THE Attractions Industry News Leader Since '97 ~ Presenter of the Prestigious Annual Golden Ticket Awards! Parks, Entertainment Centers, Fairs, Technology, FUN!
Voltron Nevera at Europa-Park takes the Golden Ticket for Best New Roller Coaster of 2024. It is the first international ride to ever do so.
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#BestOfTheBest
Amusement Today is acknowledges Universal Studios Florida as the King of Terror, recognizing Universal Studios Florida’s Halloween Horror Nights as a Golden Ticket Legend.
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BEST PARK: Europa-Park started its slow and steady climb up the ladder with its first appearance among the top ten parks in 2005. By 2011 it was in the top three. Snagging the Golden Ticket for Best Park in 2014, Europa-Park takes its eighth consecutive win in 2022.
This year, a new park has earned its way to the top spot of recognition ... Dollywood has taken the Golden Ticket Award for Best Park of 2023!
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#GTA2023
BEST HALLOWEEN EVENT: Universal Studios Orlando has been a frequent winner of the Best Halloween Event category. After stepping away in 2020, the park now reclaims this Golden Ticket for its 2021 event.
BEST NEW ROLLER COASTER: For Best New Roller Coaster, it is no surprise to see Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay ake the Golden Ticket. The coaster by Rocky Mountain Construction made an impressive debut on the Steel Chart at No. 4.
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Amusement Today is honored to acknowledge Jeffrey Siebert, park president of Six Flags Fiesta Texas with the 2022 Golden Ticket Leadership Award.
PARK OF THE YEAR AWARD: Because of its important history and its perfect celebration of it, Amusement Today honors Kings Island as Publisher's Pick: Park of the Year.
For 30 years, Nemesis has sustained its popularity. With its new transformation, Amusement Today awards Alton Towers and Nemesis Reborn with the Publisher’s Pick Renaissance Award.
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BEST WATER RIDE: Chiapas at Phantasialand is a new winner in the Best Water Ride category. Supplied by Intamin, the ride features multi-levels, changes of direction, creative theming and a dramatic final plunge into a brilliantly designed guest plaza.
BEST PARK OF 2019: Jurgen Mack, managing partner for Europa-Park and Mauritia Mack accept the Golden Ticket Award for BEST PARK on behalf of Europa-Park. This is the sixth win in a row for the Germany park.
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No wooden roller coaster has held the Golden Ticket title more than five times … until now. Phoenix at Knoebels Amusement Resort made its sixth consecutive win for Best Wooden Coaster.
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BEST NEW ROLLER COASTER: The nine-inversions of The Steel Curtain at Kennywood had Golden Ticket voters head-over-heels, as the ride takes the first-ever award for BEST NEW COASTER! The park’s Nick Paradise accepted the award.
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Valhalla is back! After a two-year thematic overhaul, the splashing fun on Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s indoor adventure reclaims the Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today for Best Water Ride.
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When Fury 325 opened in 2015 at Carowinds, it debuted on the Steel Coaster charts at No. 4. Since then, it has eight consecutive wins for Best Steel Coaster, counting its continued victory in 2024 … once again winning for Best Steel Coaster!
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COASTER MUSEUM ON A ROLL: The National
#RollerCoaster
Museum is growing its
#Texas
archive facility w/ a nearly 10,000-sq.-ft. exhibition space to show some of its collection of artifacts & vehicles for public viewing. Construction begins in spring. Deets:
BEST STEEL COASTER: Fury 325 takes the Golden Ticket for Best Steel Coaster. For its sixth consecutive win, the coaster supplied by Bolliger & Mabillard continues to astound Carowinds audiences.
INFINITY INTRIGUE: Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH, a partner of
@RideEnt
, has signed an agreement to manufacture a one-of-a-kind, Infinity coaster for a to-be-named U.S. customer. The attraction will be announced at
@IAAPAHQ
Expo in Orlando. Weblink:
EXTRA! EXTRA! After being in the No. 2 spot in 2023, Europa-Park takes the lead once again winning the Golden Ticket for Best Park of 2024!
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EXTRA! EXTRA! The magic of Dollywood has made it a finalist in numerous categories, but in 2024, it takes the Golden Ticket for Most Beautiful Park of 2024.
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Busch Gardens Williamsburg has been a recurring champion in the Most Beautiful Park category (as well as its predecessor, Best Landscaping). .. and it takes the Golden Ticket again in 2023!
