvbg==

Given how iconic the original music is to fans, the lack of a unifying soundtrack is odd, so hopefully it is a matter of fine-tuning that still needs to happen.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, the start dates for several of the shows are posted around the park. Hot Rhythm Nights at the Bandstand and the new show Hollywood Hits at the Festhaus both open on May 23rd. International Showplace has a sign saying an unnamed show will open June 20th.

A couple more tracks we identified with Shazam:

A ice cream shop in Cleveland (Sweet Moses) used kettle corn as a topping in a baseball-themed sundae and it was great!

I like the popcorn and musical note tie-ins to the new attraction. Hopefully Sweet Spot will feature other Phantom Theater items this year with cookies shaped like the ghost notes or spellbound flashlights.

I truly don't know how this is happening at a Six Flags park in 2026 but it is so encouraging to see the passionate staff at SFOG receive so much support locally. The gentlemen highlighted in that post are exactly the people who give parks character and soul.

It's kind of surreal that two legacy Cedar Fair parks, Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair (the one that provided the "fair" part of the "Cedar Fair"), will no longer be associated with Cedar Point. Likewise it is strange to have one of the original Six Flags parks, Six Flags St. Louis (originally Six Flags Over Mid-America), no longer in the Six Flags chain.

It's interesting to see Dollywood bring back more of the eclectic mix of outside performers like Moto Motion and Artrageous. A lot of park fans seemed to be missing the variety of shows that came with Festival of Nations and this seems to be a bit of a return to that spirit.

Maybe that was why one of the engines was "under wraps" at Winter Chill Out this year.

Does this leave Cedar Point as the only major park with coal-fired steam engines?

Depending on how much extra programming is involved, it should be relatively "easy" to switch out the screen media, LED lighting, etc. for a holiday overlay. Perhaps guests could be helping to recapture escaped jingle bells for a holiday concert at the Phantom Theater.