2015 announcement forthcoming: tomorrow, 9/25, at 1:30 pm.

http://www.wave3.com/story/26619225/kentucky-kingdom-to-announce-new-attractions

And yet, per the paper that I received (AFTER I had paid the cost of renewing my pass, mind you - not before) thanking me for "my continued support and enthusiasm" they have already "announced" most of the new things for next year:

• T3 (née T2)
• Raging Rapids River Ride
• The Enterprise (I feel like the latter two were SUPPOSED to open this year and it never happened, seeing as they are both labeled on the park map)
• Two new "family thrill rides"

This is complete conjecture, but I would expect a couple new shops and such to open as well, as opening Raging Rapids and T3 will require the opening of a whole new section of the park.

Let's be honest. The marketing at KK this year has been comically inept. I think the average 13 year old coaster enthusiast would have done a better job of it.

Sometimes I feel like working at the Kentucky Kingdom marketing department would be a bit like this:

Come to think of it, I think this screenshot represents the Kingdom rather well. From the advertising, to the finances, to the guest count... And even the setting!

- Homestar92, who carefully chose the correct level from which to take his screenshot.

Chang?......

Vampire?...

Is that You?.....

- TheBEASTunchained....Thinking about the Kingdom's former acquaintances.....

^Chris Sawyer has said that many of the stages in the first RollerCoaster Tycoon game were inspired by real parks.

This one just happens to be one of the more obvious correlations.

Ironically, the second game had real Six Flags parks in it and was released during their ownership of KK. And yet, it did not make an appearance. Though you could go on a Great Adventure to a particular Mountain.

Great. Magic!

Terp, helpin'

That isn't the only Mountain you could visit in that game either! I'm trying to remember what the other one was, but trying to remember is hurting my Skull.

The announcement may be on a Thursday, but its also a school/work day in Fall, when most people don't really think about amusement parks, at least compared to the attention of doing this in August.

1:30 pm? Really?

They like to do things differently at Hartland.

Just because they can.

For now.

Let's be (Cedar) Fair though... A certain major park in Sandusky (whose marketing department is most assuredly FAR better than they have in the Hartland) made their 2015 announcement on a weekday before noon.

This, however, followed several announcements of the announcements. Perhaps that makes a difference.

I'd not say that park is a benchmark for excellence in marketing, either.

Kings Island, on the other hand....

What is your guesses on the announced new attractions tomorrow?

What is your guesses on the announced new attractions tomorrow?

For starters, I'm hoping that part of the "T3" refurbishment is new Vekoma trains.....With the New Vekoma SLC vest restraints.....

To a better Kentucky Kingdom in 2015, at least a refurbished coaster, and a few rides like the river rapids. I think T3 will have a new name, some new restaurants possibly?

Attendance figures are out.

They are ... surprising.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/kentucky-kingdom-drew-first-year-re-opening/16179885/

$8-10 million capex for 2015.

I seem to remember this is substantially less than what was in their RFP proposal.

Next comes the lease concessions request....

Those figures and the so far unannounced new rides are here:

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/kentucky-kingdom-drew-first-year-re-opening/16179885/

I'm pleasantly surprised. It looks as if the Kingdom will be back next year.

I wonder how 600,000 compares to parks such as Holiday World or Kings Island.

That means the park had, on average, about 6,400 guests per day in the park.

http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/6/3/theme_park_attendance.html

Take it for what it is, which means it may not be or is true, but it states that KI in 2013 has 3.2 Million visitors...

i believe that figure bests its final year or so under Six Flags. That is some measure of success particularly with much of the park still shuttered and a relatively short operating season. As a fan of KK and a KY tax payer I am pulling for them I hope they up their marketing attempts next year as well. That was certainly lacking this year.

Check this out: 4 new rides (2 "new" rides, two brand new ones) + T3! http://www.kentuckykingdom.com/attractions/thrill/

I'd like to take a spin on their antiques car ride.

Attendance figures are out.

They are ... surprising.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/kentucky-kingdom-drew-first-year-re-opening/16179885/

$8-10 million capex for 2015.

I seem to remember this is substantially less than what was in their RFP proposal.

Next comes the lease concessions request....

Did you really think he was going to invest no more than $2.5 million a year?

I'm pleasantly surprised. It looks as if the Kingdom will be back next year.

I wonder how 600,000 compares to parks such as Holiday World or Kings Island.

Based on attendance estimates I have seen...

Kings Island: 3,000,000+ (has risen up to 3.5 million before)

Kentucky Kingdom Late 90's: 1,300,000+ (After Debut of Chang, right before Six Flags "decline" started)

Holiday World: 1,100,000+ (could shoot up to 1.5 million with Thunderbird in 2015)

Kentucky Kingdom 2014: 600,000+

While 600k is fairly impressive for a smaller park just now coming back, they are still far behind Holiday World and far from where they were in the late 90's attenance-wise. And they have NEVER even gotten close to Kings Island.

As for the new-for-2015 rides...they look like nice additions, if not anything huge. Cyclos in particular looks really cool, and they are getting on the chair swing ride bandwagon it seems. Not exactly anything that looks like it's going to blow the $10,000,000 budget they seem to have though, and the once promised 2015 B&M coaster is nowhere to be found...

Did I miss something? When was a B&M promised for 2015?

^
Pretty early in the proposal- Hart said he was only spending $15 million on it though I think (with that budget I doubt it would have been much since most B&M's run $20M plus these days). When the park was approved to be re-opened, the new-for-2015 coaster seemed to get dropped and T3 was made the main-new-thing for 2015.

I thought the planned new-for-2015 coaster became Lightning Run and showed up a year early.

The reopening of rides and the new ride selection of rides is rather interesting. Unless I'm reading it wrong, does the Cyclos ride completely loop? That could be intense.

^^
That could have been what happened- especially if Hart & Co. decided their $15M budget wouldn't get much of a B&M. Though I'm reading the Kentucky Kingdom proposal PDF again and checking this- they state "an amazing one-of-a-kind" new coaster for 2015. Though Lightning Run is not mentioned it seems...also I corrected KK's attendance figure above, they had 1.3 million at peak in 1998, not 1.5.

EDIT: Reading the proposal, I found a section where it states one of the "new rides" will be a 135-foot swing ride. Well- that one comes true next year.

With the pent-up demand, a "new" park and the high proportion of season pass sales, I continue to say the attendance figures are...amazing.

Especially given the 9.99 "advance" ticket offer for KK during the State Fair.

Amazing. Shockingly so.

They are.

Amazingly LOW.

I'm stunned.

Attendance figures are out.

They are ... surprising.

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/kentucky-kingdom-drew-first-year-re-opening/16179885/

$8-10 million capex for 2015.

I seem to remember this is substantially less than what was in their RFP proposal.

Next comes the lease concessions request....

Did you really think he was going to invest no more than $2.5 million a year?

THAT starts in 2016. Big investment this year. Medium for 2015. Then $2.5 million a year perpetually thereafter.