What to Know
- After 18 months, Coney Island is set to welcome visitors back to its amusement attractions for the first time since 2019 starting Friday, the Alliance for Coney Island announced Monday.
- Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and Luna Park in Coney Island will open to the public at the end of the week, with limited capacity and new COVID guidelines for guests to follow including advanced reservations which can be made online prior to visiting the parks.
- After the mandated closure of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Coney Island Amusement District took a devastating hit financially.
After 18 months, Coney Island is set to welcome visitors back to its amusement attractions for the first time since 2019 starting Friday, the Alliance for Coney Island announced Monday.
Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and Luna Park in Coney Island will open to the public at the end of the week, with limited capacity and new COVID guidelines for guests to follow including advanced reservations which can be made online prior to visiting the parks.
The decades-long tradition of the “Blessing of the Rides” ceremony will take place on the boardwalk in front of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will take place followed by a speaking program and ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to the Alliance for Coney Island, a private-public partnership dedicated to continuing the year-round revitalization of Coney Island. Following the opening ceremony, Deno’s will be providing free rides on the Wonder Wheel for 100 front-line workers including EMT, FDNY, NYPD, and staff from Coney Island Hospital.
"2020 marked the first time in 100 years that the wheel has not spun. While it was a devastating time for many, we are excited to welcome back guests and celebrate the life and passion of our parents and grandparents’ hard work who dedicated their lives to providing Coney Island with a warm welcoming amusement park on the Boardwalk. We hope to see everyone this season!" the Vourderis family, which owns and operates Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, said in statement.
After the mandated closure of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Coney Island Amusement District took a devastating hit financially.
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U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that New Yorkers are eager to get back to the well-known boardwalk.
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"After a long and painful year of social isolation, New Yorkers are eager to get back to the boardwalk and enjoy a Nathan's hotdog under the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone," Schumer said in a statement. "I've fought hard in Washington to deliver tens of billions of dollars to shore up the local economy, support our small businesses, and speed vaccinations so we can safely re-open the parts of New York like Coney Island that make our city so special. As a native son of Brooklyn who grew up a short B36 bus ride away in Sheepshead Bay, I’m proud to see this quintessentially New York attraction open this year and I will continue to support the community’s recovery and revitalization for years to come.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called the grand reopening a sign of "joy and relief," particularly after a "difficult year."
“Opening season on Coney Island means that spring is finally here and summer is right around the corner,” Gillibrand said. “This has been an incredibly difficult year, but with the reopening of Coney Island’s attractions comes signs of joy and relief. Coney Island’s rich history has created countless memories and smiles for New Yorkers and visitors alike. Deno’s Wonder Wheel will be able to celebrate its delayed 100th Anniversary which opened in 1920 and safely welcome back guests to bring out the kid in all of us.”
The amusement attractions will be open on weekends through Memorial Day. However, starting Memorial Day weekend, the amusement attractions will operate daily.
