Cedar Fair Entertainment Company is an American/Canadian amusement park company known for operating several award winning parks in North America, including Knotts Berry Farm, Kings Island, Carowinds, and their flagship park, Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, which also serves as the company headquarters. The company's name is derived from the latter two parks mentioned. Cedar Fair is also the current owner and operating company of Kings Island, as well as various other amusement parks in North America that were previously owned and operated by the film and television company Viacom, through their now - defunct Paramount Parks subsidiary. The parks in the Cedar Fair chain are best recognized with logos that featured a color scheme of red or blue text, with at least one instance of a lowercase "i" dotted with a flag.
History[]
Beginning in 1870, Cedar Point operated as a solely owned amusement park for many years. Almost a century after operating under one park, Cedar Point acquired ownership and management rights of the Minnesota amusement park Valleyfair in 1978. Later in 1987, the management offices of Cedar Point were re-established as Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, with the name being combination of their two parks owned at the time.
Over time, Cedar Fair continued to grow as an amusement park chain, acquiring Dorney Park of Pennsylvania in 1992, Missouri's Worlds of Fun in 1995, and Knott's Berry Farm in 1997. The acquisition of Knotts Berry Farm also included the license for Cedar Fair to feature the characters of Charles Schulz's Peanuts comics and television specials in their parks (such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy), who had been present at Knotts Berry Farm since 1983. Each of Cedar Fair's parks has featured a children's area themed to the characters at some point or another, all of which use the names of either Planet Snoopy or Camp Snoopy.
In 2006, Viacom had split into two divisions, with the name now being used for the smaller company of the split, with the majority of Viacom's assets, including Paramount Parks, being transferred to CBS Corporation. That same year, CBS Corporation declared they were no longer interested in participating in the theme park business, and Cedar Fair placed the highest bid on all five parks, which included Kings Island. Although the acquisition included a licensing deal in which Cedar Fair would be allowed to continue using various properties of Paramount such as Nickelodeon characters up until 2017, Cedar Fair was not interested in paying licensing fees, and began dropping such themes, beginning with changes made to rides based on films such as Top Gun and THE ITALIAN JOB: Stunt Track, which became Flight Deck and Backlot Stunt Coaster, respectively. By 2010 with the opening of Planet Snoopy at Kings Island, all former intellectual properties were replaced with either themes unrelated to existing intellectual properties, or the Peanuts characters in 2010. Other changes made by Cedar Fair included the revamping of the Halloween event Fearfest into Halloween Haunt, and the retheming of Boomerang Bay (which had previously dropped all references to the Crocodile Dundee films, but continued to feature an Australian outback theme) to Soak City in 2012(themed to a tropical beach).
However, it is worth noting that Kings Island did feature a select number of days in the 2014 season for meet-and-greets with Marvel characters Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor from the 2012 film The Avengers. Although most properties of Marvel, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe film franchise, had been acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2009, Paramount was already distributing some of these films starting with Iron Man in 2008. A deal was made that allowed Paramount's logo to be featured in the opening credits and merchandising of several follow-up Marvel films, which concluded with Iron Man 3 in 2013. Therefore the characters were technically still considered Paramount properties at the time, allowing Cedar Fair to use them temporarily that year.
Since 2006, Cedar Fairs ownership of Kings Island has seen several notable events in the parks history, such as the opening and closing of Firehawk, and the addition of legendary coasters that have set various records in and out of the park such as Diamondback, Banshee, Mystic Timbers, and Orion. They have also overseen the 30th and 40th anniversaries of The Beast. They have also overseen the controversial closures of popular rides such as Son of Beast and Vortex.
