Kings Dominion in Virginia will open for the first time in 2020 for a limited holiday event dubbed Taste of the Season: An Outdoor Holiday Experience.
Running on select days from Dec. 5 through 27, the event will feature 25 seasonal food items, shopping, holiday shows and lights throughout the parks. A select number of rides will be open throughout the park, including family flat rides in Planet Snoopy, the Grand Carousel, and the Dominator roller coaster.
Holiday dinner egg roll (Kings Dominion)
“This has been a challenging year for everyone, which is why we are ready and excited to welcome guests back to the park for some holiday cheer,” Tony Johnson, vice president and general manager at Kings Dominion, said in a press release. “Kings Dominion has a comprehensive safety plan in place that has proven to be effective in all of our sister parks that were allowed to safely operate earlier this year. We can’t wait for families to return to the park and make treasured holiday memories safely.”
That safety plan includes many requirements familiar to theme park fans in 2020. Guests have to make advance reservations, as capacity will be limited, and undergo a temperature screening upon arrival. Face masks must be worn except when sitting down to eat or drink and physical distancing will be encouraged throughout the park.
Similar holiday events have been planned at Cedar Fair parks that haven’t fully reopened since the COVID-19 pandemic, including Knott’s Berry Farm and Carowinds.
In Virginia, amusement parks were allowed to reopen in July, but with a 1,000-person capacity limit. While regional rival Busch Gardens Williamsburg opted to try reopening with special events that featured four-hour entry windows for guests, Kings Dominion stayed closed, arguing such a low capacity wasn’t financially viable.
According to SeaWorld Entertainment’s last quarterly earnings call, the capacity limit for Virginia parks has now been raised to 4,000 guests.
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