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Kings Island's WinterFest Returns This Holiday Season Merrier and Brighter Than Ever

WinterFest will feature over 7 million LED lights, live holiday shows and more than 20 rides.

Nov 7, 2023 at 9:46 am

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Photo: Provided by Kings Island

WinterFest

Kings Island’s WinterFest is just around the corner, and this year it’ll be merrier and brighter than ever.

The beloved holiday tradition returns Friday, Nov. 24 and will be open select nights through the park’s New Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31. This year, Kings Island is adding 2 million extra LED lights for a total of more than 7 million lights throughout the park.

WinterFest features 11 winter wonderlands, including the North Pole Outpost, Charlie Brown’s Christmastown and Tinsel Town. The iconic Eiffel Tower will also be decorated for the occasion, transformed into a magical Christmas tree.

Scuba Santa Swims Back to Newport Aquarium for the Holiday Season: The festive adventure starts in the Surrounded by Sharks tank where Santa will swim with three rare shark rays, Denver the loggerhead sea turtle and other fishy friends.

Guests can also take in 10 different live holiday shows during their visit, like the nightly tree-lighting ceremony on International Street or the Winter Wonderland Parade. Or, take part in festive activities like decorating cookies with Mrs. Claus or ice skating on the Royal Fountain.

The park will have more than 20 rides open during WinterFest, including its two newest, Sol Spin and Cargo Loco, and its most popular roller coasters, Mystic Timbers and Flight of Fear.

Coney Island's Nights of Lights Drive-Thru Holiday Display Returns This Month: Nights of Lights features a two-and-a-half-mile track through the park with more than 2 million colorful lights set up in dazzling and festive scenes, all synced to holiday music.

For more information on when WinterFest is open and ticket prices, visit visitkingsisland.com.

Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason.

Slideshow

15 Ways to Have a Day Straight Out of a Hallmark Christmas Movie in Cincinnati

Support a small business while shopping at local holiday marketsWith some hard work and just a dash of Christmas magic, you can be the protagonist who saves the day and a struggling small business – or you can just do your part to support small businesses by shopping local for your holiday gifts. We have a handy gift guide you can use, or you can visit one of the holiday markets happening around the city. The Servatii Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt pops up at Smale Riverfront Park every week with local vendors, and City Flea is hosting a weekend-long holiday market Dec.16-17 at Washington Park.

Go ice skating at Fountain Square, Summit Park or Fifty West BrewingNothing screams wholesome Winter Wonderland more than people lacing up their skates for a glide on the ice. At Fountain Square, you can twirl underneath the glow of the Christmas tree – or drive bumper cars – after doing some holiday shopping in the many small businesses in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine and visiting the Shillito’s Elves in their new home at the Foundry. Summit Park in Blue Ash has their Warm 98.5 rink set up underneath a color glass canopy, and the four on-site restaurants have plenty of food, hot chocolate and DORA drinks for sale. And Fifty West Brewing has brought back their ice rink, along with fire pits, heated tents and hot drinks to keep you warm after a spin on the ice with that cute baker you just met.

Pick out a Christmas tree at a local market or farmThe visual centerpiece of any good Hallmark holiday movie is the meticulously decorated Christmas tree decked out in lots of colorful lights, ornaments and garland. And if your childhood crush who grew up next door to you and is back for the holidays can come over and help you decorate it — even better. Find a list of places where you can grab a tree, some hot chocolate and maybe even pet a reindeer here.

Visit a small town, like Lebanon or Metamora, and revel in the Christmas aestheticThere are lots of charming small towns close to Cincinnati that go all out for the holidays. Lebanon is known for its distinct Hallmark-movie vibe this time of year. Metamora, Indiana, breaks out tons of lights and decorations for its annual Old Fashion Christmas Walk, and Historic Clifton Mill in Clifton, Ohio, lights up with millions of bulbs each year.

Go sledding, glow snow tubing or tobogganingThis one requires some participation from Mother Nature, but you can always dream of a white Christmas. If it does happen to snow, some popular sledding hills include Embshoff Woods in Delhi, Stanberry Park in Mt. Washington, Devou Park in Covington, Harbin Park in Fairfield and Mt. Storm Park in Clifton. If you’d rather hit the slopes or careen downhill on an inner tube, you can take a trip out to Perfect North in Lawrenceburg for skiing, snow tubing and warming up with a treat in the lodge. You can also plan a holiday road trip to Mansfield for after-dark glow snow tubing. Just make sure to load your road trip playlist with lots of holiday carols and songs.

Take a wintry hike at the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve and other scenic trailsHiking is a great way to help you reflect and think things over. Do you want to quit your job in the big city to open a coffee shop in a small town? Do you want to leave your aloof, corporate-y significant other for the humble, kind and attractive veterinarian? Probably! But you can decide on the trail. Hamilton County’s Great Parks has 78 miles of trails throughout its 17 parks, including nature trails ranging from just the 0.15-mile Woodlot Trail at Winton Woods to the 2.1-mile Timberlakes Trail at Miami Whitewater Forest. Cincinnati Parks also boasts some amazing nature trails at French Park, California Woods and Ault Park. And in Delhi is the Bender Mountain Nature Preserve that offers stunning views of the Ohio River and Northern Kentucky. Find more stunning hike suggestions here.

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Things To Do Kings Island WinterFest Cincinnati Christmas things to do Cincinnati holiday things to do Cincinnati holiday traditions Charlie Brown Christmas

About The Author

Katherine Barrier

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she oversees the digital and social media strategies, edits web and print content and writes for the dining and arts...