Cedar Point's Boardwalk Nights

 Step Right Up!

    Cedar Point's Boardwalk Nights is a carnival-esque evening event featuring games, live entertainment, and themed food and drinks. There's also themed merchandise in the gift shops. It occurs every night (except Tuesdays) July 19th-August 18th from 7pm-10pm. I love that they're fully embracing the Boardwalk theme, as it's now one of my favorite areas to be in the park. When we attended Winter Chill Out earlier this year, it was on a sneak peek events poster in the costume building. While they didn't delve into the details, I'm glad they didn't spoil the surprises because this event is a lot more fun that I had anticipated. 

$39.99

    Boardwalk Nights starts off with a cavalcade at 7pm along the Boardwalk (between Windseeker and Gatekeeper). There were 3 floats, dancers, and kites. However, all 3 floats don't make it down the entire boardwalk. They start over near Gatekeeper/MaXair and stop in designated spots. One float stops near Windseeker and Scrambler, another stops at Wild Mouse and Matterhorn, and the last one stops in front of MaXair. Be near the Dodgems or MaXair if you want to see all 3 floats during the cavalcade (the floats do stay out all evening in case you miss the cavalcade). They do have a theme song for the event that is SO catchy. I loved it. It's been almost a week and it's still stuck in my head. 

    They do have a few games specifically for the event: Hi Striker, Boardwalk Basketball, Beach Buckets, and Ring a Seagull. The prices are a bit steep at $10-12 to play, however, they are play-to-win so you're guaranteed a prize. I didn't see any prizes I needed, but if you see one you want, I'd go for it since you can't lose. 

    There are also death-defying stunts around the Boardwalk and along the beach that occur every 20 minutes throughout the evening (make sure you get your hand stamped before you exit the park so you can get back in. Teenage me made that mistake once and it was a whole situation). There's a high-diver, extreme teeter-tottering, a fire manipulator, hand-to-hand balancing, synchronized kite flying, and the Wheel of Destiny. There's so much going on in this 3-hour event that we did unfortunately miss a couple of these acts. The ones we did get to were definitely entertaining to see. It was also funny hearing how many parents had to tell their children it wasn't something they could do at home. "Don't even ask how you can do this," was my favorite. 😂

    Musically, there were the SeaGals singing group, the Steamboat Swing Dance party, and Strike Up the Band. The songs were all a nice mix of each musical era throughout the years. If I don't hear Sir Elton John, Elvis, Nirvana, and Lady Gaga in the same evening, it is not a proper eras tour. 

Beach Dance Party

    They did have a few carnival-style themed foods like cotton candy and regular popcorn. They did feature a footlong hot dog with pulled pork, mac'n cheese, and BBQ sauce. I did not try it because I'm not the biggest fan of hot dogs. We did get the themed Fruit Fusion popcorn. It has blueberry, lemon, and grape flavoring. It's almost like a fruity powder malt. The moisture takes the crunch away from the popcorn, giving it a soft stale-like texture. The fruit powder malt stuff sticks together like a playdoh, even though it does melt in your mouth. It is very strange. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't get it again. 

$12.99

    There was more of a variety in drinks. They have some specialty ones that are made in shakers and can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. I tried the Watermelon Jalapeño Limeade. Shout out to Rodrigo who asked me how spicy I wanted it. I like spice, so I said I wanted a lot of heat. This determines how many jalapeño slices they put in. He delivered, but wanted to watch my face as I took a drink to see if I could handle it. I'm sure it was so I wouldn't come back and say I needed another because I couldn't drink it. It was a perfect amount of heat for me. (Though I wouldn't have admitted defeat if it was too spicy.) It was very refreshing and light. I like that you get the cocktail shaker, but they're plain. I wish they would've put the Boardwalk Nights logo on them so they felt special. 

Shakers: $15.99 
Non-alcoholic shakers: $9.99

    The Heatwave is a pouch drink like the ones at Halloweekends. It is rum, chipotle pineapple, cranberry, and lemonade. Very, very sweet, though. I can never drink a whole one of these things. The chipotle comes in the aftertaste, but it's so overly sweet that you don't get the heat. It was also super sticky. I think another pouch had leaked onto ours. 

$15.99

    Inside the Grand Pavilion, there are more themed drinks for Boardwalk Nights. You can get some others that aren't offered outside. I tried the So Co Peach Tea-whiskey, peach syrup, and tea. It was tea and peach forward. You couldn't taste the whiskey. As a whiskey lover, I wish you could taste it. If you love peach tea, you'll love this one. 

So Co Peach Tea-$15.99

    I also tried the Citrus Crush. It is advertised as a East Coast boardwalk classic, so I felt it was the proper thing to do. It has fresh lemon juice, sugar, water, vodka, and triple sec. This was a lemon punch to the face. So tart that I puckered up and it was glorious. Very fresh and bright. I wish they'd keep this one on the menu. It's the best one I've had at the Grand Pavilion to date. 

Citrus Crush-$15.99

    Moving on back outside, the finale is a send-off for the evening at 10pm with pyrotechnics on the floats and on top of Dodgems and the Grand Pavilion. The dancers come back out onto the floats to dance and they play that catchy theme song, in case you didn't get it stuck in your head during the cavalcade. While the fireworks on Dodgems and the Grand Pavilion are the same, it is fun to be in a section of the Boardwalk where you have a view both buildings. It's a fun and colorful way to end the night.

*Note: The balcony of the Grand Pavilion closes at 9pm for the fireworks.* 

**For anyone who needs a heads-up, these are not the super loud, large fireworks. They're the lower, shooting star-type ones. I call them "sizzlers." ** 

    I actually really loved Boardwalk Nights. It was a lot of fun and I'm tempted to go again before it ends in August. You can see more about the event here. I do wish there were more themed food options other than the few things available. The games were fun, but a bit pricey. I loved the music and entertainment all evening, especially that theme song. It was refreshing and different to see it extend out to the beach for a dance party, entertainment, and glow-in-the dark sports and toys. It wasn't at all what I was expecting, but I hope it sticks around and expands in the upcoming years! 

    Have you made it out to Cedar Point for Boardwalk Nights? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!