What’s New at Kennywood This Year?

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KENNYWOOD

When visitors hit Kennywood on its opening day on April 18, they’ll be greeted with a thrillworthy lineup of new features, including weekend festivals and updates to beloved rides.

“Opening Day at Kennywood is always a big deal for Pittsburgh,”  Ricky Spicuzza, the park’s general manager, says in a press release. 

He adds that the park will debut Celebrate Kennywood Weekends for the first time this year, which will honor the park’s “iconic brand, the Potato Patch, through a variety of potato-inspired menu items.” 

Celebrate Kennywood Weekends will also offer nostalgic photo opportunities and competitive Kennywood trivia each Saturday and Sunday from April 18 to May 10.

The park is also offering new tastings throughout the park in 2026. At its global food and drink festival, Bites and Pints, France and Germany will join the lineup of featured countries, which also includes Cuba, Greece, Italy, South Korea, Mexico and Poland. Bites and Pints runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 22 through June 28, as well as on Memorial Day on May 25.

Two new food stands will also open up this season: the Centennial Grill in Lost Kennywood will grill up cheesesteaks, and the Big Dipper ice cream stand by Noah’s Ark will serve as a tribute to the Dipper roller coaster that entertained guests from 1948 until 1984.

Kennywood will also celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a 4th of July fireworks display and six new drone shows featuring 200 drones. The shows will run every Saturday and Sunday from July 11-26. Park officials say this year’s show will be the largest ever presented by Zambelli Fireworks.

The 2026 season also marks two major ride anniversaries at Kennywood. 

After making its debut in 1926, The Whip turns 100 this year;  Phantom’s Revenge, which is nominated in the Best Roller Coaster category of USA Today’s 10 Best Awards, will celebrate its 25th birthday this summer. To honor it, the park will debut a 25th anniversary edition logo. New details also have been added to the station, including mixing and matching the iconic green-and-purple coaster cars and bringing back the original sounds from the station.

“With milestone anniversaries for rides like The Whip and Phantom’s Revenge, we’re proud to see families continuing to enjoy generations of memories on the same rides that have made Kennywood special for nearly 130 years,” Spicuzza says.

In addition to the all-new Celebrate Kennywood Weekends and Bites and Pints Food & Drink Festival, the park will host a variety of fan-favorite events throughout the season. The 76th annual Fall Fantasy Parades return daily Aug.1 through Aug. 17, plus Aug. 22.

Phantom Fall Fest will also run select days from Sept. 11 to Nov. 1, and Kennywood will wrap up the 2026 season with Holiday Lights running select days from Nov. 13 through Jan. 3, 2027.

According to Kennywood’s website, guests can save up to $40 on a season pass when they purchase online as part of the park’s opening sale.