24-05-2025
Kennywood to open the Steel Curtain rollercoaster to the public on Saturday morning
At long last, Kennywood's thrilling rollercoaster, The Steel Curtain, reopens this weekend.
Out of commission for a year, Kennywood says the Steel Curtain will be ready to return to action just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
"The anticipation is building, we can't wait to put riders right here in these seats, really looking for that at 11:30," said Kennywood's Communications Director Lynsey Winters. "It's really going to be a great grand opening ceremony, we'll have some elected officials here, we'll have some current and former Steelers players here, and Miss Pennsylvania. It's going to be a huge party."
With Memorial Day Weekend marking the unofficial start of summer, it's also the beginning of the busiest season at Pittsburgh's flagship theme park.
"We're open every single day beginning today through the end of August," Winters said. "We have Bites & Pints starting this weekend, we have our new stunt show starting this weekend, so it's really going to be an action-packed summer season."
With the much-anticipated opening set for Saturday morning, Winters told KDKA-TV said those looking forward to finally hopping aboard the Steel Curtain, arrive early and get in line, because it's expected to be in high demand.
Tickets and season passes can be purchased on Kennywood's website.
Coaster enthusiasts get a first look at the revamped Steel Curtain
A group of coaster enthusiasts got some preview rides on Thursday as the first of the Steel Curtain's cars climbed the track, launching riders at speeds faster than Fast Willie Parker.
"Yeah, it was pretty fast. It was pretty scary," said coaster enthusiast Tim Buck.
"Of all the steel coasters I've ridden all over the world, I can honestly say, there is none, anything like this one," said Bill Linkenheimer of the American Coaster Enthusiasts of Western Pennsylvania.
The ride, now set to open on Saturday morning, underwent nearly a year of changes following closures.
Steel Curtain gets revamped and updated
In 2024, the park said the ride would be shut down for the whole season for modifications.
During that time, the park said it worked with third-party engineers and the ride's manufacturers to come up with a long-term solution to increase its longevity.
The park also shut down multiple times during the 2023 season. The ride had reopened in July 2023, and shortly after, the park announced it would close once again.
However, despite all of that, it was alleged that Kennywood misled season pass holders a year ago, advertising the ride while potentially knowing the ride would not open for the 2024 season.
Kennywood's past lawsuit
The lawsuit in 2024 alleged Kennywood and its parent company knew the Steel Curtain would be closed but did not disclose this to the public while selling passes that season.
"I understand that it may be one ride at this point, but that's a flagship attraction for the park," said Attorney John A. Biedrzycki. "It has the world's tallest inversion of any rollercoaster. If you're going to take the big, marquee attraction out of the equation, you are diminishing the value of what these people paid for."
Kennywood and its parent company, Festival Fun Park,s did not comment about the legal dispute.
