MASON, Ohio — Six specific rides carried the most thrill-seekers over every other ride at Kings Island in 2023 — but a seventh, more unexpected contender, was hot on their heels.
According to data released by Kings Island, riders visiting the park during the 2023 season flocked to roller coasters most. The top ride in the park was one if Kings Island's newest additions: Orion, the $30 million giga coaster that opened for the first time in 2020. More than 1.5 million people withstood the coaster's 300-foot drop in the 2023 season, making it the most popular ride at the park last year.
Not to be counted out because of age, however, five other coasters of varying shape and size each entertained over one million guests in 2023.
Diamondback, Banshee and Mystic Timbers, three of Kings Island's newer coasters, were among those five — likely shocking no one. But classic coasters also took the spotlight alongside their newer counterparts: The Beast and The Racer were not to be outdone in 2023, also carting over one million fans along their wooden frames throughout the season.
The Racer, specifically, had a solid year topping a stellar lifetime. Over 110 million people have climbed aboard the twin tracks of the racing coaster since it opened — the most given by any Kings Island ride in the park's 51-year history.
According to Kings Island, only three rides within the park have given more than 50 million total rides since the park opened in 1972: The Racer, The Beast and K.I. & Miami Valley Railroad.
The dark ghost — er, horse — that nearly garnered enough popularity to put it in the top six ridership rankings was more of a surprise. Boo Blasters, the haunted family indoor ride, welcomed just under 900,000 riders in 2023, making it the top non-coaster attraction at Kings Island last year.
The park closed for the season at the end of 2023, but it will reopen for the 2024 season in April.
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