The unofficial start of summer fun is this weekend.
Cedar Point is opening for the season on Saturday, May 9, and will be open daily through Labor Day.
For the first time in recent memory, the Sandusky Park that now flies under the Six Flags banner does not have a major new ride or attraction this summer.
This comes a year after the park unveiled two coasters with the grand opening of its Siren’s Curse roller coaster and reopening of its Top Thrill 2 roller coaster that closed for repairs shortly after it opened in 2023.
But this shouldn’t deter amusement park fans from all over the world who flock to the shores of Lake Erie to take in some 67 rides, including 18 roller coasters.
The park’s coaster lineup is actually one less this season as Cedar Point over the offseason reclassified its Pipe Scream attraction as a thrill ride instead of a coaster.
The ride, added in 2014 in the Gemini Midway, features a giant skateboard that takes riders back and forth along 300 feet of track.
Another ride was removed from the Midway.
Cedar Point retired its Monster ride.
The spinning ride at the Six Flags park dates back to 1970.
Park spokesman Tony Clark said the ride had “reached the end of its serviceable life” and it was becoming difficult to find replacement parts.
The ride featured six “tentacles” with each containing four pods that would spin riders around the base of the Monster.
As the park marks its 157th season this year, it will celebrate a milestone for one of its signature roller coasters.
The Corkscrew roller coaster turns 50 this year.
The ride debuted in 1976 to mark the nation’s bicentennial and was the world’s first triple-looping roller coaster and the first to span a midway.
The park’s Cedar Point Shores Waterpark is set to open for the season on May 23.
Best deals on Cedar Point admission
The pricing strategy of Six Flags since the merger with Cedar Fair is to push season passes that are about the same cost as purchasing a single-day ticket at the park.
A variety of passes are offered that include perks like admission to other Six Flags like Kings Island and free parking.
The park offers other passes for everything from dining to front-of-the-line perks.
The gate price is $105 if you purchase tickets in person at the park.
Daily tickets purchased online offer a substantial savings − often at half price.
Construction getting into Cedar Point
The offseason brought road construction projects leading into the park.
Clark said the utility work as part of improvements to the Causeway that leads into the amusement park have been completed and all lanes will be open.
Further improvements, he said, are coming to the stretch of roadway.
And the city of Sandusky has wrapped up construction of a roundabout at Cedar Point Drive at Cleveland Road.
The roundabout replaces a traffic light at the intersection that backs up when the park opens and closes for the day.
It’s one of several roundabouts in and around Cedar Point that have been added to help with the flow of traffic.
Will any rides be closed Opening Weekend at Cedar Point?
Not every attraction will be open at the start of the season at Cedar Point.
The park updates its website of ride closings.
The following rides at Cedar Point are slated to open “around” Memorial Day.
They include:
Cedar Point special events planned for 2026 season
Cedar Point has a number of special events planned for the 2026 season.
First up will be the Barrels & Bites festival from June 5-28 along the park’s Frontier Trail.
Aside from special drink offerings, the special menu items include smoked pork belly sliders with pickled onions, crispy poblano pepper straws and bleu cheese crema, along with mini crab cakes with apple and habanero slaw and chocolate stout mousse cups served at the Trail Tavern.
At the Wild Turnip, braised beef short rib ragout with sage butter crispy gnocchi and cheesecake bites with honey-roasted fruits will be featured.
Fort Sandusky will add honey and herb-brined smoked wings with raspberry chardonnay reduction and flaming strawberry shortcake to its menu.
The Whistle Stop will feature grilled flatbread pizza topped with sliced smoked chicken breast, aged cheeses with chocolate, dried fruits and nuts and chocolate-covered strawberries.
The event, included with park admission, will run from 4 p.m. to the park’s closing time.
It also will feature other activities and live music.
The park is planning to celebrate the Fourth of July, along with the nation’s 250th birthday.
The Star-Spangled Celebration will be from June 29 to July 4.
The Star-Spangled Celebration will include skydiving demonstrations, new food and beverage offerings, interactive contests and performances from the Ohio National Guard’s 122nd Army Band, along with flyovers by historic World War II military aircraft.
The event will end with fireworks planned for the Fourth of July.
Cedar Point is bringing back its Boardwalk Nights festivities.
The nightly celebration will run from July 17 to Aug. 16 with a parade and a variety of activities and music on its historic beach and Boardwalk area of the amusement park.
And the park food stand favorite, the Happy Friar, is once again being celebrated with its own festival.
The Happy Friar’s Fresh-Cut Fries Fest will be Sept. 11-13.
There will be special fries-related dishes to mark what’s been a park staple since 1942.
And the season will wind down toward its Nov. 1 closing with Halloween and fall festivities.
The park’s annual HalloWeekends festivities will run from Sept. 17 to Nov. 1 with family-friendly, not-so-scary fun by day and frights by night
Cedar Point has not yet announced this year’s lineup of scare mazes and houses.
Last year’s HalloWeekends at Cedar Point for the first time required a separate admission in addition to the regular park ticket to tour some of the haunts.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cedar Point opens 2026 season Saturday with new events, ride changes
Reporting by Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
