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Hersheypark Retires Tidal Force After 32 Years

The park posted a social-media farewell while declining to explain the permanent closure or identify any replacement for the Boardwalk site.

Overview

  • Tidal Force ceased operation on Monday, September 7, 2026, the final day of Hersheypark’s 120th summer season, and the park confirmed the ride’s permanent retirement.
  • Hersheypark announced the retirement earlier in 2026 and made the final send-off official with a social-media post on September 6 inviting guests to ride through the last day.
  • The Boardwalk flume launched in 1994 and sent riders up a roughly 100-foot ascent before a splashdown that reached speeds over 50 mph, a feature that often soaked riders and nearby spectators.
  • The park has not provided a reason for the closure and has not announced any plans for a replacement attraction on the Tidal Force footprint.
  • Hersheypark will continue weekend fall operations from September 12 through November 1 for Hersheypark Halloween and Dark Nights, then shift to its Christmas Candylane holiday run before a winter pause and a typical spring reopening.