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What You Need to Know About Winterfest at Kings Island

December 6, 2017 By Nedra McDaniel 35 Comments

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Winterfest is back at Kings Island Amusement Park.

As someone who grew up in the Cincinnati metro, I have fond memories of attending Winterfest in the ’80s as a kid.

Winterfest had some pretty big shoes to fill with its return as I compared it to my memories filled with the childhood nostalgia of ice skating on the fountain, carriage rides, and holiday shows.

As we entered the park, I was excited to see that Kings Island built on the memories and made them even better.

The Eiffel Tower was transformed into an illuminated Christmas Tree that shifted to beautiful colors and imagery.

You can still ice skate on the fountain, there is music everywhere both by live performers and with holiday music filling the air.

The themed lighted sections throughout the park are absolutely beautiful.

What to Expect

You can ride up to 17 rides during your visit, the most extreme one being Mystic Timbers wooden roller coaster, which is far more ride options than the Smurf Enchanted Voyage ride when I was a kid… but I really did love that Smurf ride!

There are lots of shopping options for holiday gifts located throughout the park including an artisan village with local vendors underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Learn more about what to forward for WinterFest in 2019

Ice Skating Tips

If you plan on ice skating during your visit, I suggest that you purchase your date and time slot online before you arrive because there is limited availability and the time slots can fill up fast.

The ice skating voucher includes skate rental and your skate session.

There is still a fee if you bring your own skates.

Photo Opps

Winterfest has also created lots of areas that are perfect for taking photos together.

The Winterfest Snowglobe near the Banshee roller coaster is definitely one of the most unique.

Use the WinterFest Bucket List to cross everything off your list.

Younger kids will enjoy meeting Santa and older kids will find several areas that are perfect for a selfie throughout the nine winter wonderlands.

The pictures with Santa are an additional fee if you purchase the photos from Kings Island, but you can bring your own camera and take your own pictures.

Themed Activities

There is a small sledding hill and holiday shows that the whole family will enjoy.

I suggest checking the times for all of the shows and ice carving demos when you arrive, to get the most value out of your visit.

Season Pass Holder Perks

As a season pass holder, I was very happy to discover that our All Season Dining Plan still worked at Winterfest.

You are going to eat dinner anyway, either before you go, or while you are there.

I’ve found that even if we did eat before a visit, my kids would instantly get hungry as soon as we would enter the park anyway.

The All Season Dining Plan has several restaurants throughout the park to choose from with rebranded holiday-themed names.

I suggest grabbing a flyer as you enter the park for all of your meal options and locations.

You can also use the 2017 Refillable Drink Cup at Winterfest as well for an even greater value.

WinterFest Souvenir Mug

For $10.99 you can get free hot chocolate in a souvenir mug on your first visit and $1 (tax included) refills when you visit again this season.

The cost of a regular hot chocolate is around $4.50 which makes the souvenir mug a greater value if you plan on drinking hot chocolate more than once that night or returning again during the Winterfest season.

*You can use the mug for hot chocolate or coffee at participating locations but Starbucks is not a participating location.

You cannot bring items on Mystic Timbers so you will want to designate a hot chocolate holder.

Hot chocolate is an extremely popular menu item so make sure that you allow for wait time in line if you getting a refill before attending a show.

Ways to Save on Winterfest Admission

  • Purchase tickets online to save $10 for a ticket around $25
  • Go with a Season Passholder on Sunday bring a Friend Days (Gold & Platinum Passholders may bring up to 4 friends to WinterFest on select Sundays for just $19.99 each)
  • WinterFest All Inclusive Ticket Save Up to $34 (Includes Admission, Parking, a Single Meal Deal and a Souvenir Mug! $45
  • Go as a Group- Get 15+ Tickets Each for Only $21 Buy a minimum of 15 tickets online and pay only $21 per ticket – a $14 savings off the price at the park!

Winterfest will take place select nights November 24- December 30th

I was really impressed with Winterfest and I think that guests will enjoy creating new holiday memories with their loved ones and season pass holders will find that its an added value to their season pass.

You can find additional information on the Kings Island website.

Disclosure: My family already owned season passes to Kings Island but we did receive souvenir hot chocolate cups for media night. All opinions are my own. 

