News: Cedar Fair plans for 2022 include return of Cedar Point events, Frontier Town restaurant

Interesting. You got a link? I'm surprised they're already starting on it. Figured there'd be months of legal red tape to get through

The Facebook post is "Cedar Point Nation". The contractor is Mark Schaffer Excavating & Trucking. Likely the red-tape has been dealt with over the last several years as you can't just wing-it with these projects.

Betcha these folks are paid more than $20.00 per hour.

This project doesn't appear to be related to the Causeway project. It's a wetlands restoration project, part of the H2Ohio initiative.

Wasn't the causeway expansion only recently approved to be funded? If so, they have a lot of legwork to do before they break ground.

Thanks Brandon, I shouldn't have assumed without researching that it was for the Causeway.

First off, if there isn't heat in a building that would be necessary for a Winterfest, I think CP would recoup the costs of investing in it. 2nd, is it that the buildings don't have heat or is it that they winterize them so they don't have to pay to run the furnaces when there are no customers? 3rd, I, and 1000's of others rode Raging Bull and the other B&M's at Great America when it dropped below 35 degrees and had a blast. I also wore some of my snowmobile gear to do it, because, riding a roller coaster for a few minutes is similar to riding a sled but for much less time.

I don't see how it could possibly be a wise investment to install a furnace that would be used one day a year, or even a handful days a year. To say nothing of the fact that they'd need to hire a lot more people, not only to staff the event, but additional maintenance personnel to get rides up and running by December instead of May.

Also, 35 degrees sounds downright balmy compared to how cold and windy it reportedly gets on the peninsula.

We always seem to forget that the park tried a winter event and it was a giant fail. The weather was miserable and nobody came.
Weather aside, I see one clear obstacle to Cedar Point hosting such a thing. There’s nothing to do. I’ve been to KI’s Winterfest plenty of times, on warmer evenings and on brutal cold ones as well. And one thing that saves them and makes a trip to the park worthwhile are large capacity, climate controlled buildings where they can host food, a large scale show, or in one case, both. I can also see where off-season entertainment would be easier in the burbs of Cincinnati where there would be better access to high school and college talent.
Cedar Point has none of those things. I suppose you could add up all the restaurants for capacity but many of them would require a hike in the cold just to get to. Then there’s the aforementioned infrastructure and staffing. There just isn’t anything Lake Erie offers that would hold the general public’s interest in the winter.
At KI they operated just a few rides and one coaster, which we gamely rode for the experience. Mystic Timbers seemed to operate fine, but it wasn’t pleasant. One and done. I remember that week there were particularly harsh temperatures, well below freezing which continued through much of the run. The park actually suspended operations for a weekend or two until the cold snap subsided. Maybe the fine folks in Chicagoland are of hardier stock.
Those hanging on to this Frozen idea need to Let it Go.

Zoug68 said:

I, and 1000's of others rode Raging Bull and the other B&M's at Great America when it dropped below 35 degrees and had a blast.

Great America has at the very least 5 miles worth of land to shield itself from the brutal Great Lakes winds. Cedar Point has none of that. Like others have said (and for decades now), its miserable on that peninsula when the temps drop below 40. The winds suck and I wouldn't want to ride a carousel in the blowing snow...

And this is coming from someone who LOVES Winterfest at Kings Island.

As a Chicagoland resident, I can 100% attest that the cold at SFGAm is completely different than that on the peninsula. I went to a single winter chill out event, and was ready to end my tour after about 15 minutes of being out in that wind. The fact that seemingly the majority of folks on here (CP's biggest fans!) have little-to-no desire for a winter event should speak volumes, and as RCMAC alluded, the park is well aware of it based on experience.

I'll also attest to the above statements. The peninsula is way to brutal in the winter months for a Winterfest. Could they heat some of the buildings for a few weeks a year? Sure, but what large venues do they have? What rides could even run? We all know the park has had issues with rollercoasters in the slight cold and wind where they have valleyed. I can't imagine the park being able to draw in the crowds needed to justify the costs of having some lights, a few restaurants open, and a few flat rides operating, all while battling the brutal cold and winds from lake erie. This is a dead horse that has been beaten for far too long.

I was at that Christmas in the park back in the mid 90s. I probably have some pics in a drawer somewhere.

I've always thought the opportunity for more dates on the calendar for CP was in September and October. They did that in October this year, but September features some beautiful weather in the area. WinterFest should remain exclusive to the parks that already have it, IMO. The Kings Island event we visited in 2018 was outstanding. Going back this year.

James Parker jr said:

I've always thought the opportunity for more dates on the calendar for CP was in September and October. They did that in October this year, but September features some beautiful weather in the area.

Agree ! September weather is equivalent to the late May/June weather. Unfortunately the schools, (grade schools and high schools) are back in session so they wouldn't get the 'family' crowds for daily earlier hours operation. The evening hours (6pm - ?) only will/would bring the families in. Only CP can tell if the Thursday openings they added for in October this past season was worth it. If it was, they'll add Thursdays to September.

While it doesn't look very Christmassy, it certainly looks very boring.

Dennis Urban said:

Only CP can tell if the Thursday openings they added for in October this past season was worth it. If it was, they'll add Thursdays to September.

I wouldn't bet on that. The appeal the Haunt attractions have on Thursday nights in the weeks leading up to Halloween doesn't translate to demand for Thursday nights in September.

Shades said:

While it doesn't look very Christmassy, it certainly looks very boring.

Depressing, boring, cold. I love that they didn't even try to hide the fact that the park was closed for the winter. I'll stick to visiting the Columbus Zoo in the winter.

Winter Chill Out is more festive than the event in that video

Shades said:

While it doesn't look very Christmassy, it certainly looks very boring.

Although the Ford Probe parked on the midway at 1:23 is a nice touch.

I hear there are great Winterfest options down in Charlotte.