Kennywood's Event Calendar at a Glance

Kennywood runs its regular season from mid-April through early October, then transitions into two distinct seasonal events: Phantom Fall Fest (fall/Halloween) and Holiday Lights (winter). During the regular season, the park also runs the Bites and Pints Food and Drink Festival through the summer months. Each event has its own ticketing, operating hours, and included experiences.

Bites and Pints Food and Drink Festival (Summer)

When: Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from late May through early July (including July 4th weekend).

What it is: A food festival operating inside Kennywood alongside regular park operations. Eight themed booths representing different countries serve specialty food and drink items not available during the standard park season. In 2025, the countries were Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, Cuba, and Spain.

Tickets: Regular park admission or season pass includes access to the festival grounds. Food is purchased separately. Tasting Cards (8 or 12 items) start at $54.99 and offer savings over buying items individually.

Booth hours: Open at 4 PM on Fridays, 1 PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

Crowd impact: Bites and Pints weekends are among the busier summer days in the park. The festival draws food-focused visitors on top of regular park attendance. If you are visiting primarily for rides, a mid-week visit or a Friday before the festival starts for the day will have shorter coaster waits.

Worth it? Yes, if you enjoy trying international food in a festival setting. The Tasting Card format is the right way to experience it — pick your 8 or 12 most interesting items across different booths and treat it like a moveable feast between rides.

July 4th Fireworks

Kennywood runs an annual Independence Day fireworks show. In 2025, the fireworks launched from above the Racer at 9:45 PM. The park stays open late and the midway provides a strong sightline to the show. The Racer's position on a hillside means the fireworks are visible from a wide area of the park.

This is one of the busiest single days of the year. If you attend the Fourth of July fireworks show, expect the park at full capacity and plan accordingly — arrive early, eat before noon, use the back-of-park-first strategy.

Phantom Fall Fest (Halloween Event)

When: Select Fridays through early November (2025 ran through November 1).

Operating hours: 6 PM to 11 PM on Fridays; noon to 11 PM on other operating days.

Tickets: Separate event tickets required. In 2025, single-day Phantom Fall Fest tickets started at $29.99 when purchased online. 2026 Gold and Platinum season passes include Phantom Fall Fest access.

What the event includes: When the sun goes down, Kennywood converts into a Halloween experience with six haunted houses and four scare zones throughout the park. In 2025, the newest haunted attraction was Detached — set in the Puppet Master's toy shop. Regular rides continue to operate throughout the event.

Scale: This is a full-scale Halloween event, not a light overlay. The haunted houses are purpose-built seasonal experiences with actors, not just fog machines in existing buildings. The six house total gives the event depth — you can spend a full evening working through the houses plus rides.

Family note: Phantom Fall Fest is primarily an adult and teen event. The scare zones involve roaming actors throughout the midway, which means even guests not entering haunted houses will encounter characters. Children sensitive to scare actors should approach with that in mind. Kennywood does not operate a separate "kid-friendly" Halloween experience within Phantom Fall Fest on the same evenings.

Tip: Friday nights start at 6 PM and typically have shorter haunted house waits than Saturday nights, which are the busiest of the event. Fridays are the best value if your goal is working through all six houses.

Holiday Lights (Winter Event)

When: November 14 through January 4 (2025 dates), with daily operation from December 19 through January 4, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Tickets: Separate event admission required. Season pass inclusions vary by tier — check the current season's pass benefits.

What the event includes:

• Over 3 million lights covering the park
• 25 family and thrill rides operating (including coasters)
• Gingerbread Junction themed area
• Character meet-and-greets with Rudolph, Clarice, Bumble, and Sam the Snowman
• Dinner with Santa on select dates through December 23
• Seasonal food and holiday entertainment

The rides angle: Holiday Lights is one of the few holiday theme park events that continues to operate major coasters. Phantom's Revenge and other signature rides run during the event, which makes it appealing for enthusiasts who want a coaster-plus-lights combination that most holiday events do not offer.

Dinner with Santa: This is a ticketed dining experience separate from event admission. It operates on select dates through December 23 and typically sells out. Book early if this is a priority — it is one of the more unique Santa experiences in the Pittsburgh region because it puts families inside an operating theme park with a full holiday overlay.

Crowd patterns: The event is least crowded in mid to late November before Thanksgiving and most crowded in the week before Christmas and the post-Christmas week through January 4. If you have flexibility, a weeknight in late November offers the full event experience with minimal lines at rides.

Celebrate Kennywood Weekends (Spring Opener)

For 2026, Kennywood introduced a new spring opening event called Celebrate Kennywood Weekends, running early in the season before the main summer calendar begins. This replaced earlier spring special event formats. The event celebrated the park's history and featured entertainment tied to Kennywood's Pittsburgh roots.

Planning by Event

• Bites and Pints: Summer weekends; best on a Friday afternoon when booths open at 4 PM.
• Fourth of July: Arrive before noon; expect a full park all day.
• Phantom Fall Fest: Friday nights for shorter haunted house waits; not recommended for young children sensitive to scare actors.
• Holiday Lights: Weeknight visits in November for lowest crowds; book Dinner with Santa well in advance.