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Cedar Point and Tony Clark announced their 2023 schedule this week! We are excited to get back into the park and cannot wait to attend these events. There are some new changes for 2023, and we also noticed a few missing things. The event page currently lists the following: Winter Chill Out, Opening Day, Frontier Festival, CoasterMania!, Light Up the Point (4th of July), and HalloWeekends.
Winter Chill Out
February 25th and 26th: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
For those unfamiliar with Winter Chill Out, this event is a behind-the-scenes look at Cedar Point during the offseason. Attendees can view “off-limits” areas, attend a Lunch, and attend a special Q&A with park officials. This is an outdoor event, so dress WARM! This event is also a charity event. For this year, all proceeds benefit “A Kid Again“. This charity focuses on helping kids with life-threatening illnesses. No better reason to visit the Park for a good cause!
Winter Chill Out for 2023 is going to be different. Based on the high demand for this event, Cedar Point will be moving to a lottery system, and the event will be two days instead of one. From January 9th – January 13th, those interested in attending will need to enter the lottery system. Only one member from a group of four will need to enter the lottery system.
After the lottery closes, selected “winners” will be sent an email the following week and able to purchase up to four tickets each and choose either Saturday or Sunday to attend. Follow Tony Clark on Twitter for updates!
Opening Day
May 6th: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Opening Day is 141 days away! This seems like a long time, but it will be here before we know it. For 2023, the big thing to look out for is the new Boardwalk! This includes the new “Grand Pavilion” and Wild Mouse Roller Coaster! Check out Cedar Point’s announcement here for more information! Here is the latest Live Cam shot from their website here.
Wild Mouse isn’t going to break any records, but this coaster aims to be a more “inclusive” ride for the park. The minimum height is 42 inches as long as they are accompanied by another rider at least 48 inches.
The Matterhorn and Scrambler will also be moved to this new area for 2023. We hope to check this area out during Winter Chill Out to see the progress! The Wild Mouse track was completed on November 29th, so we are looking forward to seeing what the theming for the queue and loading area look like as well!
The new “Prestige Pass” was also announced for the 2023 season. We are looking forward to some of the benefits that were only available starting in 2023, including the Preferred Entrance and VIP Waterpark area. Another significant change for 2023 is that Gold Pass no longer includes early entry. You will need to upgrade to a platinum or prestige pass to take advantage of this benefit.
Lastly, Top Thrill Dragster officially announced on September 6th, 2022, that it was closing. This leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Current rumors indicate Top Thrill Dragster will be “re-imagined” into a new coaster.
It will likely be familiar to the previous ride if re-imagined, but it might have a new name, trains, and/or paint. The live cameras are not currently pointed at Top Thrill Dragster, so we hope to get a closer look during Winter Chill Out!
Frontier Festival
May 25th – June 8th: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Frontier Festival is scheduled to return for the 2023 season. We loved Frontier Festival in 2022. This “free” event takes place in the back of the park in Frontier Town. There is no additional cost to attend this event besides park entry. Last year, Frontier Festival offered Food and Drink Tickets for an extra cost. Belly Washers (Alcoholic Beverages) and Specialty themed food were some of my favorites all year.
We especially loved the live entertainment and characters that roamed Frontier Town. Check out our Videos below from last year! We cannot wait to attend this year too!
CoasterMania!
June 2nd: All Day
CoasterMania is a special day set aside for all Roller Coaster Enthusiasts. Kerney-cation could not attend last year, but each year, the event takes place on a regular park day. Those participating in CoasterMania are given special exclusive ride time (ERT) on all the roller coasters. To accomplish this, attendees are granted access before and after the park closes in addition to regular operating hours.
We are looking forward to how Cedar Point might change or accommodate the high demand for this event. Last year, we heard that the exclusive ride time for Maverick and Steel Vengeance (two of the most popular rides at Cedar Point) had long waits comparable to a regular park day. Hopefully, Cedar Point will add more than one ERT ride window for this year. This could help spread out the waits throughout the day.
CoasterMania is an additional cost and includes Lunch and a T-shirt. Check out Along for the Ride’s 2022 review here on YouTube.
Light Up the Point
July 4th: All Day
Light up the Point is Cedar Point’s 4th of July celebration. The park operates as a regular day but ends with spectacular fireworks. Kerney-cation did not make it to this event in 2022, but we look forward to getting there in 2023! Note: We have heard that the crowds leaving the park after the fireworks can lead to a long wait! Be prepared to wait for crowds to subside or leave early!
HalloWeekends
September 14th – October 29th
Kerney-cation’s favorite season is Halloween! Every year, Cedar Point wraps up the season with a specially-themed event called HalloWeekends! The park doesn’t operate every day but is open late on the Weekends to accommodate the large crowds.
The event includes specialty-themed food, kids events, and Haunted Houses in addition to operating “most” of the rides and attractions.
We love HalloWeekends and cannot wait to see what Cedar Point has in store for 2023. Last year was the 25th anniversary of HalloWeekends and was hosted by “Mr. Midnight”. We are curious to see if Cedar Point moves forward with a host each year or if it will only be reserved for landmark anniversaries. Check out our videos below from 2022!
- HalloWeekends
- HalloWeekends – Daytime Kid Events
What’s Missing?
With the recent announcement, we noticed some events were missing. In particular, Wild Frontier Nights and Cedar Point Nights. Will Cedar Point continue these events for 2023?
Wild Frontier Nights
Early June
Wild Frontier Nights is not included on the Events page as of today, 12/16/2022. WFNs was a new event for 2022. This event focused on the 21 and up crowd, serving adult-focused entertainment, specialty food, and drinks. This was my favorite event, hands down. The food at this event was terrific, and the exclusive ride time (ERT) is unmatched, especially compared to CoasterMania!
This event only includes Frontier Town and its rides. The rides included for ERT for 2022 were Steel Vengeance, Maverick, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Skyhawk, and Wave Swinger. We could walk on any of these rides and pick where we wanted to ride without waiting. We hope Cedar Point brings this event back for 2023.
Check out the media preview and Wild Frontier Video below from 2022!
Cedar Point Nights
Cedar Point Nights has not been announced yet for 2023.
One of Cedar Point’s lesser-known attractions is its Beach! Cedar Point’s beach is a mile long and is free to visit during the summer. Cedar Point Nights is an event on the beach and does not require park entry near the end of July to early August.
The event includes firepits on the beach, private beach bungalows, entertainment, and a live DJ! Kerney-cation was invited out by Cedar Point in 2022, and we loved the event! We really hope it comes back for 2023, but check out our review below!
