It’s no secret Holiday World is building something BIG for 2015. They’ve even gone so far as to make a special website counting down the days until the official announcement that supposedly has been riddled with clues. We’re two-thirds of the way through and if some hints have been dropped they’ve not been very easy to decipher. First, let’s stick with the facts. Here are five things we know about the Holiday World 2015 project:
5 things we know about Holiday World 2015
1. It’s the largest expansion in park history. An article in the Dubois County Herald confirmed this will be the park’s biggest investment since opening in 1946.
2. Construction started in March 2014. You know the project is going to be huge when groundbreaking begins an entire year before it’s scheduled to open to the general public.
3. The new ride will be located in the Thanksgiving section of the park. With their entire teaser campaign centered around the pilgrim’s voyage, how could at least one new attraction not be located in the Thanksgiving area?
4. Massive land clearing near the Voyage coaster and Hyena Falls slide complex. Rectangular shaped footers have been dug and literally tons of earth moved.
5. The official announcement date is July 24th, 2014. After this date it will become obvious what the park is building, hence the reason why the announcement is so early. This could mean we’ll be seeing ride components so up on site around this time period.
Is this a clue?
Holiday World 2015 Speculation
There are lots of theories out there about what Holiday World could be building for 2015. Among the most popular speculation is a Rocky Mountain Construction makeover of the Voyage. Many rider’s complain the Voyage is too rough and aggressive. The maintenance costs are also probably astronomically high as the park as already rebuilt entire sections of the coaster. I hope this is not the case. If it’s not broke don’t fix it. The Voyage is already considered by many (including myself) to be the best roller coaster in the world – no need to change. Changing the Voyage from a wood to a steel coaster would be the destruction of Will Koch’s legacy. Also, it seems like Rocky Mountain Construction already has a full slate for 2015 and 2016.
Another popular guess is a Mack water coaster or water ride. The old Pilgrims Plunge / Giraffica station and splash down pool are still standing and could easily be reused, reducing the cost of a new attraction. Others think a family friendly steel coaster is coming to the park to round out there coaster collection and at as a stepping stone between Howler and Raven. And still others are convinced the footers being constructed are the same as used on B&M coasters (who did open a family friendly inverted coaster in China).
July 24th can’t come soon enough! What are your theories about the Holiday World 2015 project?
Many people think the voyage is the best coaster in the world, I dont see whats so great about it, it looks like a regular wooden coaster to me. Im sure rides like Goliath, Maverick, and X2 are more fun.
Have you heard about this? 66 Days at Seaboxes with scrap of paper have been sent to many enthusiasts, and if you assemble them you can see steel footers! Check it out: http://www.coasterhub.com/archives/651
I don’t think the new ride will be in Thanksgiving Land. Especially with as large as the project seems, I think we could see an entire new themed area. The theme to the teaser is a journey to the ‘new world’.
Christopher: I’m not a big fan of the Voyage, but it’s obvious you’ve never ridden it. You can’t just look at youtube point of view videos to tell if a roller coaster is going to be good or not.