The Golden Ticket Award for Best New Ride is presented by Amusement Today to the best new attraction in the water park industry. The award was presented for best new attraction in both water parks and amusement parks since its inception in 2005 until 2018.
History The Golden Ticket Awards have been presenting awards since 1998 acknowledging amusement and water parks for their achievement in different categories. The Best New Ride award was introduced in the form of two different awards to acknowledge the best in amusement and water parks. The award has been presented since 2005 and has been featured on the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. In 2019, the amusement park award was split into three categories. The overall award was renamed to Best New Attraction Installation of 2019, with "industry suppliers and parks hav[ing] direct involvement with nominations". The Best New Family Attraction and Best New Roller Coaster categories were also introduced.
Best New Amusement Park Ride From 2005 to 2018, the fourteen winners were only produced by twelve different theme parks. The parks to introduce the most winners in this timespan were Cedar Point and Dollywood with two rides each. With five awards, Cedar Fair was the company that produced the most best new rides.
Year Winner(s) Park Other candidates 2005Hades Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure Italian Job: Stunt Track at Paramount's Kings Island maXair at Cedar Point Powder Keg: A Blast into the Wilderness at Silver Dollar City SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay2006The Voyage Holiday World & Splashin' Safari Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia Kentucky Rumbler at Beech Bend Park2007Maverick Cedar Point Mystery Mine at Dollywood Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe Renegade at Valleyfair Troy at Toverland 2008 Ravine Flyer II Waldameer & Water World Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland Led Zeppelin - The Ride at Hard Rock Park Evel Knievel at Six Flags St. Louis 2009 Prowler Worlds of Fun Diamondback at Kings Island Manta at SeaWorld Orlando Terminator Salvation: The Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia Pilgrims Plunge at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari 2010 Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Islands of Adventure Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion Sky Rocket at Kennywood Intimidator at Carowinds Ghost Ship at Morey's Piers Joris en de Draak at Efteling 2011 New Texas Giant Six Flags Over Texas Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park Twister at Gröna Lund Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park 2012 Wild Eagle Dollywood Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg OzIris at Parc Astérix Skyrush at Hersheypark 2013 Outlaw Run Silver Dollar City Iron Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas GateKeeper at Cedar Point Gold Striker at California's Great America Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Florida 2014 Flying Turns Knoebels Banshee at Kings Island Goliath at Six Flags Great America Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios Florida Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom 2015 Fury 325 Carowinds Wicked Cyclone at Six Flags New England Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain Cú Chulainn Coaster at Tayto Park Thunderbird at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari 2016 Lightning Rod Dollywood Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom Mako at SeaWorld Orlando Valravn at Cedar Point Switchback at ZDT's Amusement Park 2017 Mystic Timbers Kings Island Flight of Passage at Disney's Animal Kingdom Mine Blower at Fun Spot America InvadR at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster at SeaWorld San Antonio 2018 Steel Vengeance Cedar Point Time Traveler at Silver Dollar City Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion Oscar's Wacky Taxi at Sesame Place Wicker Man at Alton Towers
Best New Water Park Ride The award for the Best New Water Park Ride has been presented since 2005 and is given to the ride that has been voted for by industry professionals. The park that has received the award the most is Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Indiana, with total of five. There is also a Golden Ticket Award that recognizes the Best Water Park and Best Water Park Ride as voted on by the same industry leaders, however this is without the handicap of being anew ride for a specific year.
In 2016, the winner of the Best New Water Park Ride in 2014, Verrückt, was involved in a fatal accident where a 10-year-old boy, named Caleb Schwab, was tragically decapitated along with serious injury to the other two riders. The ride never reopened, was demolished in 2018, and remains as one of the most tragic accidents in the Amusement Park industry. Verrückt remains the only water park ride on this list to have closed.
The Schlitterbahn Water Park chain appears on the list multiple times. The Falls at Schlitterbahn in Texas is the World's Longest Water park ride at 3,600 feet. The ride simulates a whitewater river rafting all ages experience, and includes sudden drops and rough waters.
Medusa's SlideWheel at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme park is the United States' first rotating waterslide, and also the winner of the Golden Ticket for Best New Water Park Ride in 2022. This type of slide has riders enter one end of the slide as the whole structure rotates, causing the riders to have "pendulum movement" as they slide through the intricate tubing.
