Kings Dominion cancels WinterFest as it launches its 50th anniversary season
Kings Dominion is canceling its annual WinterFest pop-up series this year, one of many changes happening at the theme park which merged with Six Flags last year.
Why it matters: The park, a destination for generations of Richmonders, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Driving the news: Kings Dominion dropped its "Golden Anniversary" schedule this week and Winterfest was noticeably absent from the list, as first reported by the Times-Dispatch.
"Unfortunately, yes. Winterfest will not be part of the 2025 schedule of events," park spokesperson Geoff Zindren confirmed to Axios. He said the park instead will focus on its "core operating seasons."
Kings Dominion launched its December-long Winterfest in 2018 to compete with a similar holiday series at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
In 2023, the park briefly experimented with a year-round schedule before canceling it the following year.
Of note: Some KD fans noted on social media that they bought season passes before they learned Winterfest would be canceled.
The park is "addressing this change directly with those passholders who are impacted," Zindren said.
Zoom in: The Winterfest cancelation comes after news last week that the park laid off an unspecified number of employees, per media reports. A source told WTVR that more than 30 jobs were cut across departments.
KD is also demolishing two of its longtime roller coasters, the Anaconda and Berserker, per the Times-Dispatch.
Yes, but: The park is adding a new ride, Rapterra, which will be the world's tallest and longest-launched wing coaster.
And it'll open on March 29, KD's 2025 opening day and the launch of its 50th year in operation.
The park will close for the year on Nov. 2, after Oktoberfest ends.
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