Valleyfair (VF) Discussion Thread

[budtbum]

8 hours ago, Swishtime101 said:

I'd love it if this was just a temporary option and Enchanted uses this space the year after to bring some entertainment options into the venue. It has space where what looks like a stage used to sit. I haven't been a passholder long enough to remember, but did there ever exist live entertainment on stage here before?

In the 1980's it was the Red Garter Saloon, just like at Cedar Point. Yes, it had live entertainment onstage back then. It was a big deal to have air conditioned place too. It was a good stage show, if I remember correctly. That was back when Valleyfair had the band shell, dolphin and the high dive shows too. 

[Swishtime101]

7 hours ago, prozach626 said:

Yeaaaahhhh, but you're thinking more about this from a Roller Coaster Tycoon aspect on sandbox mode. In reality, they're going to take into consideration things like existing infrastructure for electricity, water lines, and other logistics we're not aware of.

I'm not sure if you have kids, but being the father of a not-so-brave kindergartener, I can attest that small slides cater to a larger age range of kids who get bored quickly in lines rather than something like a more thrilling tornado. It doesn't take much more than a few slides for them to have a blast. Meanwhile, while the kids run around the adults can lounge around and slightly relax with a watchful eye nearby.

You make an excellent point, and I think I should clarify what I was trying to say— having the kids lagoon IS a good addition. I just wouldn't have personally chosen to have the same 4 slides on each side. Kiddie versions of the tornado and toilet bowl exist that take away the fear of the large scale versions and actually in fact help introduce younger audiences to the more thrilling slides. But again, I'm no theme park planner.

 

Attached is an image of what I was talking about for reference. At the top partially cut off are some smaller slides that slowly work up to the tornado and wall boomerang slides on the bottom of the image. 

[Swishtime101]

5 hours ago, budtbum said:

In the 1980's it was the Red Garter Saloon, just like at Cedar Point. Yes, it had live entertainment onstage back then. It was a big deal to have air conditioned place too. It was a good stage show, if I remember correctly. That was back when Valleyfair had the band shell, dolphin and the high dive shows too. 

Thank you for providing context. Honestly, I think one of the untapped potentials Valleyfair was sitting on was its entertainment options for guests. Ten years ago, they made a big deal about rebuilding the stadium by the entrance and even put in a decent show there, but for the past eight years, it's just been sitting empty. Personally, I'd tear it down and use that as a turnaround for a Gatekeeper-style coaster (ha, that'll never happen). Enchanted has the opportunity to succeed where Cedar Fair / Six Flags has failed us, and I wouldn't be surprised if, when scouting prospects of parks to buy, they noticed all the entertainment potential available now in the park. 

 

On that note, Enchanted has access to the following in their lineup of future entertainment options: 

– The former All Wheels Extreme Show amphitheater at the front of the park

– The shaded pavilion or concrete plot of land where the scrambler used to sit across from North Star and the fudge shop. 

– The new stage by the Monster and High Roller turnaround. 

– The Planet Snoopy stage located by the indoor ball factory play place. 

– The Galaxy Theater AND the stage across the way with the umbrellas in front of it. 

– Renegade Smokehouse's empty stage/ space under where the TVs are inside.

– The small stage inside the waterpark near the bar and Beach Bites. 

 

Now, if I'm missing anything, let me know. But, one of the disappointing things (among many) with Valleyfair in recent history was that they had all these locations and never used some of them. Does it make sense to use every single one in a given year? Maybe not, but it would be nice to at least see them get some attention in the future years of Enchanted's operation of Valleyfair. What do the other thoosies out there think that Enchanted's future holds for entertainment in the park? Will these continue sitting empty, begging to be used? Should rides be placed where they currently sit unused? I'm curious to hear what everyone has to say. 

[CoasterDrac]

13 hours ago, Swishtime101 said:

Thank you for providing context. Honestly, I think one of the untapped potentials Valleyfair was sitting on was its entertainment options for guests. Ten years ago, they made a big deal about rebuilding the stadium by the entrance and even put in a decent show there, but for the past eight years, it's just been sitting empty. Personally, I'd tear it down and use that as a turnaround for a Gatekeeper-style coaster (ha, that'll never happen). Enchanted has the opportunity to succeed where Cedar Fair / Six Flags has failed us, and I wouldn't be surprised if, when scouting prospects of parks to buy, they noticed all the entertainment potential available now in the park. 

 

On that note, Enchanted has access to the following in their lineup of future entertainment options: 

– The former All Wheels Extreme Show amphitheater at the front of the park

– The shaded pavilion or concrete plot of land where the scrambler used to sit across from North Star and the fudge shop. 

– The new stage by the Monster and High Roller turnaround. 

– The Planet Snoopy stage located by the indoor ball factory play place. 

– The Galaxy Theater AND the stage across the way with the umbrellas in front of it. 

– Renegade Smokehouse's empty stage/ space under where the TVs are inside.

– The small stage inside the waterpark near the bar and Beach Bites. 