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To celebrate creative thinking for new theming ideas, Amusement Today has created an original category for Best New Theme Concept. Taking the very first Golden Ticket in the category is Holiday World and Good Gravy!
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BEST WOODEN ROLLER COASTER:
For the second year in a row, Knoebels Amusement Resort’s Phoenix takes home the Golden Ticket Award for BEST WOODEN ROLLER COASTER. Dick, Rick and Brian Knoebel accepted the honor.
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BEST NEW ATTRACTION INSTALLATION: The diversity of finalists in the category of Best New Attraction Installation brings various perspectives to the category. Taking the Golden Ticket is EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
BEST WATER RIDE: Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s Valhalla splashes the Golden Ticket Award for BEST WATER RIDE for five years in a row. The park accepted via video.
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BEST WATER PARK RIDE:
Taking home its 10th straight Golden Ticket for BEST WATER RIDE is Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari’s WILDEBEEST! Leah Koch accepted.
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Before retiring the category, Amusement Today is honored to give one last gift of acknowledging Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas as a Golden Ticket Legend.
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BEST STEEL ROLLER COASTER:
Mark Rosenzweig and Adam Sandy of Ride Entertainment announce the Golden Ticket Award for BEST STEEL ROLLER COASTER goes to Fury 325 of Carowinds! Chuck Meyers, senior vice president of creative development for Cedar Fair, accepts.
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LEGENDS: Kennywood accepts a Golden Ticket LEGEND award for the classic Noah’s Ark which took home the now-retired category BEST WALKTHROUGH/FUNHOUSE Golden Ticket for nine straight years.
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BEST DARK RIDE: Last year, Disney's Hollywood Studios' Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance took Best Dark Ride for the first time. It keeps hold of the award for a second year.
BEST KIDS’ AREA:
Dollywood’s new Wildwood Grove area helps the park take home the Golden Ticket for BEST KIDS AREA! Pete Owens accepted the park’s first-ever win in this category.
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Although a handful of winners have claimed the Golden Ticket for Best Food, Knoebels Amusement Resort has had its oven mitts on the prize for many years … winning the award again in 2024!
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Because of their exemplary leadership, Amusement Today is proud to acknowledge the contributions to the amusement industry by Jack Herschend, Pete Herschend and Dolly Parton by recognizing them as Golden Ticket Award Legends.
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BEST INNOVATION OF 2019: Recognizing new ideas and ground-breaking concepts, Amusement Today’s Tim Baldwin presented the Golden Ticket for BEST INNOVATION OF 2019 to Canada’s Wonderland for the Yukon Striker loose article storage & transfer system.
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HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: The
@coastermuseum
is nearing completion of its epic expansion with a little help from its friends. Larson Int'l and RMC have been fabricating key elements inside the museum. Weblink:
NEVER ENOUGH CHOCOLATE:
#Pennsylvania
's
#Hersheypark
has revealed plans for a 23-acre, $150M expansion called
#Hershey
's Chocolatetown. Coming in 2020, it will create a new home for the park's antique carousel & feature a 220-ft-tall
#rollercoaster
. More:
Best New Attraction Installation is a category that emphasizes the impact a ride can make on the park. Silver Dollar City and its Fire In The Hole take the gold again.
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Knoebels Amusement Resort may keep its eyes on the second-place competition, but its many visitors unquestionably love eating there as it takes the 2023 Golden Ticket Award for Best Food!
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BEST NEW ATTRACTION INSTALLATION: Amusement industry suppliers and journalists awarded the Golden Ticket for BEST NEW ATTRACTION INSTALLATION to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
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BEST GUEST EXPERIENCE: For the third time, Dollywood takes the Golden Ticket for Best Guest Experience. This is a category that focuses on cleanliness, employee friendliness, ride operations and value.
BEST NEW FAMILY ATTRACTION: Championing the Golden Ticket for Best New Family Attraction, Lost Island Themepark found a great response to its dark ride, Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol. The highly immersive themed experience was considered a crowning achievement for the park.
With the retirement of the Best Marine Life/Wildlife Park category ... SeaWorld Orlando has been recognized as a Golden Ticket Award LEGEND!
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EXTRA! EXTRA! Taking the Golden Ticket for Best Dark Ride is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.
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BEST WOODEN ROLLER COASTER: It is incredibly fitting for Phoenix at Knoebels Amusement Resort to celebrate its latest win as Best Wooden Roller Coaster when the Golden Ticket Awards are hosted in San Antonio, the birthplace of the award-winning coaster.