Kings Island is making its case as one of the nation's best holiday theme park events, and the Mason park is asking fans to help it win the title. WinterFest returns the day after Thanksgiving with more than 7 million lights, and this year the seasonal celebration is nominated in USA Today's Best Holiday Theme Park Events contest, with the public voting on the outcome.
A National Nomination With a Nov. 30 Deadline
Kings Island is nominated for the country's best holiday theme park event, according to WKRC, and readers can cast votes for the park in the USA Today-hosted contest. The event is featured in the 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards, which spotlights WinterFest alongside other holiday happenings around the country. Voting ends November 30, per WKRC's report.
Kings Island isn't the only park chasing the title this year. Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas has also been nominated for Best Theme Park Holiday Event in the same 2026 contest, according to a Pigeon Forge tourism announcement, which notes the USA Today 10Best contest runs through Monday, Nov. 30 at noon, with winners announced Thursday, Dec. 3. That same announcement describes Dollywood's holiday festival as featuring award-winning stage productions and 6 million twinkling lights, running now through Jan. 3, 2027.
Millions of Lights and a Transformed Eiffel Tower
WinterFest kicks off the day after Thanksgiving and includes more than 7 million lights and around 20 rides, according to the 10Best writeup. The event also features ice-skating, a WinterFest Wonderland parade and holiday menus, the same source notes. Perhaps the signature image of the season is Kings Island's own Eiffel Tower, which the 10Best feature describes as transformed for the holiday season into a 314-foot Christmas tree.
Beyond the tower and the light displays, WinterFest includes live entertainment, per WKRC's report on the park's preparations for the season in Mason, Ohio. Kings Island's own event page lists WinterFest running on select dates from November 27 through December 31, 2026, at the park's address on Kings Island Drive. The park describes its nightly parade as WinterFest's nightly Christmas parade, and says live shows, light displays, select activities and most rides are included with regular park admission — though food, drinks, merchandise and some holiday experiences require a separate purchase.
What Costs Extra on Snow Flake Lake
Not every WinterFest activity is covered by a general admission ticket. Sliding and skating on Snow Flake Lake require an additional fee and a signed waiver, according to the park's event listing. That detail matters for families budgeting a WinterFest outing, since admission alone covers most of the rides and entertainment but not every attraction on site.
This isn't Kings Island's first run at national recognition for its holiday offering. A 2023 report from WLKY found that after 28 days of nationwide voting by USA Today readers, Kings Island's annual holiday event ranked third place. That same report said An Old Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, took the top spot on the list that year. Whether Kings Island can climb higher in this year's contest remains to be seen once voting closes and winners are revealed.