Amusement parks[]
| Name | Location | Year Opened | Year Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California's Great America | Santa Clara, California | 1976 | 2006 | Open year round. Acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Canada's Wonderland | Vaughan, Ontario, Canada | 1981 | 2006 | Cedar Fair's most visited seasonal park, acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Carowinds | Charlotte, North Carolina | 1973 | 2006 | Open year round. Acquired in Paramount Parks deal. A portion of the park is in Fort Mill, South Carolina. |
| Cedar Point | Sandusky, Ohio | 1870 | Founding Franchise | Cedar Fair's flagship park and the oldest park in the chain. Cedar Fair's corporate headquarters are at this park. |
| Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 1884 | 1992 | First park acquired under the Cedar Fair name, acquired from Harris Weinstein. Purchase price $48M |
| Kings Dominion | Doswell, Virginia | 1975 | 2006 | Open year round. Acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Kings Island | Mason, Ohio | 1972 | 2006 | Cedar Fairs 2nd favorite park, Acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Knott's Berry Farm | Buena Park, California | 1920 | 1997 | Open year round. Most visited Cedar Fair park, acquired from Knott Family. Purchase price $300M |
| Michigan's Adventure | Muskegon, Michigan | 1956 | 2001 | Acquired from the Jourden family. Purchase price $28M |
| Valleyfair | Shakopee, Minnesota | 1976 | 1978 | Acquired by Cedar Point. Cedar Point and Valleyfair then formed Cedar Fair in 1987. |
| Worlds of Fun | Kansas City, Missouri | 1973 | 1995 | Acquired from Hunt-Midwest. Purchase price $40M |
Water parks[]
Outdoor[]
Included with admission[]
| Name | Location | Year Opened | Year Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bay Shores | California's Great America | 2004 | 2006 | Located within California's Great America, acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Carolina Harbor | Carowinds | 1989 | 2006 | Located within Carowinds, acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Oceans of Fun | Worlds of Fun | 1982 | 1995 | Located adjacent to Worlds of Fun. In 2013, the water park became included with admission to Worlds of Fun. |
| Soak City | Kings Dominion | 1992 | 2006 | Located within Kings Dominion, acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Soak City | Kings Island | 1989 | 2006 | Located within Kings Island, acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| Soak City | Valleyfair | 1983 | Built by Cedar Fair | Located within Valleyfair. |
| Splash Works | Canada's Wonderland | 1992 | 2006 | Located within Canada's Wonderland, acquired in Paramount Parks deal. |
| WildWater Adventure | Michigan's Adventure | 1991 | 2001 | Located within Michigan's Adventure. |
| Wildwater Kingdom | Dorney Park | 1985 | 1992 | Located within Dorney Park. |
Separate admission/property[]
| Name | Location | Year Opened | Year Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knott's Soak City | Buena Park, California | 1999 | Built by Cedar Fair | Located adjacent to Knott's Berry Farm. Opened under the name, Soak City U.S.A. |
| Cedar Point Shores | Sandusky, Ohio | 1988 as Soak City | Built by Cedar Fair | Located adjacent to Cedar Point. |
| Schlitterbahn Galveston | Galveston, Texas | 2006 | 2019 | |
| Schlitterbahn New Braunfels | New Braunfels, Texas | 1979 | 2019 |
