[RiDeWaRrIoR]

That would be a great idea! I would definitely go if I was able to. Sounds beneficial for the park as well. I am hoping that the intimidator merch gets marked down a bit more before the end of the season as well... may have to get something else if it does...

[arby]

I'm not sure that it wasn't successful. The park was pretty busy when I went, the event was decent, and well worth our $10 per person. The whole family enjoyed it and we were looking forward to it in 2006.

Paramount held the first Winterfest in 2005 and even sold advance tickets for the following year. However, once Cedar Fair bought Carowinds on July 1, 2006 they announced that they were cancelling Winterfest shortly after that. I'm quite certain it had a lot more to do with the acquisition and less to do with the event being unsuccessful.

[RollerBee]

Winterfest 2005 broke even just as the park expected, furthermore most events don't break even in their first year because of upstart costs and fees.

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

All i know is at past ace events it was said it wasn't financially fesible. When i went thete was no one there, had bought tickets for the next year and had to het a refund because they cancelled. Maybe cedar fair just doesnt like christmas events as much... Im sure there is a lot of reasons for it. It was fun while it lasted.

[Towerdragon82]

I was working at the park during winterfest it was a fun event but while working most of the complaints that I heard from guests is why the roller coasters where not operational during the event I for one would not want to ride a coaster in 30-45 degrees. I really liked the event however it just seemed that there was not much to do during the event. I would really like to see cedar fair try again it was really cool to see the park light up with Christmas lights.

[MarkD]

The holidays are such a busy time for most people and a time when bank accounts get strained. I can see other parks, Dollywood, having Christmas events just for their location and tradition. I just don't see Carowinds pulling it off.

I went with Max to Winterfest preview and as cool as I thought it was I did not see it continuing as it was. You would need to pull out all the stops as far as decorating goes, have some great story telling venues and shows, etc. I can't see it being profitable. Plus, how much would you charge? Would you offer the traditional dinner? Would you let us park for free? For a family of 4 those expenses could put a hurting on you for sure.

Ever wonder why Halloween is outgrowing Christmas?

[RollerBee]

I was working at the park during winterfest it was a fun event but while working most of the complaints that I heard from guests is why the roller coasters where not operational during the event I for one would not want to ride a coaster in 30-45 degrees. I really liked the event however it just seemed that there was not much to do during the event. I would really like to see cedar fair try again it was really cool to see the park light up with Christmas lights.

I worked Upper Nick and Mansion during Winterfest, I heard that a lot too. I rode Afterburn once during Winterfest and that was enough for me. My wife claims she rode 13 times during Winterfest. I will say I rode Flyers for a solid hour during Winterfest.

[tarheel1231]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 73031.html

"The success of our 2015 operating season also provides us the financial flexibility to activate additional initiatives within our long-term growth strategy," said Ouimet. "Next year, we will roll out a new digital imaging program, FunPix, along with free wi-fi, at our five largest properties; we will expand the testing and implementation of our new mobile application programs; we will look to expand our operating season through additional multi-week special events; and we will continue testing a new virtual reality experience on a roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland in partnership with VR Coaster and Mack."

Caroll-winds?

[RollerBee]

Bring back Winterfest!

[Carowinds2005]

They are starting a Winterfest type event at CGA next season.

Also- Carowinds did over 2 Million guest this season..for the first time.

FYI, this information is coming from their Conference Call.

[RollerBee]

Also- Carowinds did over 2 Million guest this season..for the first time.

Really cause this says otherwise:
http://carowindsconnection.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=761
As does this:
http://m.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stor ... tml?r=full
Oh and this:
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/st ... ily25.html

I am guessing they mean since they took over from Paramount.....
You worked at Carowinds in 2006, you should know that the park was over 2 million in 2005.

Also of note: 2006 attendance was "mostly flat" as John Stanrock put it:
http://www.kiextreme.com/forums/index.p ... topic=1523

[Carowinds2005]

Excuse me...

Let me rephrase..as Matt said on the call.."has for the first time jumped over the hurdle to 2Million +."

Take that how you would like...

Please I don't see official park release..just newspaper estimates.

[arby]

Don't forget that you always have to take any statement about anything in context. The 2 million mark could mean [since Cedar Fair took over] or it could be [in the history of the park.] We don't know for sure, and Carowinds has always been rather close-lipped about their attendance numbers. I haven't found anything official about 2005 hitting the 2 million+ mark, although that doesn't mean it's not true.

Regardless of what is the complete truth, the facts seem to indicate that attendance was down around the time that Cedar Fair bought the park and their investments in the park [and the chain as a whole] are paying off significantly. What that means to me is that we should continue to see notable investments in Carowinds which is great news for all of us! From my experiences this season and what I see coming, I have no reason to doubt that Carowinds can hit 3 million in the future.

The bad news for me is that I knew the increased dividend was coming. However, I neglected to buy more stocks before the news hit Wall Street. While most of my stocks have been holding steady and/or tanking, Cedar Fair continues to greatly outperform any other stock in my personal portfolio, even well above Disney. I'm not comparing that to my 401K, which is invested much differently. Now if the stock market would tank for a few days so I can buy more at a good price...