Kings Island Wait Times

Kings Island · US & Canada · typical hours 10 AM–10 PM

The one-minute version: be at the gate 30–45 minutes before opening and ride Orion first. Waits peak from late morning to mid-afternoon — do shows and meals then. The final hour is often as quiet as rope drop. There is no headline evening show, so the final operating hour is usually the quietest time to ride.

Worth it on busy days: Fast Lane earns its money on July and August Saturdays and during Halloween Haunt.

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Kings Island hours today and this week

DayPark hours (local time)
Fri 23 Oct6 PM – 12 AM
Haunt from 6 PM (separate ticket)
Sat 24 Oct11 AM – 12 AM
Haunt from 6 PM (separate ticket)
Sun 25 Oct11 AM – 11 PM
Haunt from 6 PM (separate ticket)
Thu 29 Oct6 PM – 11 PM
Haunt from 6 PM (separate ticket)
Fri 30 Oct6 PM – 12 AM
Haunt from 6 PM (separate ticket)
Sat 31 Oct11 AM – 12 AM
Haunt from 6 PM (separate ticket)
Sun 1 Nov11 AM – 7 PM

From the park’s published schedule. Hours change, and evening events can close the park to day guests early — check with the park before you go.

Kings Island wait times by hour

Queues here follow a predictable daily shape. Lines are shortest in the first hour and the last, and peak 3 PM–5 PM — that is the window to spend on shows, meals or indoor attractions rather than headliners.

10a12p2p4p6p8p

Typical shape of a Kings Island day, shown as each hour's share of that day's own peak wait. Actual minutes vary by season and day of week — check today's live waits.

See the hour-by-hour numbers
HourTypical wait level
10 AM30% of the day's peak
11 AM45% of the day's peak
12 PM65% of the day's peak
1 PM82% of the day's peak
2 PM95% of the day's peak
3 PM100% of the day's peak
4 PM100% of the day's peak
5 PM92% of the day's peak
6 PM78% of the day's peak
7 PM60% of the day's peak
8 PM42% of the day's peak
9 PM30% of the day's peak
Shortest lines: 10 AM–11 AM and 9 PM–10 PM. Longest: 3 PM–5 PM.

What to ride first at Kings Island: rope drop order

Be at the gate 30–45 minutes before opening and ride in this order. Orion and Banshee absorb the opening crowd; The Beast is deliberately left for after dark.

  1. Orion
  2. Banshee
  3. Diamondback
  4. Mystic Timbers
  5. The Beast

The first hour is the cheapest capacity of the day — no pass, no fee, and typically the shortest waits you will see.

Best and worst months to visit Kings Island

Red = busiest, green = quietest, grey = moderate.

Busiest: June, July, August and October

Expect the year's longest waits during the summer holiday and Halloween Haunt weekends.

Quietest: May and September

The best value for short lines is May weekdays and September weekdays outside Haunt.

When to avoid Kings Island, and when to go

Busiest stretches, next 12 months

  • Sat Jan 16 – Mon Jan 18MLK Day · about 10/10
  • Sat Feb 13 – Mon Feb 15Presidents' Day · about 10/10
  • Sun Mar 21 – Mon Mar 29Easter week · about 7/10, 10 at worst
  • Sun Jul 4July 4th · about 10/10
  • Sat Oct 9 – Mon Oct 11Columbus Day · about 10/10

Quietest weeks

  • Mon Apr 26 – Sun May 2about 5/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon May 3 – Sun May 9about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon May 10 – Sun May 16about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon May 17 – Sun May 23about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks
  • Mon Sep 13 – Sun Sep 19about 4/10 · no holidays or school breaks

Scores are the crowd forecast, 1 to 10, averaged over the stretch. Visiting in a busy stretch anyway? Be at the gate before opening, and ride the big ones in the first hour and the last. Every day is scored on the crowd calendar.

Is Fast Lane worth it at Kings Island?

Worth it on busy days

Fast Lane earns its money on July and August Saturdays and during Halloween Haunt. Midweek, Kings Island has enough capacity that you will not miss it.

Price: roughly $50–$170 unlimited wristband. Prices change often and by date — treat this as a range, not a quote.

Maben Parks shows every wait live with a "vs typical" marker, and your magical fairy will run the numbers for your party and date — including telling you to keep your money when the answer is no.

Check today's waits before you buy

Beat the lines without paying at Kings Island

Local knowledge: Ride The Beast after dark. It is a genuinely different and better ride at night, and the line is shortest in the last hour of the evening.

Planning ahead? The free Kings Island crowd calendar scores every day for the next twelve months, 1 to 10 — no sign-up.

How the wait moves through the day at Kings Island

Median posted wait across the rides we track, on moderate days — the crowd level most visitors get. The shaded band is the middle half of readings at that hour.

08152330OpenClose 5 min at 10p10a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 270 readings)11a — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 232 readings)12p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–0, 259 readings)1p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–10, 265 readings)2p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–15, 333 readings)3p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–20, 264 readings)4p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–20, 265 readings)5p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–25, 263 readings)6p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–6, 352 readings)7p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–15, 398 readings)8p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–10, 320 readings)9p — typically 0 min (middle half 0–15, 313 readings)10p — typically 5 min (middle half 0–15, 168 readings)11p — typically 5 min (middle half 0–10, 33 readings)10a12p3p6p9p11p min
Posted standby minutes, from our own recorded snapshots. Posted waits are what the park displays — not necessarily how long you stand there. Download CSV · Save PNG · Share

What's closed at Kings Island

Detected automatically from the live feed — each of these reported closed all day, every day, for at least three operating days. Observed through October 23, 2026.