Indoor[]
| Name | Location | Year Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castaway Bay | Sandusky, Ohio | 2004 | Cedar Fair's only indoor water park, located about a mile from Cedar Point. |
Lodging and campgrounds[]
- Hotel Breakers (Cedar Point)
- Cedar Point's Express Hotel (Cedar Point)
- Camper Village (Cedar Point)
- Lighthouse Point (Cedar Point)
- Castaway Bay Indoor Waterpark Resort(Cedar Point)
- The Resort at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels (Schlitterbahn New Braunfels)
- Camp Wilderness (Kings Dominion)
- Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel (Knotts Berry Farm)
- Worlds of Fun Village (Worlds Of Fun)
- Camp Wilderness (Carowinds)
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Carowinds (Carowinds)
- Sawmill Creek Resort (Cedar Point)
- Hyatt Place / Hyatt House at Canada's Wonderland
Roller Coasters owned by Cedar Fair:
A[]
- Adventure Express)(Kings Island)(Arrow Mine Train)
- Afterburn (Carowinds)(B&M Invert)
- Anaconda (Kings Dominion)(Arrow Looper)
- Apple Zapple (Kings Dominion)(Mack Wild Mouse)
B[]
- Backlot Stunt Coaster(Kings Island)(Premier Multi Launched)
- Backlot Stunt Coaster(Kings Dominion)(Premier Multi Launched)
- Backlot Stunt Coaster(Canadas Wonderland)(Premier Multi Launched)
- Banshee (Kings Island)(B&M Invert)
- The Bat (Canadas Wonderland)(Vekoma Boomerang)
- The Bat (Kings Island; opened 1993)(Arrow Suspended)
- The Beast (roller coaster)(Kings Island)(Kings Island Woodie)
- Behemoth (roller coaster)(Canadas Wonderland)(B&M Hyper)
- Blue Streak (Cedar Point)(Ptc Woodie)
- Boomerang (Worlds of Fun)(Vekoma Boomerang)
C[]
- Carolina Cyclone(Carowinds)(Arrow Looper)
- Carolina Goldrusher(Carowinds)(Arrow Mine Train)
- Cedar Creek Mine Ride(Cedar Point)(Arrow Mine Train)
- Coast Rider(Knotts Berry Farm)(Mack Wild Mouse)
- Copperhead Strike(Carowinds)(Mack Multi Launched)
- Corkscrew (Cedar Point)(Arrow Looper)
- Corkscrew(Michigans Adventure)(Arrow Looper)
- Corkscrew (Valleyfair)(Arrow Looper)
- Cosmic Coaster (Valleyfair)(Zamperla Single Helix)
- Cosmic Coaster (Worlds of Fun)(Preston & Barbieri Wacky Worm)
D[]
- Demon (Californias Great America)(Arrow Looper)
- Diamondback (Kings Island)(B&M Hyper)
- Dominator (Kings Dominion)(B&M Floorless)
- Dragon Fyre (Canadas Wonderland)(Arrow Looper)
E[]
- Excalibur (Valleyfair)(Arrow Mine Train)
F[]
- Flight Deck (Californias Great America)(B&M Invert)
- Flight Deck (Canadas Wonderland)(Vekoma Slc)
- Fly(Canada’s Wonderland)(Mack Wild Mouse)
- Flight of Fear(Kings Dominion)(Premier Lim Launched)
- Flight of Fear(Kings Island)(Premier Lim Launched)
- Fury 325(Carowinds)(B&M Giga)
G[]
- GateKeeper (roller coaster)(Cedar Point)(B&M Wing)
- Gemini (roller coaster)(Cedar Point)(Arrow Racing Mine Train)
- Gemini (roller coaster)(Cedar Point)(Arrow Racing Mine Train)
- Ghoster Coaster (Canada's Wonderland)(PTC Family Woodie)
- GhostRider (Knott’s Berry Farm)(GCI Woodie)
- Gold Striker(California’s Great America)(GCI Woodie)
- The Great Pumpkin Coaster(Kings Island)
- The Great Pumpkin Coaster(Kings Dominion)
- Grizzly (Kings Dominion)
- The Grizzly(California’s Great America)
H[]
- HangTime (Knott’s Berry Farm)
- High Roller (Valleyfair)
- Hurler (Carowinds)
- Hydra the Revenge(Dorney Park)
I[]
- Intimidator (Carowinds)
- Intimidator 305(Kings Dominion)
- Invertigo (Kings Island)
- Iron Dragon (Cedar Point)
- Iron Menace(Dorney Park)
J[]