 

Now, if I'm missing anything, let me know. But, one of the disappointing things (among many) with Valleyfair in recent history was that they had all these locations and never used some of them. Does it make sense to use every single one in a given year? Maybe not, but it would be nice to at least see them get some attention in the future years of Enchanted's operation of Valleyfair. What do the other thoosies out there think that Enchanted's future holds for entertainment in the park? Will these continue sitting empty, begging to be used? Should rides be placed where they currently sit unused? I'm curious to hear what everyone has to say. 

Last year was the first year I went to Valleyfair and did more family focused stuff and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of small scale shows they have through out the day. That being said they need at least 1 or 2 indoor shows since there's no other options to really get out of the sun or rain, and they have 2 locations currently sitting vacant/unused that they could work with. I think the large outdoor ampatheater could just be removed in its current state. The only way I would like to see it stay is if they redid the whole place and created covered seating and blended the area in with some theming, something like the bird show stage at the zoo. It's just an eyesore right now. 

[budtbum]

Enchanted will have decisions to make with Valleyfair;

The Halloween Valleyscare shows and houses looks to be the biggest money maker of the year. Sinister Circus for example would always draw in good crowds to the Galaxy Theater. 

During the summer they could maybe have a bigger name/major show to try and draw in people that way too, if they ever wanted to use the larger stages again. 

Then there's the shrinking number of rides over the years. Cedar Point just announced their Monster ride is gone for 2026, with lack of parts being the major reason. That means Valleyfair has literally one of the last few (3?) operating models in the country. It's getting to be unique is a fun sort of way and I'd hate to see it go. It is about 7 years newer than Cedar Points Monster, but it's still near 50 years old, and lack of parts is a lack of parts. 

Valleyfair used to get cool unique stuff: Supercat was the most deluxe caterpillar I've ever seen. That hasn't been fully operational for probably 30 years. It was a really neat ride when the top used to work. It was faster and would open and close twice at full speed on a single ride with air blowing inside and sirens, music. etc. Without that, it's basically been reduced to a Bayern Curve with flashy lights and music. 
If you're not familiar the base ride was like this  

Will Valleyfair get a new flat ride just to hold even or will they try for more shows as a replacement?

[Swishtime101]

News update, looks like the sale went through. I still think this is for the better with Valleyfair, but only time will tell. What are everyone else's thoughts? 

 

https://investors.sixflags.com/news/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/Six-Flags-Completes-Sale-of-Six-U-S--Parks-to-EPR-Properties/default.aspx?fbclid=IwdGRjcARBaV9jbGNrBEFpXGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHq3g8275Wio4nbs6NBSCfqiZR_wuN6nRDheQWEl7S6gytPDZQdUyh6tTsZgu_aem_Y64Uoh-lEkaX0opETwBHOA

[coastersandhockey]

Agreed. I'd rather be towards the top of the totem pole with a new company than at the bottom of the totem pole with Six Flags, especially now that we know that Six Flags is ready and willing to close parks. Even if Enchanted Parks doesn't work out (I think it will) at least the hail mary was thrown. I think had these parks stayed with Six Flags we'd see a number of them close in the next 10 years or so. 

[Swishtime101]

Another update: 

Valleyfair no longer exists under the Six Flags app and you can't view your pass unless going to other parks in the app. I had to go to Great America, others have reported Carowinds or Knotts works. 

On another note, there's a new website that lists the new pass structure. Attached are images of the passes offered.

 https://valleyfair.enchantedparks.com/passes-and-tickets/park-admission/daily-tickets/

I know that it's just a restructuring phase, but man times like this where not much is known are definitely frustrating as a consumer/ enthusiast. Guess I just need to practice my patience skills.

 

[CoasterDrac]

Pointed out in the Valleyfair Facebook group, the Halloween event note in the season pass isn't there anymore. I know James Harthi has repeatedly said that parks that had Halloween events will still have them but Facebook is freaking out over everything (not a surprise) and I do hope Enchanted Parks is able to cement some of their plans and get that information out to the public. 

[Swishtime101]

On 4/17/2026 at 6:04 AM, CoasterDrac said:

Pointed out in the Valleyfair Facebook group, the Halloween event note in the season pass isn't there anymore. I know James Harthi has repeatedly said that parks that had Halloween events will still have them but Facebook is freaking out over everything (not a surprise) and I do hope Enchanted Parks is able to cement some of their plans and get that information out to the public. 

It's also worth noting though, that James Harhi has been on the record not once but twice making empty promises to the GP in both a recent podcast AND video interview saying they'd A:) reveal the park names soon under Enchanted and B:) reveal within the week of interviewing the much anticipated news on the meal plans Enchanted is expected to have if any at all. 

 

So, take everything he says with a grain of salt, not because he's dishonest, but because there's so much preparation going into getting these parks ready for the season (even more than anticipated as teased by him in interviews) that any promises made aren't necessarily able to be delivered upon. 

[Swishtime101]

Holy outrage Batman. Dining credits are no longer valid.

All jokes aside I think this makes sense from a business standpoint. Six Flags kinda really left them in the dust and as a result, Enchanted really had no other option. What does everyone else think?

