HOLLYWOOD, CA

Each year dozens of celebrities flock to Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights for a good scare. They’re just like the rest of us as they scream through the mazes, mingle with the monsters and take in all the tricks and treats of the haunting season.
Musicians such as Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, DJ and producer Diplo, singers Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, Iggy Azalea and rapper Kendrick Lamar as well as sports figures like Lakers player Lonzo Ball and fighter Chuck Liddell and actors including Jamie Foxx, Adam DeVine, Abigail Breslin, Mandy Moore and Ashley Tisdale, all like to stop and pose for a quick photo with the horrifying creatures lurking within the theme park when they pop by for a visit.

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Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), a leader in regional amusement parks, water parks and immersive entertainment, today reported record net revenues for its third quarter ended September 23, 2018 and announced a 4% increase in its quarterly cash distribution
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Cedar Fair reported record net revenues of $664 million in the third quarter. The 2% increase over last year's third-quarter results was driven by a 2% increase in average in-park guest per capita spending and an 8% increase in out-of-park revenues, including resort accommodations.

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BROOKLYN, NY

Stand on Surf Avenue and there’s little evidence that in October 2012, a nearly 14-foot storm tide broke across the Coney Island boardwalk, merging with water from Gravesend Bay and Coney Island Creek, and violently surged across the fragile peninsula from all three sides. Hurricane Sandy’s life-threatening storm sent cars floating down dark, flooded streets and left thousands of residents without light, water, or heat. It left others marooned on upper floors of apartment houses and public housing towers in the neighborhood’s West End. In neighborhoods as close as Bensonhurst, it was business as usual, almost as though there’d been no hurricane. But in Coney Island in the hours and days after, people resorted to eating food tainted by sea water and collected water from hydrants, as sinkholes big enough to crawl through opened from one end of the block to the other.

Six years after the storm killed 43 New Yorkers, and caused $19 billion worth of damage to the city, the boardwalk attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to its glittering amusement park featuring log flumes, roller coasters, and high-end restaurants. But for residents of the area, it’s a different story. The still-glacial pace of repair in Coney Island has meant many New York City Housing Authority buildings are still in bad shape, while some residents are only now moving back to homes rebuilt by a troubled federally funded reconstruction program. It’s the gleaming mixed-use buildings full of market rate apartments breaking ground on Surf Avenue, and others rising near Sea Gate at Coney’s western tip, that alarm advocates, city planners and locals. They say Coney’s dramatic building boom, triggered by a Bloomberg-era 2009 rezoning, but slowed by Sandy recovery, suggests a dangerous amnesia about how the storm devastated Coney. And a denial about the threat that rising seas and bigger, more dangerous storms caused by climate change pose to this former barrier island.

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ORLANDO, FL

In October 2021, Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida will be turning 50! And apparently, the iconic theme park will be doing something special to celebrate this massive anniversary as they prepare to open new rides, attractions, restaurants and resorts in anticipation of the big birthday.
There are dozens and dozens of new projects happening at Disney World pretty much all the time, but few will have the impact of these 10 massive changes and additions. New meet-and-greets, photo opportunities, dining experiences and snacks roll out with little-to-no fanfare. But a project like Disney’s new transportation system the Skyliner and the new Star Wars-themed land in Hollywood Studios are going to change the entire theme park world, even beyond Disney.
New resorts, lands and rides are just a few big changes happening at Walt Disney World. Here are 10 ways this favorite theme park will be a whole new world by 2021.


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HOUSTIN, TX

When AstroWorld closed down in 2006 to the dismay of all Houstonians, Maria Mendeles bought up a ton (literally) of fixtures and merchandise from the theme park. For years it’s sat in various warehouses, but it looks like the Emiliano’s owner might actually be looking to sell off some of the iconic items that so many of us remember from childhood.
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I was contacted by Benjamin Rosales, who is trying to partner with Ken Spicer, a local auctioneer, to bring these items to public sale. Spicer told us that he hoped to have them available either for an in-person or online bidding by mid-November.

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SHANGHAI, CN

First it was Dale the chipmunk. Then it was ShellieMay. Now, it’s Mickey Mouse.
Shanghai Disneyland has been banning visitors to the Magic Kingdom after they were caught assaulting cast members dressed up as cartoon characters.
Last week, a man hit Mickey Mouse on the head after he unsuccessfully tried to stop and engage the character.

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ORLANDO, FL

​Universal Orlando has released the full lineup of acts for the 2019 edition of Rock the Universe at Universal Studios theme park.
It’s coming up faster than you might imagine. In September, Universal announced it was moving the two-day Christian-music event from its usual fall timeframe to February. Dates for the 2019 edition are Feb. 1-2.
Now scheduled to perform at the next Rock the Universe are Lecrae, Matthew West, Big Daddy Weave, Colton Dixon, Matt Maher and Rhett Walker Band on Friday, Feb. 1. On Feb. 2, Rock the Universe attendees can see Skillet, Bethel Music, Crowder, Francesca Battistelli, Micah Tyler and Ledger. (Universal had revealed six of these acts last month.)

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GOLDEN, CO

Fancy a ferris wheel in your back garden? Merry-go-round on your driveway?
A complete amusement park went up for auction Thursday.
The Heritage Square Amusement Park in Golden, Colorado, closed on July 1 after reportedly struggling financially, and now Norton Auctioneers have been commissioned to sell the assets.

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ORLANDO, FL

Are you planning a visit to Walt Disney World Resort for the holidays? Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom Park is an absolute must-do event during the holiday season. This in-park party celebrates the season with lovely decor, glittering holiday lights, special photo opportunities, snow on Main Street, U.S.A., and entertainment you have to see to believe!
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which requires a special ticket to attend, will be held on the following nights: November 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29 and 30; and December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 21. Party fun takes place from 7 p.m.-midnight.

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BUENA PARK, CA

Knott's Berry Farm usually wastes no time in promoting its next big addition after it opens a new attraction. But following last spring's debut of HangTime, we heard nothing from the park about a new ride or show.
The rumor mill has been suggesting that Knott's would hold off on a 2019 addition in favor of a much bigger-than-normal debut for 2020. Whatever the plan, Knott's decided to fuel fans' curiosity with a Tweet this afternoon, one that teases a "great discovery" for 2019.

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