AttractionClosed sinceDuration
Pineapple PipelineSeptember 4, 202631 operating days
Tropical TwisterSeptember 4, 202631 operating days
Bluegill LagoonSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Breakers BaySeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log RideSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Coconut CoveSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Congo FallsSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
K.I. and Miami Valley Railroad - Soak City StationSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Mondo MonsoonSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Paradise PlungeSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Rendezvous RunSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Riverbank Slide OutSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
RiverRacersSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Salamander SlidersSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Splash LandingSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Splash RiverSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
TadpoolSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Thunder FallsSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Tidal Wave BaySeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Tropical PlungeSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Tropical Plunge - Tube SlidesSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
White Water CanyonSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Zoom FlumeSeptember 11, 202627 operating days
Drop TowerOctober 9, 202611 operating days
Beagle Scout AcresOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Character CarouselOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Charlie Brown's Wind UpOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Eiffel TowerOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Franklin's FlyersOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Joe Cool's Dodgem SchoolOctober 19, 20263 operating days
K.I. & Miami Valley RailroadOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Kite Eating TreeOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Linus LauncherOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Linus' Beetle BugsOctober 19, 20263 operating days
PEANUTS™ 500October 19, 20263 operating days
PEANUTS™ Off-Road RallyOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Phantom Theater: Opening NightmareOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Sally's Sea PlaneOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Snoopy vs. Red BaronOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Snoopy's JunctionOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Snoopy's Soap Box RacersOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Snoopy's Space BuggiesOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Surf DogOctober 19, 20263 operating days
The Great Pumpkin CoasterOctober 19, 20263 operating days
WindSeekerOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Woodstock ExpressOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Woodstock WhirlybirdsOctober 19, 20263 operating days
Woodstock's Air RailOctober 19, 20263 operating days

Recently back

AttractionWas closed fromDuration
Alien Abyss presented by SNICKERS®September 19, 20263 operating days
Jason Blood ReignSeptember 19, 20263 operating days
Killmart presented by M&M’S®September 19, 20263 operating days
Metal MassacreSeptember 19, 20263 operating days
Order of the DragonSeptember 19, 20263 operating days
Slaughter House presented by SKITTLES®September 19, 20263 operating days

Generated from wait-feed observations, not an operator announcement: a long closure usually means refurbishment, but we report what the feed shows rather than guessing why. Always check the operator's own page before travelling for one specific ride.

What counts as a normal wait at Kings Island

Every wait we have recorded here, grouped by how busy the day turned out to be. The bold figure is the middle half of what we saw — a quarter of the time it was shorter, a quarter of the time longer. Read it against today’s crowd level to know whether the number on the sign is good or bad.

RideLightlevel 1Moderatelevel 3Busylevel 4Packedlevel 5
Flight of Fear5–4520 typical15–6030 typical30–7060 typical45–9060 typical
The Beast0–2520 typical25–5545 typical10–3530 typical45–8060 typical
Diamondback1–1515 typical15–4030 typical15–3520 typical25–7545 typical
Mystic Timbers0–2010 typical10–4020 typical10–4020 typical25–7545 typical
Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare15–4030 typical—0–6040 typical45–7560 typical
Charlie Brown's Rushing River Log Ride0–3025 typical——15–7560 typical
The Bat5–208 typical15–3530 typical15–6030 typical30–6045 typical
Banshee0–151 typical5–4530 typical5–305 typical15–6030 typical
Orion®5–105 typical10–3015 typical—15–6030 typical
White Water Canyon5–3015 typical——15–6040 typical
Jason Blood Reign0–10 typical——20–6040 typical
Kings Mills Antique Autos0–1510 typical0–3015 typical0–4530 typical15–5545 typical
Invertigo0–100 typical1–2515 typical5–2010 typical15–4530 typical
Snoopy's Soap Box Racers0–50 typical—0–2010 typical0–4515 typical
Woodstock Express0–50 typical—20–3020 typical0–4530 typical
Drop Tower0–55 typical—5–2010 typical20–4530 typical
Queen City Stunt Coaster0–150 typical5–3020 typical5–3020 typical0–4530 typical
Woodstock's Air Rail0–55 typical——10–4530 typical

Minutes of posted standby wait, from our own recorded snapshots — up to 15 days per figure. Cells stay blank until a ride has enough observations at that crowd level to be worth printing. Posted waits are what the park displays, which is not always what you queue.

Kings Island FAQ

What time should I arrive at Kings Island?

Aim to be at the gate 30–45 minutes before the posted opening time of 10 AM. The first hour consistently has the day's shortest waits, and arriving even 45 minutes late typically costs you two headliners.

When are wait times shortest at Kings Island?

10 AM–11 AM and 9 PM–10 PM — the opening hour and the final hour of the operating day. Waits peak 3 PM–5 PM, so plan meals, shows and indoor attractions for that window.

What should I ride first at Kings Island?

Orion, then Banshee and Diamondback. Orion and Banshee absorb the opening crowd; The Beast is deliberately left for after dark.

What is the best month to visit Kings Island?

May and September — May weekdays and September weekdays outside Haunt. Avoid June, July, August and October, when the summer holiday and Halloween Haunt weekends.

Is Fast Lane worth it at Kings Island?

Fast Lane earns its money on July and August Saturdays and during Halloween Haunt. Midweek, Kings Island has enough capacity that you will not miss it.

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