Link to Updated FAQ's that speak about the loss of dining plans, etc:

https://valleyfair.enchantedparks.com/park-info/guest-faq/?fbclid=IwdGRjcARWOWpjbGNrBFY4t2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4D6JJRamOCD1kJ6iMGTKAtOTd57XV6C4W3DltH1Zn1Tljvhlhuilz4zBkUsA_aem_4gdurQjQXyTboLPpQ2mGhw

[CoasterDrac]

6 hours ago, Swishtime101 said:

Holy outrage Batman. Dining credits are no longer valid.

All jokes aside I think this makes sense from a business standpoint. Six Flags kinda really left them in the dust and as a result, Enchanted really had no other option. What does everyone else think?

Link to Updated FAQ's that speak about the loss of dining plans, etc:

https://valleyfair.enchantedparks.com/park-info/guest-faq/?fbclid=IwdGRjcARWOWpjbGNrBFY4t2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4D6JJRamOCD1kJ6iMGTKAtOTd57XV6C4W3DltH1Zn1Tljvhlhuilz4zBkUsA_aem_4gdurQjQXyTboLPpQ2mGhw

Personally it doesn't bother me too much. I just had the Valleyfair only meal plan and used it when my son and I would go. When the whole family would go, we'd either pack something or just drive over to Culver's/McDonald's and eat there. I can see why they did this, Enchanted Parks didn't sell us the meal plans, Six Flags did. The fact that they're offering refunds is lost money to them because the initial purchases went to Six Flags. Unless they have a deal with Six Flags to get reimbursed from the reimbursed, doubt it though. 

I'm interested in seeing how much they lower prices like they said they want too. If a $20 meal comes down to $15, I probably won't hesitate to grab something. It would also be nice if they could construct a picnic area outside of the park.

[Mdcastle]

On 4/23/2026 at 12:42 AM, Swishtime101 said:

Holy outrage Batman. Dining credits are no longer valid.

All jokes aside I think this makes sense from a business standpoint. Six Flags kinda really left them in the dust and as a result, Enchanted really had no other option. What does everyone else think?

Link to Updated FAQ's that speak about the loss of dining plans, etc:

https://valleyfair.enchantedparks.com/park-info/guest-faq/?fbclid=IwdGRjcARWOWpjbGNrBFY4t2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4D6JJRamOCD1kJ6iMGTKAtOTd57XV6C4W3DltH1Zn1Tljvhlhuilz4zBkUsA_aem_4gdurQjQXyTboLPpQ2mGhw

What I think is between this and no confirmation of having ValleyScare I'm probably not buying a season pass this year after doing so since 2009.

[Swishtime101]

3 hours ago, Mdcastle said:

What I think is between this and no confirmation of having ValleyScare I'm probably not buying a season pass this year after doing so since 2009.

I was actually going to just bring this up. The website removed all mention of the halloween event from the passholder benefits. Plus if you check the calendar, the hours have been updated and the last operating day is September 7th. 

 

My personal theory is once the sale went through Six Flags just pulled the rug out from under Enchanted and anything that wasn't in writing in the contract for the sale Six Flags just said "not my problem." Which, of course, really screwed over not just Enchanted but also us as fans. I guess there's some optimism in it as the app will now be launching sooner around memorial day when the initial deadline Harhi mentioned was late into the season or next year, but it's still pretty rough. 

 

I saw that VF was also hiring a communications manager on LinkedIn. With their media silence recently, I wouldn't be surprised if the former social media and public relations team were contracted through Six Flags and pulled from VF for other parks or just fired altogether after the sale went through. Tough situation since it's a BIG season for the park being the 50th year (not in operation but in existence) and there's a LOT of bad PR going into the season for what should have been a big celebratory year for the park. 

 

If you ask me, Enchanted would greatly benefit from having another 50th celebration for VF next year similar to what Cedar Point did in it's 150th, where it celebrates it's 50th year in operation not in existence. This way they can celebrate it with more variables under their control. But, I'm not operator, so I'm not sure it makes sense to do so. What're the thoughts of other thoosies? 

[budtbum]

If I remember correctly there has been other years when the Halloween hours were not on the website until much later in the year. 

I don't know what they are planning, if anything, but I wouldn't read too much into it at this point. 

Six Flags just brought back the Enchanted parks onto their app for tickets/season passes and maps etc. Meaning they are still helping with the transition, at least if it's simple enough like turning that access back on to an app that was already functioning. But I doubt SF is going to help plan/setup and certainly not run a Halloween event for them. 

So as it sits, Enchanted doesn't yet have basic things like their app up and running to even buy tickets with before the start of the season. They just now figured out food offerings before opening day in two weeks.  If they do a Halloween event, it's gong to be a while before we hear about details on that...

My guess is they will want to do a big money maker like Halloween after spending a bunch to purchase the park. But corporations just don't move that fast and they are probably still figuring out what they want to do for security, pricing, advertising etc.  

They haven't even hardly announced the new waterpark addition yet, and that's already built!