CINCINNATI – After more than 125 years in business, Coney Island is closing.
The amusement park announced Thursday that Coney Island will “permanently cease operations” effective Dec. 31, 2023.
Coney Island first opened in 1886, Sunlite Pool opened in 1925.
Dennis Speigel started working there 34 years after the pool opened.
“I started in 1959 as a ticket seller at the main gate. I worked through middle school, high school and college,” he said. “It was a sad moment for me to see it, but I understand why.”
Speigel was shocked by the news, but said there were signs that this would happen at some point.
“I have watched the Coney Island project shrink and shrink over the last few years. We saw the rides disappear,” he said.
Still, Speigel said the closure is a loss for Cincinnati.
“We are proud to create a place where so many wonderful memories are created for families,” the park said in a statement. “We thank the millions of patrons and employees from Cincinnati and surrounding neighborhoods.”
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The park was purchased by Music & Event Management Inc. (MEMI), a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO).
MEMI will transform the amusement park into a “modern” music venue for $118 million.
“Our goal is to elevate Cincinnati’s music scene and make it a must-see for all touring musicians,” said MEMI Vice President of Marketing Rosemarie Moehring.
Provided by MEMI
According to MEMI, the venue will be a “first venue of its kind” in the Greater Cincinnati area. The venue will feature “state-of-the-art performance and entertainment technology” as well as “first-class amenities.”
It will also feature an advanced sound system and customizable seating arrangement.
Provided by MEMI
“It is designed to maximize all components of outdoor live music events,” said Mike Smith, CEO of MEMI.
Smith and Jonathan Martin, CSO president and CEO, said they are working to create “the finest amphitheater in the nation.”
Provided by MEMI
The amphitheater is intended to complement the two amphitheaters Riverbend and PNC Pavilion directly next to Coney Island.
“The location is good in that it creates a unique entertainment complex that I don’t think currently exists in the United States,” Moehring said.
She said Riverbend will continue to hold concerts, but that number will decrease.
“It will remain in place, but once the new venue opens and our current date for this is spring 2026, we will no longer be holding regular concerts at Riverbend. But we used it whenever we did festivals.
Moehring said they hope to host special events and music festivals at the entertainment complex.
Martin said the new venue would “herald the future of the music industry”.
He also said he hopes the venue will both expand the area's music, arts and entertainment industries and boost the local economy.
According to MEMI, live music contributes $10 billion to the U.S. economy each year, and the larger music tourism ecosystem (tickets, lodging, transportation, etc.) generated $43 billion nationwide in 2022.
The preliminary design of the venue is currently in the works and many key decisions have not yet been finalized, Smith and Martin said.
“We are proud to take it to the next step, just as Riverbend changed the face of live music in our community when it opened 40 years ago,” Martin said.
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