Kennywood Closing Classic Thunderbolt Coaster Early This Season

WEST MIFFLIN, PA — If you want to ride Kennywood's acclaimed Thunderbolt rollercoaster again this year, you better get to the park quickly.

The amusement park has announced the coaster will close for the remainder of 2026 after Monday.

“The King of Coasters will begin a maintenance improvement project to ensure the Thunderbolt remains one of the greatest wooden coasters in the world for generations to come,” a Kennywood Facebook post on Thursday stated.

The Thunderbolt is expected return to operation in 2027.

The Thunderbolt has been a Kennywood staple since 1968. But its roots go back more than a century to the old Pippin coaster, which opened in 1924. That coaster closed in 1967 and was renovated into the Thunderbolt.

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