- Jaguar!(Knott’s Berry Farm)
K
Kiddy Hawk(Carowinds)
L[]
- Leviathan (Canada's Wonderland)
- Lucy's Crabbie Cabbies(California’s Great America)
M[]
- Mad Mouse (Michigan's Adventure)
- Mad Mouse (Valleyfair)
- Magnum XL-200(Cedar Point)
- Mamba (Worlds of Fun)
- Maverick (Cedar Point)
- Mighty Canadian Minebuster(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Millennium Force(Cedar Point)
- Montezooma's Revenge(Knott’s Berry Farm)
- Mystic Timbers(Kings Island)
N[]
- Nighthawk (Carowinds)
O[]
- Orion(Kings Island)
P[]
- Patriot (California's Great America)
- Patriot (Worlds of Fun)
- Pony Express (Knott's Berry Farm)
- Possessed (Dorney Park)
- Prowler (Worlds of Fun)
- Psycho Mouse(California’s Great America)
R[]
- Racer 75(Kings Dominion)
- The Racer (Kings Island)
- Racer 75(Kings Dominion)
- The Racer (Kings Island)
- RailBlazer(California’s Great America)
- Raptor (Cedar Point)
- Renegade (Valleyfair)
- Reptilian (Kings Dominion)(Mack Bobsled)
- Ricochet (Carowinds)
- Rougarou (Cedar Point)
S[]
- Shivering Timbers(Michigan’s Adventure)
- Silver Streak(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Sierra Sidewinder(Knott's Berry Farm)
- Silver Bullet (Knott's Berry Farm)
- Snoopys Racing Railway(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Snoopys Soapbox Racers(Kings Island)
- Snoopys Tenderpaw Twister(Knott’s Berry Farm)
- Spinning Dragons(Worlds of Fun)
- Steel Force(Dorney Park)
- Steel Vengeance(Cedar Point)
- Steel Venom (Valleyfair)(Valleyfair)
T[]
- Talon (roller coaster)(Dorney Park)
- The Flying Cobras(Carowinds)
- Thunder Run (Canadas Wonderland)
- Thunderhawk (Dorney Park)
- Thunderhawk (Michigan's Adventure)
- Timber Wolf (roller coaster)(Worlds of Fun)
- Time Warp (roller coaster)(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Top Thrill 2(Cedar Point)
- Tumbili(Kings Dominion)
- Taxi Jam(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Twisted Timbers(Kings Dominion)
V[]
- Valravn (Cedar Point)
- Vortex (Canada's Wonderland)
- Vortex (Carowinds)
W[]
- Wild Thing (Valleyfair)
- Wild Mouse(Dorney Park)
- Wild Mouse(Cedar Point)
- Wilde Beast(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Wilderness Run(Cedar Point)
- Wilderness Run (Carowinds)
- Wolverine Wildcat(Michigan's Adventure)
- Wonder Mountain's Guardian(Canada’s Wonderland)
- Woodstock’s Air Rail(Kings Island)(Vekoma SFC)
- Woodstock Express(California’s Great America)
- Woodstock Express (Carowinds)
- Woodstock Express (Cedar Point)
- Woodstock Express (Dorney Park)
- Woodstock Express (Kings Dominion)
- Woodstock Express (Kings Island)
- Woodstock Express (Michigan's Adventure)
X[]
- Xcelerator(Knotts Berry Farm)
Y[]
- Yukon Striker(Canadas Wonderland)
Z[]
- Zach's Zoomer(Michigans Adventure)
- Zambezi Zinger(Worlds Of Fun)
Trivia[]
- The company owns and operates seven seasonal amusement parks, four year round amusement parks, four outdoor separate admission water parks, nine included admission outdoor water parks, one indoor water park, and fourteen hotels/lodges/campgrounds in the US and Canada.
- Cedar Fair parks can best be recognized via their logos, which feature bold Arial text that generally follows a red and blue color scheme. These logos also feature at least one case of a lowercase "i" dotted with a flag.
- Although Cedar Fair generally operates parks that operate seasonally, Knott's Berry Farm is the only park owned by the company that are open year-round.