Coney Island Thrills Return Early This Season With Saturday Opening

NEW YORK CITY — A Cyclone is about to hit Coney Island earlier this year — and, thankfully, it's a famed rollercoaster and not a hurricane.

Coney Island's 2022 season officially kicks off Saturday when Luna Park opens its gates to the public, the amusement park's operators announced.

“It is incredibly exciting to finally have Luna Park in Coney Island filled with guests and joy after a very long winter," said Alessandro Zamperla, president and CEO of Central Amusement International Inc., in a statement Thursday.

The amusement district's opening is slightly earlier than previous years. Indeed, the world-famous seaside park closed for all of 2020 as coronavirus restrictions kept its rides and attractions shuttered.

The park reopened in 2021 to great fanfare that included former Mayor Bill de Blasio — until that point, an infamous grump when it came to mayoral frivolities — taking a ride on the Cyclone.

There's no word as yet whether Mayor Eric Adams (who loves a good party) will take the Cyclone's inaugural plunge.

But the coaster's rickety wooden stage for the Cyclone's and the park's traditional opening — an egg cream christening, park operators said. The christening begins at 11 a.m. and the park will offer the ride's first 95 guests a free ride and egg cream treat, in honor of its 95th birthday.

Opening day proceeds, as is tradition, will go to charities. This year, three local organizations — Children of Promise, the Coney Island Sharks and Operation H.O.O.D. — will have their contributions highlighted and supported with cold, hard cash, the park's operators said.

Another season opening tradition will return April 10, when Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park continues its decades-long “Blessing of the Rides” ceremony tradition on its official opening day of Palm Sunday, park operators said. The 10 a.m. ceremony begins on Coney Island's iconic boardwalk in front of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and finish with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The first 102 guests will get a free ride on the Wonder Wheel in honor of its 102nd anniversary.

Attractions will be weekend-only — save for spring break from April 15 to 24 — until May 27. Starting with Memorial Day weekend, it will go seven days a week.

More information can be found here.