Year Winner(s) Park Other candidates 2005 Black Anaconda Noah's Ark Water ParkCrush 'n Gusher at Typhoon Lagoon Typhoon at Six Flags New England Bahari Wave Pool at Holiday World & Splashin' Safari Funnel of Fear at Michigan's Adventure 2006 Bahari River Holiday World & Splashin' SafariTime Warp at Noah's Ark Water Park Tornado at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago Fire Tower Falls at Dollywood's Splash Country 2007 Bakuli Holiday World & Splashin' SafariDeluge at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Brainwash at Wet 'n Wild Orlando East Coast Waterworks at Hersheypark Poseidon's Rage at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park 2008 Dragon's Revenge Schlitterbahn, TexasDolphin's Plunge at Aquatica Orlando Black Hole: The Next Generation at Wet 'n Wild Orlando Rock & Roll Island at Water Country USA Taumata Racer at Aquatica Orlando 2009 Congo River Expedition Schlitterbahn, TexasWahoo Racer at Six Flags St. Louis UpSurge! at Alabama Adventure Maximum Velocity at Wet'n' Wild Phoenix Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror at Splish Splash 2010 Wildebeest Holiday World & Splashin' Safari 2011 The Falls Schlitterbahn, Texas 2012 Mammoth Holiday World & Splashin' Safari 2013 River Rush Dollywood's Splash Country 2014 Verrückt Schlitterbahn Kansas CityColossal Curl at Water Country USA Bahama Blasters at Six Flags Fiesta Texas Deep Water Dive at Kentucky Kingdom Snake Pit at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom 2015 Dive Bomber Six Flags White Water AtlantaSlideZilla at Elitch Gardens Theme Park Aqua Rocket at Raging Waters San Dimas Slideboarding at Wet'n'Wild Las Vegas Anaconda at Kalahari Resorts Pocono Mts. 2016 Massiv Schlitterbahn, GalvestonBlackbeard’s Revenge at Carowinds Cyclone Saucers at Beach Bend Tropical Plunge at Kings Island Wonambi at Raging Waters, Illinois 2017 Thunder Rapids Six Flags Fiesta Texas Krakatau Aqua Coaster at Volcano Bay Point Plummet at Cedar Point Shores Miss Adventure Falls at Typhoon Lagoon Ko'okiri Body Plunge at Volcano Bay 2018 Ray Rush Aquatica OrlandoBreaker's Edge at Hersheypark Rock Wheel at Chimelong Waterpark Whitecap Racer at Hersheypark Raja at Noah's Ark Water Park 2019 Cutback Water Coaster Water Country USALava Drifting at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Waterpark Daredevil's Peak at Little Stirrup Cay Infinity Racers at Schlitterbahn Galveston Rapid Remix at Soundwaves Water Park 2021 Cheetah Chase Holiday World & Splashin' SafariRiptide Race at Aquatica Orlando Tsunami Surge at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago Venus Vortex at Lake Compounce Rally Racer at Waldameer Park 2022 Medusa's Slidewheel Mt. Olympus Water & Theme ParkRocket Rapids at Quassy Amusement Park Riptide Racer at Aquatica San Antonio The Edge at Soaky Mountain Rapids Racer at Adventure Island 2023Rocket BlastWaldameer & Water World Riptide Race at Water Country USA Vikingløp at Rulantica Turtle Coaster at Aqualand/Land of Legends Lightspeed Shuttle at Studio City Water Park 2024Rise of IcarusMt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Icon Tower at Meryal Waterpark Kaleidoscope Kavern at Wilderness at the Smokies Ridge Runner at Wilderness at the Smokies Eagle Hunt at Boulder Beach at Silverwood 2025HydroMAGNETIC LIM Mammoth Water CoasterChimelong Water Park RiverRacers at Soak City at Kings Island Rafter's Rage at Soaky Mountain Moosehorn Falls at Splash Works at Canada's Wonderland The Hive at Zoombezi Bay 2026AquaticarAquarabia Power Rapids at Aquatopia Presque Isle Plunge at Waldameer & Water World Reef Runners at Seabreeze Nitro Blast at NRH2O
References
External links Current Golden Ticket Awards at Amusement Today's Golden Ticket website