Amusement Today Honors Best of The Best With 2021 Golden Ticket Awards
It’s that time of year again! This week industry professionals from across the globe tuned in online to honor the best of the best in the amusement industry.
The Golden Ticket Awards by Amusement Today are like the Oscars for amusement parks. Each year, a detailed survey is sent to experienced and well-traveled amusement park experts around the world. The surveys are sent out in balanced geographical regions asking not only industry fans, but also, (in some categories) industry suppliers, manufacturers and journalists to rank the “best of the best”. Amusement Today then tallies up those votes and presents “Golden Ticket Awards” to the winners of each category. Each year the event is held at a different location. This year’s event was presented online from the National Roller Coaster Museum in Texas.
With the pandemic affecting every amusement park worldwide last year, the Golden Tickets had to deviate from some of its traditional categories in 2020. This year, all the traditional awards returned, including the “Best New” awards with park additions from 2020 or 2021.
“The climate last year caused us to step away from our traditional categories, but with the industry re-emerging this season, there is so much hard work taking place. It’s heartwarming to honor these places and the people striving to bring fun and smiles in a time when it is so desperately needed.” – Tim Baldwin, Golden Ticket Awards Communications Coordinator
The votes have been tallied and the winners are:
Best Amusement Park- Europa-Park (Rust, Germany)
Best Steel Roller Coaster- Fury 325 / Carowinds (NC) (top 10 below)
Best Wood Roller Coaster- Phoenix/ Knoebels Amusement Resort (PA )(top 10 below)
Best New Roller Coaster Of 2020/21- Jurassic World Velocicoaster / Universal’s Islands of Adventure (FL)
Best New Family Attraction Of 2020/21: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance / Disney’s Hollywood Studios (FL)
Best New Attraction Installation Of 2020/21: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance / Disney’s Hollywood Studios (FL)
Best New Water Park Attraction of 2020/21: Cheetah Chase / Splashin’ Safari (IN)
Best Innovation of 2021 – Engineered, Precision-Cut Wood Coaster Track Refurbishment / The Gravity Group
Best Water Park- Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort (TX)
Best Marine Life Park/ Wildlife Park – SeaWorld Orlando (FL)
Best Kid’s Area- Wildwood Grove at Dollywood (TN)
Best Guest Experience – Dollywood (TN)
Most Beautiful Park – Dollywood (TN)
Best Family Park – Dutch Wonderland (PA)
Best Food-Knoebels Amusement Resort (PA)
Best New Show of 2019- “Rock The Night” / Six Flags Fiesta Texas (TX)
Best Water Ride (In a Park)- Valhalla / Blackpool Pleasure Beach (England)
Best Water Park Ride- Wildebeest / Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (IN)
Best Dark Ride- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance / Disney’s Hollywood Studios (FL)
Best Halloween Event of 2020- Six Flags Fiesta Texas (TX)
Best Christmas Event of 2020- Smoky Mountain Christmas / Dollywood (TN)
Breakout FEC of 2021: Fun Spot America Atlanta (GA)
Golden Ticket LEGEND Award – Larry Bill of the Gravity Group was awarded with the Golden Ticket’s lifetime achievement award, the LEGEND Award, for his engineering work on an estimated 75 wooden roller coasters worldwide
Golden Ticket Leadership Award – Deno “DJ” Vourderis of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park was recognized with the Leadership Award for his resilience and compassion while confronting the pandemic
Every year Gary Slade, Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Amusement Today, makes personal selections for the Publisher’s Pick Awards. Here are the selections he made this year:
Publishers Choice:
- Renaissance Award – Six Flags Over Texas for its reinvestment in two 1960s attractions and a refocus on the parks storytelling
- Park of the Year – Universal Orlando for its determination and positive direction in the pandemic
- Turnstile Award – Scene75 for weathering the storm of the pandemic and a literal tornado
Top 10 Best Steel Roller Coasters
1. Fury 325 / Carowinds
2. Millennium Force / Cedar Point
3. Steel Vengeance / Cedar Point
4. Superman: The Ride / Six Flags New England
5. Candymonium / Hersheypark
6. Expedition GeForce / Holiday Park
7. Lightning Rod / Dollywood
8. Leviathan / Canada’s Wonderland
9. Maverick / Cedar Point
10. Taron / Phantasialand
Top 10 Best Wood Roller Coasters
1. Phoenix / Knoebels Amusement Resort
2. The Voyage / Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari
3. El Toro / Six Flags Great Adventure
4. Boulder Dash / Lake Compounce
5. The Beast / Kings Island
6. Mystic Timbers / Kings Island
7. GhostRider / Knotts Berry Farm
8. Ravine Flyer II / Waldameer
9. Outlaw Run / Silver Dollar City
10. Thunderhead / Dollywood
For more information, visit the official Golden Ticket Awards site here.
Visit the Amusement Park Community Facebook Group HERE and JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS!
Stay connected with Coaster Nation!
Facebook: facebook.com/coasternation
twitter: @Coaster_Nation
Subscribe on YouTube!
