Come with us inside Kennywood Park before opening day as we got an early look at everything new for the 2026 season!
From updates and improvements to a few things you might not notice right away – here’s what we’re excited for!
We were invited out for a pre-season media tour, which gave us the chance to walk through the park, see what’s changed during the off-season, and get a feel for what this year is going to look like for guests. Sadly, Derrick was down with the flu earlier this week, so he missed out – but that just meant I got to bring my sister, Ruby, along for the ride!
In this video, I’m sharing:
• The biggest updates for 2026
• Smaller changes you might miss
• Areas that feel refreshed (and what hasn’t changed)
• Our honest first impressions walking through the park
Overall, there aren’t any MAJOR updates or improvements – just a lot of little touches that management continues to add to the park to keep it clean, fresh, and fun!
CHAPTERS:
(0:17) Introduction
(1:12) Welcome by Lynsey Winters (Director of Communications)
(2:05) Updates to the tunnel
(2:28) Phantom’s Revenge celebrates it’s 25th anniversary, so it’s getting the most, biggest updates
(3:05) A new food stand: The Centennial Grill (bringing back the classic cheesesteak!)
(3:26) The Whip celebrates it’s 100th anniversary
(4:22) More Phantom’s Revenge updates and station tour
(5:44) A TURKEY? (a new mascot?)
(6:36) The second new food stand: The Big Dipper (serving hard, hand-dipped ice cream and banana splits)
(7:51) New benches around Thunderbolt
(8:33) An overview of the full event lineup for the year
(11:08) The lion is back on the carousel (which means the tiger is gone for his refurbishment)
(11:56) Taste testing some of the new food that will be offered during Celebrate Kennywood. We had the Classic Cheesesteak, Pulled Pork Patch Fries, Maple Cinnamon Sweet Potato Waffle Fries, Irish Nachos, and White Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes (which was the one that really surprised us – SO DELICIOUS!)
(15:34) Final thoughts
(16:11) What about The Nerveless Nocks?
If you’ve been to Kennywood before, I’d love to hear what you’re most curious about this season! Will you be there on opening weekend?
