Cedar Point Mid-September...How Bad?

I was thinking of going out to Kennywood the weekend after my birthday..September 14/15/16. I would have done Saturday and Sunday at the park. Then I started thinking I might do just one day there and hit Cedar Point. I saw that they were open Friday night, the 14th, from 6-12. I did not realize, though, that that was opening night of HalloWeekends. Do you figure it will be insanely busy, or will people wait until October to take advantage of HalloWeekends? I would not be getting Fast Lane/Fright Lane. Are most rides usually open? I've never been to CP that time of year.

I'd drive out Friday, hit the park Friday night and part of Saturday, then drive to my brother's near Pittsburgh. Stay with him Saturday and Sunday night, hitting Kennywood on Sunday, then head home Monday. I already got the days off approved.

Thanks in advance.

Any thoughts?

Friday night is the second best time to go to Cedar Point in the fall, the first being Sunday mornings. Saturdays can be downright terrible. This is based on yearly Halloweekends trips for 5-6 years now so someone else may have a different opinion.

If you want the best chance for low waits, go the weekend BEFORE your birthday, on Friday or Sunday. ;)

If you go the opening Friday of Halloweekends, the crowds can vary. It's typically lighter than the October Friday's, but it seems the opening day crowd is getting larger every year. As mentioned, as a general rule, Sunday is now the best Halloweekend day to attend crowd-wise.

There is limited ride availability on Friday, but all the majors are open. CP should be posting this year's list soon.

I have been twice before in the fall weekends.. Both times we did the park friday and saturday. The first time was late october. The friday night was insanely dead. Bad winds had dragster and millie down however. The saturday was perfect weather and it was packed. The second time was early to mid sept. The friday was dead and all rides were open. The saturday ended up being dead as well but it rained half the day. So thas probably why. The point is in my two experiences crowds are good on friday nights in the fall.

Obviously the nicer weather greatly impacts Halloweekends crowds. A sunny, 70 degree Saturday in October is a recipe for a full parking lot. The September weekends I've noticed are usually a bit slower than in October, and the Friday night especially shouldn't be too bad. From what I've read, it's the Kennywood crowds you should be concerned about.

Jeph said:

If you want the best chance for low waits, go the weekend BEFORE your birthday, on Friday or Sunday. ;)

I tried to get that Friday/Monday off, but one of my colleagues had already requeted it and was approved.

I heard from my brother last night, so there is now a very good chance I'll be going.

The week after Labor Day is one of the best times of the season to go. The kids are back in school and there are fairs everywhere. College kids are busy studying or vomiting. Most people are summered out by then. Sundays are really good alway because football is back.

Especially in Pittsburgh!

Thanks, leper. That was a very encouraging post.

Go to the Point the week after Labor Day and you'll practically have the place to yourself.

Unfortunately, he said he couldn't get it off; someone at his work already requested it off.

I think we might get out there the week after Labor Day, so that's encouraging.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Ensign meant you would have the place to yourself because CP is closed the week after Labor Day.

Weekend operation only after 9/3. The Weekend after Labor Day is usually not crowded.

Oh yeah, you're probably right. lol That one flew past me since the weekend of that week is nearly as accurate.

Yeah, that was the joke I was making. But then I took a couple minutes to actually read the thread preceding and realized the discussion was specifically about weekends, not weekdays. So I made an ass of myself--a skill I have perfected over many years. ;)

Now that it's looking pretty likely I'll go, I was scoping CP's site and saw that, in addition to Saturday 9/15 being the first full day/night of HalloWeekends (which I knew)..there's also a Christian music concert that day (which I didn't.) Should I expect that to boost the crowd numbers, or will it be a non-issue? I will only be there for a few hours on Saturday. I think they open at 11...I'll probably be outta there by 2-2:30.

In the past years the concert has seemingly had little to no affect on the crowds. Perhaps a slight uptick in the last hour or two the park is open once the concert is over, but for the most part it's been negligible in the past.

The only two "major" rides I haven't been on at CP are Windseeker and Shoot The Rapids. What are the chances STR is open in mid-September? (as opposed to mid-Timbers.) I'm guessing slim to none, and Slim just left town.

We were there the first weekend of Halloweekends last year and if memory serves, STR was closed. We have gone that weekend for the past 5 years or so and have noticed it getting more crowded every year. Friday night is great but if the weather is good, it gets busy on Saturday. The crowd lessens on Sunday. We are actually going to skip Halloweekends this year and go the bonus weekend.

loriu said:

... it gets busy on Saturday.

That's like saying Death Valley gets warmish in the summer.