Candymonium

Candymonium
Candymonium's first drop and final airtime hill
Hersheypark
LocationHersheypark
Park sectionChocolatetown
Coordinates40°17′11″N 76°39′32″W / 40.2863°N 76.6590°W / 40.2863; -76.6590
StatusOperating
Opening dateJuly 3, 2020 (2020-07-03)
General statistics
TypeSteel
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
ModelHyper Coaster
Track layoutOut and Back
Lift/launch systemChain Lift Hill
Height210 ft (64 m)
Drop216 ft (66 m)
Length4,636 ft (1,413 m)
Speed76 mph (122 km/h)
Inversions0
Duration2:26
Max vertical angle77.3°
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
Trains3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.
Must transfer from wheelchair
Candymonium at RCDB

Candymonium is a steel roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride was announced in 2019 and opened on July 3, 2020. It is the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster at Hersheypark.[1] It was introduced with a newly-themed section of the park called Hershey's Chocolatetown, adjacent to Hershey's Chocolate World.

History

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On October 3, 2018, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts revealed their "biggest announcement ever": a new 23-acre (9.3 ha) section of the park named Chocolatetown, as well as a new entrance plaza, both of which would open in 2020.[2] The anchor attractions were scheduled to include a roller coaster, as well as a new shopping area and a fountain, built at a cost of $150 million.[2][3] The new coaster was planned to be a hypercoaster, over 200 feet (61 m) tall, which required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.[3][4] According to the filing with the FAA, the coaster was to be, at most, 220 feet (67 m) above ground level.[5] The FAA approved the ride.[6]

In July 2019, Hersheypark officials announced that the new roller coaster would be called Candymonium, marketed as the "world’s sweetest coaster".[7] According to Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company CEO John Lawn, "the coaster was a key ingredient to the entire Hershey’s Chocolatetown". By that time, the first few track pieces and part of the station had been built.[6][8]

In an Instagram post in October 2019, Hersheypark posted an image showing that construction on the lift hill was partially complete.[9] In November 2019, Candymonium topped out when its lift hill was installed.[10][11] The final track piece was installed in February 2020, though an opening date had not been announced at that time.[12] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania, construction on Chocolatetown was delayed in April 2020,[13] though construction resumed the next month[14] and the first test train on Candymonium ran on May 6, 2020.[15] Candymonium officially opened on July 3, 2020.[16][17] Because of COVID-19 restrictions, only a limited number of guests were initially allowed in the park, and riders had to wear face masks while waiting for the ride (although they could take off their masks on the coaster).[18]

Ride experience

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After leaving the station, the train immediately ascends the 210-foot (64 m) lift hill. After reaching the top, it enters a 210-foot (64 m) drop, in which the train reaches at a top speed of 76 miles per hour (122 km/h).[19] Then, the train ascends and descends a 169-foot (52 m) airtime hill over Spring Creek.[19] After the hill, the track reverses direction via a 123-degree Hammerhead turn.[18] Traveling over another camelback hill, there is a series of airtime hills as the track travels back above Spring Creek before making an upward helix to the right and a leftward bank. The train then travels over another airtime hill and down onto a 270-degree left turn. The train then dips slightly and then rises into trim brakes before curving to the right, downward and up into the final brake run.[19][20]

Characteristics

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The ride is 4,636 feet (1,413 m) long with an initial drop of 210 feet (64 m).[6][21] The track is colored chocolate brown with light gray supports and contains seven camelback hills.[22][23] The track covers around 7 acres (2.8 ha) of land.[3] Trains reach a maximum speed of 76 miles per hour (122 km/h).[3][6][21]

The three trains represent three Hershey's candies: Reese’s, Kisses, and Twizzlers.[3][21] Each car seats four riders in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train.[19]

Critical reception

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When Candymonium opened, Attractions Magazine wrote: "Candymonium is a hyper-coaster that lives up to that name, packing in thrills without leaving riders rattled."[24] A reporter for LNP (newspaper) wrote: "In many ways, Candymonium is the more refined cousin to Skyrush. [...] But whereas Skyrush is a ride I would not recommend to people who are skittish about roller coasters, Candymonium could be just what people hoping to overcome those fears are looking for due to a lack of loops and truly death-defying spins."[18] The ride won a Golden Ticket Award from Amusement Today magazine in 2021, in which Candymonium was ranked as the 5th best steel roller coaster in the world.[25][26]

Golden Ticket Awards: Top steel Roller Coasters
Year 2021 2022 2023 2024
Ranking 5[26] 19[27] 24[28] 27[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Candymonium". www.hersheypark.com. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Hersheypark's 'biggest announcement ever': $150 million expansion will include biggest coaster yet". PennLive.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e Stairiker, Kevin (July 25, 2019). "Hersheypark reveals new ride". LNP Always Lancaster. pp. A5. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Adams, Sean (September 13, 2018). "A new roller coaster might be coming to Hersheypark in 2020 -- and it might be the biggest one yet". pennlive. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  5. ^ "Form 7460-1 for ASN 2018-AEA-8203-OE". oeaaa.faa.gov. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Gleiter, Sue (July 24, 2019). "Hersheypark unveils its tallest, fastest, longest roller coaster, Candymonium". pennlive. Archived from the original on September 30, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  7. ^ "Hersheypark unveils its newest roller coaster — and it's a big one". WPMT FOX43. July 24, 2019. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  8. ^ "Hersheypark announces Candymonium hypercoaster for 2020". Attractions Magazine. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Adams, Sean (October 9, 2019). "Hersheypark shares photo of new Candymonium roller coaster construction". pennlive. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "Video: Hersheypark tops off newest roller coaster". WGAL. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  11. ^ "GALLERY: Construction continues on Hersheypark's newest roller coaster, Candymonium". WPMT FOX43. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  12. ^ "Hersheypark places final track piece for Candymonium". Theme Park Insider. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  13. ^ "Hersheypark's new roller coaster construction is on hold: here's what we know about the park's opening". pennlive. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Construction on Hersheypark's Chocolatetown expansion resumes". pennlive. May 4, 2020. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  15. ^ "Hersheypark test runs new Candymonium roller coaster for first time". pennlive. May 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Adams, Sean (July 2, 2020). "Candymonium POV: Here's what it looks like to ride Hersheypark's biggest, fastest roller coaster". pennlive. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  17. ^ "The brand new hyper-coaster Candymonium has opened at Hersheypark". ABC27. July 2, 2020. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c "Hersheypark Candymonium". LNP Always Lancaster. July 2, 2020. pp. A1, A8. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d Marden, Duane. "Candymonium – Hersheypark  (Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  20. ^ Alvey, Robb (July 2, 2020). "Hersheypark Candymonium Roller Coaster Front Seat POV". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  21. ^ a b c "Hersheypark 'unwraps' new Candymonium coaster set for 2020". WHP. CBS21 News. July 24, 2019. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  22. ^ "Chocolatetown | 2020 | Hersheypark". www.hersheypark.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Hershey Park introduces its new roller coaster, Candymonium". WTAE. July 24, 2019. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  24. ^ Brigante, Ricky (July 3, 2020). "Candymonium debuts as the tallest, most fun coaster at Hersheypark". Attractions Magazine. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  25. ^ "The Golden Ticket Awards | Presented by Amusement Today". The Golden Ticket Awards | Presented by Amusement Today. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  26. ^ a b "2021 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2021. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021.
  27. ^ "2022 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022.
  28. ^ "2023 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Amusement Today. 27 (6.2): 66–70. September 2023. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023.
  29. ^ "2024 Golden Ticket Award Winners". Golden Ticket Awards. Amusement Today. September 2024. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024.
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