Additional Kings Island Articles

What to look forward to at Winterfest this year

How to Visit Kings Island with a Special Needs Guest

Everything you need to know about dining at Kings Island

10 Fun Things for Non-Riders to Do at Kings Island

Why I Bought the All Season Dining Plan at Kings Island

Non Scary Adventures for Families at Kings Island in the Fall

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Filed Under: Adventures With Friends, Amusement/ Theme Parks, Cincy/NKY Area, Family Adventures, Featured, Holiday Travel, Travel Tagged With: Cincinnati, Kings Island, Winterfest

Previous Post: « A Christmas Story House & Museum in Cleveland
Next Post: Holiday Adventures That Are Fun For Adults In Grapevine »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nedra McDaniel

    December 1, 2018 at 10:41 am

    I will see what I can find out for you.

  2. Paige

    November 27, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    Would you be able to tell me what all is included in the 15+ group tickets this year and how much the hot chocolate mugs are? I hate to be a pain but until I found this thread I was having extreme difficulty finding answers! Lol

  3. Nedra McDaniel

    November 21, 2018 at 11:53 am

    Any ticket that includes parking, includes parking for the entire vehicle even if the other members of the party do not have parking on their Tickets.

  4. Kelly

    November 21, 2018 at 8:28 am

    If we have four people in our group (2 adults, 2 kids) do we all need to buy an all inclusive pass or can I purchase for one adult, get one mug for us share and cover parking and than get the rest a plain one day ticket to save on cost? Didn’t know how that worked with parking and all being in the same car.

  5. Nedra McDaniel

    November 13, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    The 2018 Hot Chocolate Mugs will be available for sale at WinterFest. The 2017 Mugs will not be refillable.

  6. Nedra McDaniel

    November 9, 2018 at 6:08 am

    Yes! Winterfest is a great event for families.

  7. Jessica Fulk

    November 8, 2018 at 9:29 pm

    Is this good for a 7 year old?

  8. Nedra McDaniel

    November 8, 2018 at 9:28 pm

    I’m checking on that with my King Island contact.

  9. Sara

    November 8, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    Can I use my 2017 winterfest hot chocolate mug for 2018 or will I have to buy a new one for this year?

  10. Nedra McDaniel

    December 22, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    They do!

  11. Julie

    December 22, 2017 at 11:25 am

    Do they serve alcohol there?

  12. Marcy

    December 12, 2017 at 5:51 am

    Thanks so much for checking for me! We are headed there this weekend. My husband and I used to go before when they were open and we are hoping it’s just as fun this time!

  13. Nedra McDaniel

    December 11, 2017 at 8:22 pm

    Hi Marcy- Great question! I talked to Kings Island and you can use the mug for hot chocolate or coffee at participating locations but Starbucks is not a participating location.

  14. Nedra McDaniel

    December 11, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    That’s a good question! I’ll find out.

  15. Marcy

    December 11, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    Could you get coffee in the hot chocolate mugs?

  16. Todd

    December 1, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    thanks for the input,,, we r going to get teh winterfest cho mug for 10 .99,,, we are going to Carolwinds in Charlotte tomorrow

  17. Josie

    November 28, 2017 at 11:28 am

    Yes!!!!

  18. Nedra McDaniel

    November 27, 2017 at 8:03 pm

    You can bring your own skates but there is still a fee.

  19. Michele Beckett

    November 27, 2017 at 7:36 pm

    Can we wear our own skates?

  20. Nedra McDaniel

    November 27, 2017 at 6:39 pm

    Holiday Shows, North Pole Post Office, and rides are included with your admission. You can still use your 2017 Season Pass Dining Plan for meals. Skating is an additional fee and so is Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen.

  21. Melissa

    November 27, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    How many of these things listed were free and what did you have to pay to do? I know you have to pay for ice skating but wasn’t sure about everything else.

  22. Nedra McDaniel

    November 27, 2017 at 6:09 pm

    Thanks for sharing that Julie!

  23. Nedra McDaniel

    November 27, 2017 at 6:08 pm

    Hi Gene- You can use your 2017 refillable cup at Winterfest.

  24. Julie

    November 27, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Yes you can use ur pop cup I used mine last weekend when my kids and I went

  25. Nedra McDaniel

    November 27, 2017 at 5:34 pm

    I send an email to my contact and will let you know as soon as I hear back.

  26. Gene

    November 27, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    Is my pop cup also good at winter fest?

Trackbacks

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