The news publication Amusement Today held the annual Golden Ticket Awards earlier this month.
The Golden Ticket Awards have been honoring theme parks around the world since 1998. A Golden Ticket award is the premier honor in the amusement park industry; parks vie for these awards each year to display them in their parks. Connecticut’s own Boulder Dash has taken home the Best Wooden Coaster award a whopping five times, most recently in 2016. Let’s dive into who took home some hardware this year.
The awards were held in Austin, Texas at Cotaland, which officially opened its doors on Saturday, Sept. 26. Before announcing award winners, the Golden Ticket Awards honored two titans of the industry who recently died. Dick Knoebel of Knoebels Amusement Resort died in July, and then just over a month later, Dolly Parton died too. She was not only a fabulous musician and philanthropist, but also dreamer-in-chief of Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Knoebel and Parton were both pivotal figures in expanding the brands and likeness of their respective parks, bringing them national attention. They were each recognized as a “Legend” by the Golden Ticket Awards.
Speaking of Dollywood, the park took home the Most Beautiful Park award, along with Best Guest Experience, Best Kids Area and Best Family Coaster with Big Bear Mountain. The coaster’s manufacturer, Vekoma, took home Supplier of the Year, really solidifying the comeback Vekoma has made over the years.
Best New Attraction of 2026 went to Falcon’s Flight at Six Flags Qiddya City, located right outside Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.
Falcon’s Flight is the world’s most ambitious rollercoaster; it holds the record of being the longest, fastest and tallest rollercoaster in the world. It opened as the first ever Exa coaster — an Exa coaster being over 600 feet tall. Falcon’s Flight total elevation change on the cliff is 640 feet. The coaster also took home the award for Best New Rollercoaster.
Best New Family Attraction went to Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare at Kings Island. Then Best Dark Ride was claimed by Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment at Epic Universe, once again beating Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Europa Park in Germany took home Best Park for the 11th time. Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, took home Best Water Park, dethroning Universal’s Volcano Bay.
The two big awards left were Best Wooden Coaster and Best Steel Coaster. For the first time in 15 years, the title of best wooden coaster in the world is heading back to Santa Claus. The Voyage at Holiday World was awarded for best wooden coaster in the world. The second longest wooden rollercoaster in the world with a night ride like no other dethroned eight-time consecutive winner Phoenix at Knoebels. The Gravity Group coaster is nothing like anything else in the world and is a must ride.
For the steel category, I hope it doesn’t sting to hear that Fury 325 at Carowinds took home the award for the 10th time in a row. The world’s tallest rollercoaster with a lift hill has won the award 10 times in its 11-year existence, with the exception of 2020 when the awards were cancelled.
The Bolliger & Mabillard Giga coaster won the award despite facing some challenges this year with an issue regarding the coaster’s foundation that shut it down for two weeks. It was a scary month for anyone who planned a Carowinds trip in late July — I mean, who would do that?
Fury 325 concludes my coverage of the 2026 Golden Ticket Awards. I’m looking forward to a great fall season of amusement parks, Fright Fest and the best two words in the enthusiast community: night rides. Let’s get excited for what the amusement park industry will bring us in 2027.