Nov. 27 to Dec. 31 25 nights Checked Oct. 11

Kings Island WinterFest 2026: dates, hours and which rides run

Name: WinterFest at Kings Island
Start: 2026-11-27
End: 2026-12-31
Location: Kings Island

WinterFest lights up Kings Island on 25 select nights from Nov. 27 to Dec. 31. Here's every date with hours, the rides the park says will run, and what's known about tickets so far.

The short version

Dates25 select nights, Friday, Nov. 27 to Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026

Hours5 to 10 p.m. most nights, 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, 5 p.m. to midnight on New Year's Eve

ClosedDec. 24 and 25, and weeknights before Dec. 11

TicketsNo WinterFest ticket or price posted yet. On the park's 2027 pass chart, Gold and Prestige include WinterFest and the 2027 Silver Pass includes it for 2026 only.

Rides25 on the park's WinterFest list, including The Racer, Mystic Timbers and Flight of Fear (running as Flight of Cheer)

Dates and hours

WinterFest 2026 dates and hours

Weekends only to start, then every night from Dec. 11 except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Dates	Hours
Nov. 27 to 29 (Fri to Sun)	Fri and Sun 5 to 10 p.m., Sat 4 to 10 p.m.
Dec. 4 to 6 (Fri to Sun)	Fri and Sun 5 to 10 p.m., Sat 4 to 10 p.m.
Dec. 11 to 23 (every night)	5 to 10 p.m., Saturdays Dec. 12 and 19 from 4 p.m.
Dec. 24 and 25	Closed
Dec. 26 to 30 (every night)	5 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 26 from 4 p.m.
Dec. 31 (New Year's Eve)	5 p.m. to midnight

Pick your date

Kings Island crowd calendar

Every WinterFest night with its crowd forecast, next to the rest of the season.

What's there

What's at WinterFest

Kings Island's event page keeps it short so far:

Millions of lights across the park
New live entertainment for 2026 (the shows aren't named yet)
Holiday comfort food and drinks
Family activities and select rides

Rides

Which rides are open during WinterFest

The park's WinterFest ride list names 25 rides, from The Racer and Mystic Timbers to the Peanuts kids' rides. Flight of Fear runs as Flight of Cheer.

12 Days of Christmas (K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad)
Beagle Scout Acres
Cargo Loco
Character Carousel
Charlie Brown's Wind Up
Dodgem
Flight of Cheer (Flight of Fear)
Franklin's Flyers
Grand Carousel
Great Pumpkin Coaster
Joe Cool's Dodgem School
Kings Mills Antique Autos
Linus' Beetle Bugs
Linus Launchers
Mystic Timbers
Peanuts Off-Road Rally
The Racer
Sally's Sea Plane
Scrambler
Shake, Rattle & Roll
Snoopy's Soap Box Racers
Snoopy's Space Buggies
Snow Works
Sol Spin
Zephyr

The park marks the list subject to change, and the page isn't dated, so check it the day you go.

Tickets and costs

Tickets and passes

As of Oct. 11, Kings Island hasn't posted a WinterFest ticket or price. Its 2027 season pass chart lists WinterFest admission with the Gold and Prestige passes, and with the 2027 Silver Pass for 2026 only. It doesn't say what 2026 passes include.

Plan your visit

How to plan a WinterFest night

Saturdays open an hour earlier, at 4 p.m., so you get some daylight on the rides before the lights take over.
The first two weekends are Friday to Sunday only. From Dec. 11 it's open every night until Christmas, then again Dec. 26 to 31.
New Year's Eve is the only night that runs past 10 p.m.
Buying a 2027 pass this fall? The Silver Pass includes this year's WinterFest, and Gold and Prestige include WinterFest too.
Look at the crowd calendar before you pick a night, and check the ride list the day you go.

Waits at WinterFest

When Kings Island posts waits for the rides that are running, Ride Ready shows them live, free, and pings you when a line drops.

Get the free app

FAQ

WinterFest 2026 FAQ

When does Kings Island WinterFest 2026 start?

Friday, Nov. 27, 2026. It runs 25 select nights through Thursday, Dec. 31: Friday to Sunday on the first two weekends (Nov. 27 to 29 and Dec. 4 to 6), then every night Dec. 11 to 23 and Dec. 26 to 31.

What time does WinterFest open at Kings Island?

5 p.m. on most nights and 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and it closes at 10 p.m. New Year's Eve runs 5 p.m. to midnight.

Is WinterFest included with a Kings Island season pass?

Kings Island's 2027 pass chart lists WinterFest with the Gold and Prestige passes, and with the 2027 Silver Pass for this year only. It doesn't say what 2026 passes include, and as of Oct. 11 the park hadn't posted a separate WinterFest ticket or price.

What rides are open during Kings Island WinterFest?

The park's WinterFest list has 25 rides, including The Racer, Mystic Timbers, Flight of Fear (running as Flight of Cheer), the Great Pumpkin Coaster and the Peanuts kids' rides. The list is marked subject to change.

Is Kings Island open on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

No. WinterFest is closed Dec. 24 and 25 and picks back up Saturday, Dec. 26.

Sources

Checked against Kings Island's official pages on Oct. 11, 2026. Parks change hours and details during the season, so check their calendar the week you go.