Candymonium
Candymonium is a steel roller coaster located at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, the ride was announced in 2018 and opened on July 3, 2020. It was introduced with a newly-themed section of the park called Hershey's Chocolatetown.
Candymonium | |
---|---|
Candymonium on its final airtime hill | |
Hersheypark | |
Location | Hersheypark |
Park section | Chocolatetown |
Coordinates | 40.2863°N 76.6590°W |
Status | Operating |
Opening date | July 3, 2020 |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel |
Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
Track layout | Out and Back |
Lift/launch system | Chain Lift Hill |
Height | 210 ft (64 m) |
Length | 4,636 ft (1,413 m) |
Speed | 76 mph (122 km/h) |
Inversions | 0 |
Duration | 2:26 |
Max vertical angle | 77.3° |
Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
Trains | 3 trains with 7 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 28 riders per train. |
Candymonium at RCDB Pictures of Candymonium at RCDB |
History
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. 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.[1][2] The new coaster was planned to be a hypercoaster, over 200 feet (61 m) tall, which required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.[3] According to the filing with the FAA, the coaster was to be, at most, 220 feet (67 m) above ground level.[4] The approval was later granted.[5]
In July 2019, Hersheypark officials announced that the new roller coaster would be called Candymonium, marketed as the "world’s sweetest coaster".[6] 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.[5][7]
In an Instagram post in October 2019, Hersheypark posted an image showing that construction on the lift hill was partially complete.[8] In November 2019, Candymonium topped out when its lift hill was installed.[9][10] The final track piece was installed in February 2020, though a opening date had not been announced at that time.[11] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania, construction on Chocolatetown was delayed in April 2020,[12] though construction resumed the next month[13] and the first test train on Candymonium ran on May 6, 2020.[14] Candymonium officially opened on July 3, 2020.[15][16]
Characteristics
Ride experience
Layout
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 Hammerhead turn. 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]
References
- "Hersheypark's 'biggest announcement ever': $150 million expansion will include biggest coaster yet". PennLive.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- "Chocolatetown | 2020 | Hersheypark". www.hersheypark.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- 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. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Form 7460-1 for ASN 2018-AEA-8203-OE". oeaaa.faa.gov. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Gleiter, Sue (July 24, 2019). "Hersheypark unveils its tallest, fastest, longest roller coaster, Candymonium". pennlive. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Hersheypark unveils its newest roller coaster — and it's a big one". WPMT FOX43. July 24, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Hersheypark announces Candymonium hypercoaster for 2020". Attractions Magazine. July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Adams, Sean (October 9, 2019). "Hersheypark shares photo of new Candymonium roller coaster construction". pennlive. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Video: Hersheypark tops off newest roller coaster". WGAL. November 6, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "GALLERY: Construction continues on Hersheypark's newest roller coaster, Candymonium". WPMT FOX43. November 5, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Hersheypark places final track piece for Candymonium". Theme Park Insider. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
- "Hersheypark's new roller coaster construction is on hold: here's what we know about the park's opening". pennlive. April 7, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- "Construction on Hersheypark's Chocolatetown expansion resumes". pennlive. May 4, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- "Hersheypark test runs new Candymonium roller coaster for first time". pennlive. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- Adams, Sean (July 2, 2020). "Candymonium POV: Here's what it looks like to ride Hersheypark's biggest, fastest roller coaster". pennlive. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- "The brand new hyper-coaster Candymonium has opened at Hersheypark". ABC27. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- "Hersheypark 'unwraps' new Candymonium coaster set for 2020". WHP. CBS21 News. July 24, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "Hershey Park introduces its new roller coaster, Candymonium". WTAE. July 24, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- Marden, Duane. "Candymonium – Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- Alvey, Robb (July 2, 2020). "Hersheypark Candymonium Roller Coaster Front Seat POV". Theme Park Review. YouTube. Retrieved July 3, 2020.